In the late 17th century, Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn, invited religious wanderers from Germany to settle. Many of these religious outcasts faced persecution in their home countries and eagerly accepted invitations to start new lives in the United States. German Immigrants who arrived in the following decades settled in more southwestern regions of Germany, such as Baden-Württemberg-Palatinate and the Rhineland.
As the colonies drew closer to the Revolutionary War, the influx of German immigrants decreased. Many of the tens of thousands of settlers left Germany not only for religious freedom but also to escape the effects of the Thirty Years War and the subsequent conflicts that plagued Germany. Seeing war on such a scale in the New World shattered many people’s dreams of a safe and hopeful new home.
For those who have arrived in the colonies, life is challenging but not scary. For hard-working immigrants, success in the New World seemed like a real possibility. According to the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the typical German immigrant was a poor farmer or Artisan who came here around 1750 with his wife and two children. They are likely to be heavily in debt from crossing the Atlantic, but their family or friends have settled in the United States. They are either Lutheran or Reformed, but only loosely organized religions. Records show that they became thriving members of the community.
However, many were too poor to pay for the transatlantic journey, so as many as one-half to two-thirds of German immigrants came to Pennsylvania as indentured servants, or what the Germans called redeemers. These redeemers are basically contract servants, generally between two and seven years Who will be forced to work for a specific employer to cover debts they owe and debts incurred for travel to the United States.
By the time the German influx slowed, according to some historians, nearly 75,000 Germans were already living in Pennsylvania, with many others having immigrated to other colonies or would come later. There was an almost constant flow of Germans into the New World Since the founding of Jamestown, even some German Hessian soldiers who had been employed by the British during the American Revolutionary War decided to stay in the United States at the end of the war.
In the early 1800s, more Germans started heading to America, although not in as great a wave due to domestic famine. Others would come to the United States decades later due to political conflicts in Germany, and in the 1850s about 1 million Germans arrived in the United States, bringing the total By the 1860s, German-Americans numbered about 1.3 million. In the 1870s, more than 100,000 Germans from Russia found their way to America after the Tsarist government stripped away the privileges granted to German farmers in Russia hundreds of years earlier.
The ensuing decade would prosper, even though some 1.5 million Germans came to America in the 1880s alone. Although the number of German-born Americans fell from 2.9 million to 2.3 million between 1890 and 1910, that would be the peak. In 1920, the number dropped further and now stands at 1.7 million. Even with the side effects of displacement from World War II, there are only 1.2 million German-born Americans. After the conflict began, Germans continued to immigrate over the next few decades as they This is still the case today, but the number of them coming to the United States has declined significantly. In 1990, only 5.8 million Americans claimed to be German or part-German, although others may be related to German ancestry.
Even though the number of Germans entering the United States has peaked, and they undoubtedly had a huge impact on the country, Germans still seem to be the largest ethnic group in the United States. There are many reasons for their migration, one of which is Although the first wave of immigration is not accounted for, what is often overlooked are the stories told by Germans who have already achieved great success in the United States.
From the books of Godfrey Duden to the simple correspondence between German immigrants and people they knew back home, Germans began to hear about the opportunities and freedoms that the colonies and later America had to offer. Simple word of mouth is often all it takes, but still There were many other factors that caused the Germans to cross the ocean.
For many, the feudal system at home left them yearning for more independence, and fears of overpopulation and economic deterioration imposed other restrictions on some, such as restrictions on marriage. But the economy is bad enough, and for many people, high taxes are a Ongoing burdens and a decent living seemed more likely in the new world. Further reasons to immigrate to the United States arose with the news that land was being allocated to newcomers and later industrialization opened the door to more jobs outside of typical agriculture.
Moreover, some communities in the German states were eager to get rid of the underclass anyway, and were even willing to cover the cost of traveling to America if the migrants promised never to return home. Other German men leave illegally over military service claims, while more flee Famine and frequent wars. Of course, religious liberty was often an important motivator, as many of the original immigrants of the New World demonstrated. At that time, each monarch basically told many people to believe in Catholicism or Protestantism. for those who have strong The fleeing of the country by alternative faiths unwilling to abide by it became a way for them to practice their peaceful beliefs.
Not only did the American colonies have religious freedom, but as mentioned earlier, the founder of Pennsylvania himself even invited these religious wanderers to settle in his colony. Of course, there are many reasons why people from any country immigrate to another country, and this is far from one Exhaustive list, though it is some of the main explanations found.
For example, Americans might not have shared the tradition of decorating Christmas trees without German immigrants, and the Brooklyn Bridge would not have been built without German immigrant engineers. Business owner military general scientist – German immigrant with dozens of names He embarked on a journey across the Atlantic that changed the future of the colonies and America.
