Philip Hitti's The Syrians in America is the first academic study to discuss the immigration of Arabs to the United States. Hitti begins by giving an account of the historic and geographic background of the "Syrians" (a term loosely used to describe Arabs from modern Syria and its neighboring countries). He then describes the immigration, the social and educational conditions of the immigrants, and the religious problems and issues that arose as a result of the immigration. An appendix is given listing the various religious communities in the United States.