Being German-American is a very personal thing. We want and we find external independence here, a free middle-class way of life, uninhibited progress in industrial development, in short, political freedom. To this extent we are completely American. We build our houses the way Americans do, but inside there is a German hearth that glows. We wear an American hat, but under its brim German eyes peer forth from a German face. We love our wives with German fidelity. . . We live according to what is customary in America, but we hold dear our German customs and traditions. We speak English, but we think and feel in German. Our reason speaks with the words of an Anglo-American, but our hearts understand only our mother tongue. While our eyes are fixed on an American horizon, in our souls the dear old German sky arches upward. Our entire emotional lives are, in a word, German, and anything that would satisfy our inner longing must appear in German attire [Cincinnati Volksfreund, Nov. 13, 1 848]. (Adams)
The conditions of which German immigrants faced were horrific and every person who has a trace of German ancestry, including myself, should be disgusted. German
immigration to the U.S. - was made difficult by the hardships they suffered in Germany and the persecution they experienced when they arrived in the U.S.
To begin with, hardships suffered in Germany made German immigrants? journey to the U.S. difficult. Throughout Germany, in the 1700?s, worsening conditions of farm ownership became a common push factor for German immigrants. The decline of land conditions made growing crops, of any type, nearly impossible and what little land there was to be had was already owned. (German American) Also, many immigrants fled to America because of the many revolutions in the 1860's and the poverty that almost always follows war. Following the revolutions in German states in 1848, a wave of political refugees fled to America, and became known as Forty-Eighters. In one twenty year span in the late 1800's, Germany went to war at least seven times taking on neighboring countries such as: Austria, France, Belgium and Russia. Much money was spent on the war effort in Germany. People were taxed heavily just to buy bullets for the army. (German Immigration) Following these costly wars came the onrush of millions of German immigrants, only to find that another war had been brewing in America.
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."
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.
During the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century the rise of immigration centered around two specific ethnic groups. Irish and German immigrants provided a large portion of immigrants that were entering the United States between the 1820’s and 1920’s. Both ethnic groups invested in making the journey to the United States for several reasons, however some immigrants were not given much choice. Economic opportunities attracted both ethnic groups into making the migration to the America, however others came because they felt dislocated or threatened in their own country. Choosing to come to America for these two groups was a similar decision but with their similarities came differences as well.
anyone who bought from a Jew was a no good German. In the early 1930's
Before the war, immigration to the United States skyrocketed, angering many Americans. Most newcomers were from countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, like Italy, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. Rising feelings of nationalism, even before the United States joined World War I, conflicted with the immigrants’ arrivals, inspiring some to rise up and protest against the newcomers. Many Americans were afraid that immigrants would bring communism or socialism to the country. Opponents to immigration were Protestants and nativists who resented the foreigners’ Catholic religion and their lack of Caucasian characteristics. Intraregional migration in the United States also became common yet, troublesome as more and more rural residents moved to urban areas for job opportunities. People living in rural areas were often Protestant and native-born, so they collided with Catholic immigrants who arrived in big cities and never...
Throughout reading The Joy Luck Club I learned that one of the main themes is immigration and the challenges and hardships one must overcome
Throughout the 1930s, Germany went under the control of the anti-Semitic Nazi Party and its leader, Adolf Hitler. “I could see the danger, being so close to Hitler and the Nazi's in Munich. Many of my school friends, former school friends, were becoming big Nazi's.” (Lowen) Most Germans did not agree with this form of ideology and could see the danger that would come of it so, in strong opposition to the system, they left the country. The Germans who opposed to the changes or the country but didn’t leave were either, forced to leave, held in concentration camps, or put to death. The transition for Germans from Nazi Germany to America--in obligation to the fact that they were German-- was fairly easy, even with the lowering exception of immigrants. In America, Germans, particularly scientists, musicians, and novelists were offered good jobs which allowed them and their families to blend in communities and strive. The immigration of Germans during this period was believed to be a benefit to the American culture which, at the time, was going through a Great Depression.
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
Like I said, much money was spent on the war effort in Germany. People were taxed heavily just to buy bullets for the army. Through all this, word was spread like wild fire through Germany that a new country in the west across the water was offering freedom and a promise of happiness for anyone who would make the long journey to the new country: America. So with somewhat heavy hearts, many men and women left their families behind to journey to America in hopes of something greater.
Zollman, Joellyn. "Jewish Immigration to America - My Jewish Learning." Jewish Immigration to America - My Jewish Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2013. . Joellyn Zollman described three "waves" of Jewish immigration to America. First came the Sephardic settlers from 1654 and several decades on, second the German Jews (mainly to escape oppression and denial rights, even basic human rights) in the 1840s, and lastly the Eastern Europeans after 1880. It provided information on the history of Jewish immigration to the United States, along with the reasons why - these reasons seemed to be part of a trend throughout history.
One of the first restriction, the Chinese exclusion act in 1882 that restricted any more Chinese workers to come to America. Then followed by the Asiatic barred zone act in 1917 that made immigration stricter by including a literacy test to reduce immigration. And later on in 1924 the immigration act was passed putting a quota limiting every nationality, allowing only 3% of the total population of that nationality to immigrate to America. This was one of the actions to restrict immigration, mainly Europeans immigrate to America after World War I. After World War I, many European countries are still in the process of recovering from it which lead a push to immigration to America. But soon after, World War II began with Hitler leading Germany back into power with Japan as its ally. As America soon joined the war in 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor quickly followed and another restriction for the Japanese was quickly set in place in 1942. It prohibited the immigration of the Japanese and pushed all the Japanese and Japanese-Americans to concentration camps. Besides war, the 9/11 tourist attack was also a hit to immigration making immigration stricter. After the homeland security act was passed, security was tighten among borders and deportation of illegal immigrants soon followed. Over history the restriction of immigration was mainly due to the sense of danger that America felt as immigrants may
World War II and Immigration After the Second World War, a great number of people faced massive
...ciety void of cultural biases; and allows the freedom of thought to drive the society to a higher level of conscienceness. Being an American means all prejudices are melted away by the variety of people living together in a new race of man called Americans.
Just outside the boundaries of the Roman empire of the first and second centuries, beyond the Rhine River, and occupying the area of Central Europe of what is today Germany, lived the tribes of the Germanic people. In Germania, the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus gave an account of the lifestyles and organization of these peculiar barbarians. These descendants of modern Germans proved peculiar in that they adopted many qualities typical of barbaric cultures, yet they simultaneously practiced virtues more befitting of advanced civilizations, values more ethical than even the Roman empire of the time. The German warriors had a rigid code that defined how to live honorable lives and shameful acts to avoid committing, and the warriors also adhered to strict tradition in their relationship with their king or chief.
Land of my parents’ heritage, Nigeria is where my story begins. Where my parents first met is in Abuja, Nigeria. The name of my parents tribe is Igbo. We are the third largest ethnic group in all of Nigeria. Called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my father set plans to travel to the United States. This calling was the only reason I was born in the United States. From Nigeria my parents traveled to Switzerland, then from Switzerland to the United States. When my parents first arrived in the United States they lived in San Diego, California, along the way my siblings were born: one brother and sister. Vague memories from California my mother has told me. Having to take care of my brother and being pregnant with my sister while my father was looking for any type of work. Eventually, our family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, so my father could attend Oral Roberts University. This is where I was born.