To this day, Germans are the single largest group of immigrants to the United States, and over a quarter of Americans claim German ancestry. Over seven million German immigrants have been recorded since 1820, when official immigration records began to be kept. Germans immigrated to America primarily for economic reasons, but some Germans also left their homelands in search of religious or political freedom. They were also encouraged by their friends and family who had already found a new life in the United States. Immigrants faced a long and arduous journey before they finally reached American soil. Once they arrived in America, they typically settled in their own communities and entered the work force as skilled workers, bought small farms, or started their own businesses. German Americans did face opposition from native-born Americans, especially in the 1840s and 1850s as anti-immigration movements arose. Despite the adversity German-American immigrants faced both in their journey to their new home and in the hostility of other Americans once they arrived, Germans were successful in their search for opportunity and freedom in America and left a lasting cultural legacy. The principle motives for Germans to immigrate to the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century were economic. Many German people longed to leave their homeland in search of prosperity in America. In the beginning of the century, however, the Napoleonic Wars waged across Europe. They brought hard times on people throughout much of Europe. Additionally, the wars made sea travel unsafe, therefore slowing immigration across the Atlantic (Brownstone and Franck 139). When Napoleon was defeated in 1815, a new wave of German immigration to t... ... middle of paper ... ...-1850s (Daniels, American Immigration 174). Members of the party had to be American born Protestants who believed in “resisting the insidious policy of the Church of Rome, and all other foreign influences against the institutions of our country, by placing in all offices in the gift of the people…none but native-born Protestant citizens,” (175). The Know Nothing movement had died out by 1860, partly because it tried to avoid what came out to be the biggest political issue of the time: slavery (Hoobler and Hoobler 53). In 1856, the Republican Party published its anti-slavery platform in both English and German in an appeal for German votes (53). In the election of 1860, Lincoln won a tight election with strong German support in key states (53). Despite this opposition, German immigration to America remained strong through the end of the nineteenth century.
Germany in the eighteenth century wasn 't really Germany like we see today. Instead Germany at this time was divided in many different states, where each state was ruled by a prince who decided the countries religion. People who did not accept the religion; and were caught, were often persecuted. During this time period people in Germany fled Germany in search of a better place with more freedom. People wanted the liberty to have their own religion, land, and basically a better life than the one they were offered in Germany. Many migrated to Austria-Hungary and The Russian Empire, but some migrated to America. Johannes Hanner a German immigrant that migrated to America for a better life wrote a letter to his family about how America has given
The 18th Century was a time where most immigrants were of Irish, British, and German descent. From the 1890’s, through the next couple decade, Italians, and Jews would be the cause a new wave of immigration. Between 1900 and 1915, 3 million immigrants would take the journey, and travel to America. They would come through the famed “Ellis
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing primary sources and the secondary sources to back up the information, one could find out about what Chinese, Italians, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants have experienced in the United States in different time periods from 1865 to 1990.
The Irish were refugees from disaster, fleeing the Irish potato famine. They filled many low-wage unskilled jobs in America. German immigrants included a considerably larger number of skilled craftsmen as compared to Irish immigrants. Many Germans established themselves in the West, including Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Milwaukee or the "German Triangle." The heterogeneity that had been a distinctive characteristic of American society since colonial times became more pronounced as some five million immigrants poured into the nation between 1830 and 1860. The Irish and Germans were numerically the two major immigrant groups during this period. These immigrants often faced the prejudice in American society. They were blamed for urban crime, political corruption, alcohol abuses, and undercutting wages. The growth of immigration caused the rise of nativism. The influx of Irish during the 1840s and 1850s led to violent anti-immigrant backlash in New York City and Philadelphia. Those who feared the impact of immigration on American political and social life were called "nativists."
