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The immigrant essay
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Steven Nolt takes a different approach the immigrant story during the early Republic. Nolt argues that German immigrants were in fact the first true immigrants of the United States because they were the first to struggle culturally to a new country. The immigrants before them were border countries to England, such as the Irish and Scottish. These groups had minimal problems fitting in because they were so similar. The Germans on the other hand had quite a bit more difficulty adapting because their first language was not English and their cultures were drastically different than their new neighbors. Nolt focuses on a different era than most historians, which gives great insight into the struggle and times. Instead of focusing on the nineteenth century like most, Nolt relies on the period of the early republic (1790-1848.) Before this early republic period, Germans would mostly stick to themselves. German immigrants would rely on local German communities and would not try to Americanize. The German culture and language made life difficult to transition to the new type of English culture and language that surrounded them. These Germans did not know how to identify as Americans yet, they identified as German while they lived in these small communities. Germans went from a culture of being peasants that relied on local authority and control from land owners or government to a community of liberty and personal freedoms. This idea was appealing but unknown to these German immigrants. Nolt points out a very interesting aspect of this shift in culture when he discusses public education. Public education was a new idea that threatened the tradition of a parochial school. America was a new place for the German immigrants to call home, n... ... middle of paper ... ...is arguments. Nolt demands the unique aspect of a group of people that have usually been looked over by other historians. Although Germans begin to blend with the new American way of life, most of their cultures and lifestyles stay. Only through time and multiple generations do reforms and changes begin to occur. This overall theme of unique identity being Americanized is strong throughout Nolt’s entire work. The only thing Nolt could add to make his writing even better would be to make the material a bit more attentive to the reader. Sections would have been easier to follow and get through if Nolt had written to a wider audience than just those academic thinkers that are researching specific content. Even though Foreigners in Their Own Land was not an easy or quick read, Nolt wrote an interesting and somewhat new perspective on an overlooked era and generation.
In the Early years of film one can easily say that Germany lead the way in experimentation, with such striking examples as Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. How when looking at two of these film, Nosferatu and Dr Mabuse the Gambler one can find a similar theme that run throughout. This theme is that of Weimar’s insecurity about outsiders and otherness different cultures. While both films have different stories at their very simplest both films see someone come into the idyllic lives of the protagonist not only wrecking their lives but the lives of ordinary people as well. It’s worth noting that borth Nosferatu and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler were filmed in the turbulent early 20’s of the Weimar period where Germany was still dealing with the aftermath of the war and outside powers such as France encroaching on German territory and at the same time political unrest had reached its high. With all these changes going on it easy to see why Germany might have felt that outsider were at work trying to remold modern Germany. This is why in these turbulent early years befor the Weimar Golden age we see such strong use of the other/outsider as a stand in for events taken place in Germany
Hagen W (2012). ‘German History in Modern Times: Four Lives of the Nation’. Published by Cambridge University Press (13 Feb 2012)
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."
As other immigrant groups of non-English descent started arriving in America, there was an immigrant phobia towards the newcomers. During the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin said that the Germans, who were the new immigrants, were “excessively fertile, reluctant to assimilate, lazy and unwilling to learn English” (History 324, 10/19/10).... ... middle of paper ... ...
The Songerweg emphasizes the particular model of history that Germany, unlike other Western countries, has gone through. Specifically, ‘proponents of this concept emphasize the peculiarities of German history, such as political institutions, social structures, or mentalities and experience, usually in comparison with other Western countries, to demonstrate the unique course of German history’ (Buse & Doerr, 1998, p. 934). Although initially the theory of Sonderweg viewed the characteristics of German historical development as positive, the situation has changed after the World War II. Specifically, in the 19th and early 20th centuries historians applied the Sonderweg model to stress a focus on the role of strong central state and military as the driving force of the development of the country (Buse & Doerr, 1998). In addition to this, historians regarded social reforms in Germany that were made from ‘above’ rather than being the outcomes of revolution to be a positive feature that depicted German state in a favorable way. Finally, the historical school viewed the course of German industrialization and culture as superior to similar processed in the rest of Western European
Tone: Kirschbaum feels dispirited about the downfall of German-Americans and ponders how German America vanished abruptly during World War
America’s first wave of immigration began in 1840 through 1860 and lead to many demographic changes. Population increased due to natural reproduction and immigration. Many immigrants relocated to America seeking economic growth and opportunity or to escape religious persecution and political tensions. The Irish and the Germans were the first immigrants to migrate to America during the first wave of immigration. Each group had different reasons for settlement, but both faced discrimination from the Nativists.
In his report on an Excursion toward the Western Conditions of North America, Prussian legal advisor Gottfried Duden explained the upsides of life in America and how American life avoided a number of the societal and political issues present in nineteenth century German culture. Duden lectured that America was a bastion of shoddy and accessible area, particularly in the western states and regions. He urged Germans to get away from the political mayhem and constrained financial opportunities chances of Germany to begin another, more liberated life on the American
The phrase "a lesson to be learned and a tragedy to behold" has been indelibly attached to the Holocaust that to think of it in any other way is thought to insult all those of the Jewish community who lost their lives to the attempted genocide of their race by the Nazi regime. Despite such brevity attached to learning lessons from the Holocaust one must wonder whether the lesson has actually been learned or if people will continue to repeat the mistakes of the past. Angela Merkel, the current German Chancellor, has stated that the German experiment towards multi-culturalism has failed, those who wish to migrate into the country must learn the German way whether it is the language they speak, the culture they have or the very religion they hold dear . Such sentiments seem to echo those of the former Third Reich which held the German way, the Aryan way, as the only path to which people should attempt to pursue. While this paper is not trying to vilify the current German government nor is it trying to compare it to the Third Reich, the fact remains that the steps their government is taking fall uneasily close to that of their vilified predecessor. The fact is though, the German government is merely following through with the popular sentiment of its citizenry who believe immigrants coming into the country disrupts the German way of life and all attempts to live side by side in peace have failed. Despite being a predominantly Christian nation who supposedly follow the way of Christ, to hear them say that makes one wonder whether their claims truly reflects their deeds. It is from this situation that the essay of Eckardt and its view that the Holocaust is a "Christian Problem" becomes relevant to what is happening in the world today.
The cultural context that motivated the actions of the Nazis and the people of Germany was defined by the spirit of the time, or in other words, the zeitgeist of Post World War II, which focused greatly on the vulnerability experienced by the Germans and the promise of greatness and restoration of national pride that the Nazis were offering. Schlink captures this through the use of symbolism, allegory, analogy and characterisation and allows readers to view the time period from the perspective of an adolescent German. He also gives the reader an opportunity to develop a sense of empathy for the characters and subsequently for Germans during that time, who may still carry the guilt and burden of their World-War past.
Jews were like the blacks of Germany. They were mistreated and underestimated. In the years that led up to World War 2, the treatment of the Jews got worse and worse. In the 20’s Jews were normal, regular people who had another religion, but they would soon face another era of persecution and pain. Friedrich grew up with a rough life, a life that no one should live yet so many people in that time experienced.
Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity to the Postmodern Challenge, a book written by Georg G. Iggers, explores the transformation of modern trends throughout history using the influence of social science. Iggers combines his studies of German and American customs defined by social history to bring us in-depth highlights of pertinent information.
Traditional literature allows me to know that Germany was very creative. I know that they were great with coming up with solutions to unique problems. I have come to learn the kind of thinking that the Germans did. A lot of these ideas involve magic. These ideas allow the audience to become interested.
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
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. Kitchen, Martin. A History of Modern Germany: 1800-2000. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Sprout, Otto.