American Mahjong has a diverse history of experimentation and change led by groups including Chinese Americans, Air Force Officers' wives, and Jewish American suburban mothers.

American Mahjong proliferated in the 1920s but there were different approaches and rules to the game, depending on who taught the game or the booklet that came with the mahjong set purchased Most of these versions vanished, but two endured.

The first was the Wright-Patterson approach, started by spouses of Air Force officers stationed at Wright Field in Ohio. The other started in 1937 by a group of Jewish women in NYC.

A small group of Jewish women in New York City did what a bunch of men could not: they worked TOGETHER to standardize the rules around this new game and build consensus. Thus, the National Mah Jongg League ("NMJL") was born. Today, it is played in a wide range of communities and is generally referred to as "American Mahjong".