German American First German Americans German Americans

German immigrants made up a substantial population of colonial Pennsylvania where they often came into political conflict with the Quakers. The first German settlement was founded in 1683 although some individuals were already in America in other colonies. Eventually Germans constituted about one third of the population at the time of the Revolution.

2 German-Americans throughout the country

German-American became very widespread throughout America. In 1900 the cities of Cleveland, Milwaukee, Hoboken and Cincinnati all had populations over 40% German-American. In the 1990 census, 58 million people or 23% of the population listed German heritage.

3 German-Americans and World War I

During World War I, German Americans experienced widespread suspicion and persecution. Some during this time "Americanized" their names and limited their use of German language. Laws were passed to ban the use of German as a language of instruction for elementary school students even in private and parochial schools. Bilingual schools had been common in some communities. Some communities banned instruction in any language except English. The Supreme Court ruled the ban illegal in 1923Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 Events January 1 Grouping of all UK railway companies into four larg.

4 Amish, Mennonite and Hutterites

Many communities of AmishThe Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists related to the Mennonites, most of whom are noted for their avoidance of modern devices such as automobiles and electricity. History Holmes County, Ohio, the site of the one of the largest concentration of Amish, MennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations based on the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons. They are one of the peace churches which hold to a doctrine of non-violence, non-resistance and pacifism. They are the modern denominatis and HutteriteLike the two best-known Anabaptist denominations, the Amish and the Mennonites, the Hutterites had their beginnings in the Radical Reformation of the 16th Century. Originating in the Austrian province of Tyrol, the forerunners of the Hutterites migrated ts still speak dialects of German. Because of their religious beliefs they form separate communities that are still continuing in some cases centuries after immigration to America.

5 German-American Influence

Germans have contributed to a vast number of areas in American culture and technology. Baron von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm Augustus Steuben, Baron von Steuben ( November 15, 1730- November 28, 1794) was a German army officer who served with George Washington in the American Revolutionary War and is credited with teaching American troops the essentials of mil a former PrussiaThe word Prussia ( German: Preussen (Preussen Polish: Prusy Lithuanian: Prusai Latin: Borussia has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russian officer led the reformation of the U.S. Army during War of Independence and helped make victory against British troops possible. The Studebakers built large numbers of wagons used in the Western migration. Carl Schurz a refugee from the -- tragically unsuccessful -- first German democratic revolution of 1848 (see also German Confederation), served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Due to the tragic developments in Germany leading from WWI to WWII, many researchers of German origin left Germany due to economic problems or as a result of racial and political persecution. Probably the most famous of them being Albert Einstein, known for his Theory of Relativity.

After WWII Wernher von Braun the leading engineer coming from the former German rocket base Peenemünde brought his knowledge to the U.S. contributing there to the development military rockets as well as of rockets for the NASA space program.

German cuisine influence is seen throughout the country. Hamburgers, bratwurst, sauerkraut, strudel are common dishes. Germans were important in the beer and wine industries. German bakers introduced the pretzel. See also Lager Beer Riot.

6 American Influence on Germany

With so much influence of Germans in the U.S., the question arises what has been the impact of the U.S. on Germany? Up to the end of WWII this feedback has been comparably small. After WWII the victory of Allied troops made establishment of a stable democracy at least in the western part of Germany possible. From that time onwards economic, cultural and political influence of the U.S. in Germany increased steadily reaching its climax probably with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 and with German reunification in 1991.

With regard to cultural influence, U.S. brought Jazz music and Rock'n'Roll to Europe and Germany. Other cultural influences are seen, too.

Economically, one important American influence was the post-WWII Marshall Plan, which helped to build up the strong German economy in the 1950s and 1960s and the Berlin Airlift, which prevented west Berlin from being taken by the Russians. As important economies in a globalized world, today exchange of goods and services between the USA and Germany as well as transnational corporations with roots in both countries are very important. An example of the latter is Daimler-Chrysler, the fusion of German based Daimler-Benz AG and the U.S. Chrysler Corporation.

With regard to German cuisine, it is remarkable that hamburgers after having circumnavigated our planet once came back to their roots and just with a new makeup had a glorious comeback in Germany after WWII.

Politically U.S. protection after WWII helped to establish the present political system in Germany with firmly guaranteed personal rights and democratic freedoms of the individual.

German people U.S. ethnic groups

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1 First German-Americans