Throughout the history of America, there has always been a influx of Jews from Europe. Even though Emma Lazarus wrote her poem after the massive immigration of German Jews to America, her poem can be used to describe the Jewish Immigrants. Many German Jews arrived in New York " tired ... poor... [and] yearning to breathe free." While New York City was still a hub for German Jewish immigrants, some had also moved to Atlanta and more Western states. Several of the German Jewish families who immigrated to America will forever have their names etched into her history, through their central role as entrepreneurs in America's expanding clothing industry. They began from humble careers and worked their way up the proverbial food chain. Once settled in, these German Jews knew they had to take advantage of their circumstances, past experiences and ability to "predict" the future in order to survive in the dog eat dog world of the Nineteenth Century. Although many of which did not have much startup capital, they managed to pay off their debts and move into the profit margin. For a job that can fabricate those results, many chose to become peddlers.
The Irish migrated to America to flee from famine and were poor due to lack of money and skill. They were forced to work in factories and became political chess pieces to political machines like Tammany Hall. The Germans relocated to America to escape economic hardship and political tensions. Many farmers, artisans, and rebels of the failed revolutions of 1848 came to America for a better life. The Germans were wealthy and were able to move westward to further increase their capital. The Nativists condemned the presence of immigrants in America because of the crime and disease they brought with them, and for being politically liberal and integrators of
Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi...
The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920. Many people immigrated to America for
The United States has often been referred to as a global “melting pot” due to its assimilation of diverse cultures, nationalities, and ethnicities. In today’s society, this metaphor may be an understatement. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of foreign born United States residents nearly doubled from 20 million to 40 million, increasing the U.S. population from almost 250 million to 350 million people. With U.S. born children and grandchildren of immigrants, immigration contributed to half of this population growth. These immigrants, consisting of mostly Asian and Hispanic backgrounds, have drastically changed the composition of the U.S. population. In 2010, Asians and Hispanics made up 20 percent of the U.S. population, in contrast to a 6 percent share of Asians and Hispanics in 1970. It is predicted that by 2050, the share of immigrants in the United States will increase to one half of the entire population. With this rapid increase in diversity, many citizens have opposing views on its impact on the United States. In my opinion, an increase in immigration does contain both positive and negatives effects, but in general it provides an overriding positive influence on America’s society (“Population”).
By the twentieth century over two million Germans have immigrated to the United States. Regardless of where they settled they came from a multitude of areas and for a variety of reasons. They were a highly diversified group in terms of regional origin, religious and political orientation, education, and socioeconomic standing.
“They are willing to sell themselves in order to find a better life for themselves or
Dolan P shows "Between 1850 and 1930, about 5 million Germans immigrated to the United States with a peak in the years between 1881 and 1885, when a million Germans left Germany and settled mostly in the Midwest. Between 1820 and 1930, 3.5 million British and 4.5 million Irish entered America. Before 1845 most Irish immigrants were Protestants. After 1845, Irish Catholics began arriving in large...
There are several reasons for why Poles have made the 4,000-mile journey to America, many of which have already been explored and discussed within past research studies. In the present research study, the Polish immigration rates to America during the years of 1929 to 1931 will be examined. Statistics show that a large number of Poles move to the United States in 1929 and an even greater number of Polish immigrants come during 1930. Why such a large of mass of new emigration Poles came to America during this time frame poses as an interesting question as the ...
Until the 1860s, the early immigrants not only wanted to come to America, but they also meticulously planned to come. These immigrants known as the “Old Immigrants” immigrated to America from many countries in Northern and Western Europe, known as, Sweden, Norway, Scandinavia, Wales and Ireland. Some of them traveled to Canada, but most of them came to the U.S. seeking freedom they didn’t get in their own countries. Ireland had also recently suffered through a potato famine, where the citizens were left poor and starving. Most settled in New York City and other large cities, where they worked in factories and other low-paying jobs. The immigrants caused a great increase in population in these areas. The “Old Immigrants” tried not to cluster themselves with others of their own nationality. They would mostly try to fit in with Americans as best as they could. Many of them had a plan to come to America, so they saved their money and resources before they arrived so they could have a chance at a better life. On the other hand, another group of immigrants began to arrive