From the time period of 1820 to 1920, the German ethnicity accounted for the largest amount of immigration, more than every other nationality, including the Irish and Scottish. Unlike with the great waves of Irish immigrants, the mass-immigration of these German immigrants didn’t meet hostility from the American natives. This was largely attributed to the fact that German immigrants established their own distinct, independent communities and they didn’t try to integrate into American society. Rather than setting in the populous northeastern region of the United States, most German immigrants opted to settle in the western frontier. During this time of mass-immigration, German communities were established in Texas, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, among others.
Germany was not a unified nation until 1871, when Otto von Bismarck converted the Germanic tribes and former Prussian nation into a strong, universal kingdom. As a result, there were numerous tribes and Germanic nations that were represented in the United States, including: Bavarians, Hessians, Rhinelanders, Pomeranians, Westphalians, and Prussians. One of the most well-known waves of German immigrants arrived in 1848, and thus were known as “Forty-Eighters”. The primary cause of most of these immigrants was the failed democratic revolution in Germany, and they desired for democracy, and the United States was the best example of one. Like centuries before, there was also a large influx of religious refugees such as the Pietists, Jews, Amish, and Mennonites. America wasn’t the only nation that these German immigrants migrated to, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil also experienced a mass-migration. The United States, however, was the greatest recipient of Germanic immigrants.
The Irish immigrants during this time period typically arrived with little, if any, money or material possessions. However, the German immigrants tended to have more money upon their arrival, and thus were able to start their new lives immediately, as land-owners.
Wisconsin experienced one of the largest influxes of German immigrants in the United States, as the state boasted many of the same climate, geography, and soil attributes as their former European nations. Milwaukee, though established before their arrival, was engulfed by German culture and heritage. In fact, the city offered a fine assortment of German theater, restaurants, schools, and beer gardens. The German-Americans did a phenomenal job balancing their current and former cultures into a well-balanced mixture.
Though not all German communities were religiously oriented, many communities were established for that primary reason. There were several Amish settlements throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, who were led by Jacob Amman. The Amish, whose name was derived from their founder, were characterized by their disapproval of material possessions and their promotion of adult baptisms rather than infanct ones. This practice was not acceptable in Europe, thus they fled to America throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
In America, the Amish chose not to associate with mainstream society, thus they formed their own isolated communities that way they would not be susceptible to sin, corruption, or modern technologies. For the past three-hundred years, these traditions have been upheld. Even today, Amish people still use horse carriages as their primary mode of transportation. Additionally, they refuse to farm with mechanized plows, nor will they use electricity. They do not have telephones, colored clothing, or decorations. The Amish thrive on simplicity and are a true American success.