Germans still immigrate to America occasionally, but more important is the lasting impact of those who have been. More than 30 percent of the combined populations of the six states are believed to be made up of all or some German Americans. Seven other races with at least 20% race German population. In none of the 50 states does the German population make up less than 4.5% of the state’s total population.
Probably one of the most impressive parts is that most of the immigrants from the German states were almost (if not completely) assimilated into German-American culture and identity, which means that there is really no conscious German identity in the US. although some German traditional societies and communities owe their existence in large part to the courageous millions of people who bravely started new lives in America, making America’s roots largely German.
But what was life like after German immigrants arrived in the United States? As mentioned earlier, many were poor farmers or artisans arriving in the mid-1700s, probably heavily in debt from crossing the Atlantic. Many are affiliated with Lutheran or Reformed, but only loosely Committed to organized religion. Records show that they became prosperous members of the community; however, many were too poor to afford transatlantic travel. As many as one-half to two-thirds of German immigrants came to Pennsylvania as indentured servants or redeemers of the Germans call them.
These redeemers are basically contract workers, usually between two and seven years, who will be forced to work for a specific employer to cover the debts they owe and the debts they incur during their trip to the United States. When the influx in Germany slowed, there were already According to some historians, nearly 75,000 Germans lived in Pennsylvania, and many others had immigrated to other colonies or would come later.
Migration continued throughout the 1800s, with some Germans leaving due to domestic famine while others arrived due to political conflict in Germany. In the 1850s, approximately 1 million Germans arrived in the United States, making the total number of Americans born in Germany by the 1860s approximately 1.3 million. In the 1870s, more than 100,000 Germans from Russia found their way to America after the Tsarist government stripped away the privileges granted to German farmers in Russia hundreds of years earlier.
The ensuing decade would prosper, even though some 1.5 million Germans came to America in the 1880s alone. Although the number of German-born Americans fell from 2.9 million to 2.3 million between 1890 and 1910, that would be the peak. In 1920, the number dropped further and now stands at 1.7 million. Even with the side effects of displacement from World War II, there are only 1.2 million German-born Americans.
German immigrants had a lasting impact on the United States in various ways, but what is often overlooked is how German-speaking culture and traditions became an important part of the country’s identity at one point in time. As the number of German-Americans increased and spread across the country Many German-language newspapers, churches, schools, and community groups have sprung up in the United States.
By the end of the 1800s, more than 500 German-language newspapers were published in the United States, and many schools taught German in addition to English. However, this all began to change during the First World War, when anti-German sentiment began to spread throughout the country. many german newspapers were closed, and some districts banned the use of German in schools. This hostility to German culture persisted throughout World War II, leading to a marked decline in German usage and cultural expression in the United States.
Nonetheless, German culture and heritage remain an important part of American history, and German Americans have contributed to American art, science, business, and politics over the years. Some famous German-Americans include Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley, and Henry Kissinger. Many others.
In conclusion, the reasons for the massive immigration of Germans to the United States were multiple and varied. German immigrants came to the United States seeking religious freedom, economic opportunities, and independence from the feudal system back home. The promise of land, jobs, and a better life lured many Germans to the United States. The impact of German immigrants on the country has been significant, with many notable figures in business, politics, and the arts being of German descent. Although the use of the German language and expression of German culture was suppressed during times of war, German-Americans continue to play a vital role in the country’s identity and history.
My hometown of Frederick, Maryland used to be super German. Germans from Pennsylvania came down and settled, German was the one of the main languages up till the mid 1800s. One of the oldest surviving structures here is an old German homestead called Schifferstadt. It was built in the 1750s and is still in decent condition. My mother’s family is primarily German, they left from Rhineland-Palatinate. They settled in Lancaster, PA in the 1750s then moved west to Bedford. They were gunsmiths and inn keepers. They made Pennsylvania Long Rifles for a few generations. I actually have one of the few rifles left. Plus our old tavern is on the National Registry of Historical Places.
As a non-American, i always found that many famous Americans have German surnames like Donald Trump, Robert Mueller, David Hasselhoff, Norman Schwarzkopf, Dwight Eisenhower, Andy Biersack, Brooks Wackerman, Freddy Krueger, Maggie Lindemann, Nicole Scherzinger, etc. Even some American companies have German-sounding names like Kraft Foods, Heinz, Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser, Boeing, Hellmann’s, Merck, Pfizer, Koch Industries, etc.
Germans also had an influence in developing American cuisine. The classic all-American hamburger and hot dogs are examples of German immigrant mark in American cuisine. The hamburger gets its name from the city of Hamburg, rumored to be created in Germany or by a German American immigrant, and the hot dog is basically a frankfurter/wiener sausage in a bun. The iconic American sauce Ketchup was also popularized by the German American Henry J. Heinz, who founded Heinz Ketchup, and is apparently related to Trump. And of course, who can forget the American lagers. The Big 3 American draft beer companies Budweiser, Coors, and Miller were founded by German Americans Adolphus Busch, Eberhard Anheuser, Adolph Hermann Joseph Kuhrs (Coors), Jacob Schuler, Friedrich Eduard Johannes Müller (Miller). Notice how Kuhrs and Müller Anglicized their names to appear more marketable and be less discriminated in America.
You can also see German influence in American industrialism, Lutheran Protestant values, and even in fashion. American fashion is all about comfort and practicality, very much like German fashion. They wear socks with sandals, we wear socks with slippers. Levi Strauss, a German American, founded Levi’s, the first company that manufactured blue jeans. Even minimalist New York based fashion designers like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan (Donna Ivy Faske) are of German descent.
It was Not only for religious reasons. My grandfather in 1913 came to eastern Montana. In Germany he was a peddler. Rode in a cart and traded things. He wanted opportunity and had a relative in Montana. He became “the Potato King’ of Montana because of taking the worst land and raising the best red potato shipped to Chicago. He was 3’7” tall, a cripple, father of 8. The local newspaper in Baker Montana did the column on his farming. The headline? “Alien Crpple Potato King”. I am so proud of him and find hope in their life struggle which transfers to my own.
An American person of German descent once explained to me that German-Americans used to be very self-aware of their heritage, but after WWI there was a sentiment of paranoia regarding the loyalty of German-Americans and this lead to many of them to become more shy about their heritage, which lead to a decline in the use of German language in some rural towns and even some people changing their German last names to English ones. This reminded me to the book “In cold blood”, when at the beginning Capote mentions the Clutter family, who’s ancestors came from Germany and their last name originally was “Klopper”.
And of course, Hitler and WWII didn’t make this any better.
However, I’d say the German-Americans I’ve met are very aware of their heritage but not to the extend of wishing to learn the German language or become obsessed about it, but like they could take their children to some German-American town to show them their German roots and symbolic things like this. And I see nothing wrong about it.
Actually, people of German descent in South America are waaaaaaay more cocky about it than in the US.
I had two North German grandparents that struggled to leave in the 1920s after the war and economy collapsed. They came close to death so many times during WW l. By 1927, my mother at age 6 arrived with her mother on the Westphalia on Sept. 13th. The 3 of them were finally together. Their lives were a struggle and of course WW ll came and none of them were citizens so along with my father’s parents born in Sicily, everyone had to register as an enemy alien. Struggle, change, pain, a few good times and here I am in my old age wondering what is coming next.
My great-grandfather was ethnically German but raised in modern Peru (Chile at the time). He came to Detroit and worked for Ford as an English teacher to German factory workers. Then, during World War I, he got fired because his last name was German, even though he had no real connection to Germany, so he changed his last name to Garcia and the name is still in my family. He then got his job back and later moved to Brazil to help open Ford’s offices there. His son, my paternal grandfather, got a job teaching Portuguese at the US military academy in NY, where my dad was born. Lots of German immigrants headed to both North and South America. We’ve got a bit of both in the same story within 2 generations.
I’m 75% German and my paternal ancestors moved to the U.S. in the 1720’s from Alsace-Loraine and many more of my ancestors came from Switzerland and South-West Germany, the cool thing is the German population and language in America will continue to grow because of the Amish and Mennonite communities who have 6-7 kids and 3-4 kids respectively so German American culture will continue to thrive in the U.S. they even say Pennsylvania will be majority Amish in 100 years and Indiana and Ohio will follow suit in 120 years.
Basically, it comes down to long, large and consistent waves of immigration over the course of centuries rather then one or two massive waves at particular times in history. The fact that there were so many waves and so many people had German ancestry because of being in this country for so long is really what makes the numbers add up. If you’re a white person (or even just have some degree of white ancestry) and you don’t know all parts of your background except that your family’s been in America for a long time, there’s an excellent chance you have at least SOME degree of German ancestry.
I’m 1/4 German on my mother’s Mother’s side and my ancestor Heinrich Gerbe came from Hessen to New York in 1848 if I can remember the documents we found.. And he volunteered for the Union Army in 1864 in his 40s and was wounded in the Siege of Petersburg VA.. The funny thing is his records show he was in Artillery and 150 or so years later I was an Artillery Officer in the Army.
Irish/German here. Let’s not forget to thank the Germans for the food/drink they introduced us to.