History of German-American Relations > 1683-1900 - History and Immigration Germans in America | The German Language in the United States | German-American Relations

What kind of information materials are available?

Background • Card on the Tricentennial Anniversary of German Settlers in America, 1983 CD • Chronology of Germans in America CD • Emigration to North America • First German at Jamestown • German-American Biographies • German-American History & Heritage • German-Americans • The German-Americans: An Ethnic Experience • German Immigrant Painters • The Germans in America • Germans in the U.S (Religious Groups). • Germantown, PA • Max Kade German-American Center • Mennonites (Catholic Encyclopedia) • The 1848ers • Research Center German Emigrants in the USA • Seven Million Germans Were Once Foreigners • Why Germans Left Home Exhibits - Digital Images • Auswandererkarte nach Amerika, 1853 • Ellis Island Immigration Museum • German Farm at Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia • The Germans in America • "Schöne Neue Welt - Rheinländer erobern Amerika" • Shaping the Circle German-Americans in Indianapolis: 1840-1918 • Virtual Walking Tour of German-American Sites in Washington, DC Statistics • German-Born Population, 1850-1990 • Historical U.S. Census Browser • Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-born Population of the United States: 1850-1990 • The 1990 Census: German-Americans Teacher Resources • German-American Internet Scavenger Hunt • German Immigrants: Their Contributions to the Upper Midwest • Teacher's Guide to Celebrate German-American Day, October 6 • German Immigrant Culture in America Link Lists • German-American Historic Sites and Museums • German-American Libraries and Archives • German-American Studies at the University of Cincinnati • IUPUI Max Kade German-American Center   Postal Commemorative Society, 1983. German Immigration Tricentennial: First German Settlers Land in America 1683-1983 Immigration German immigration began in the 17th century and continued into the late 19th century at a rate exceeding that of any other country. Working with William Penn, Franz Daniel Pastorius established "Germantown" near Philadelphia in 1683. German immigrants in this early period came from the states of Pfalz, Baden, Wuerttemberg, Hesse, and the bishoprics of Cologne, Osnabruck, Muenster, and Mainz. At the beginning of the 18th century, economic problems in Germany brought a new wave of immigrants. Nearly one million German immigrants entered the United States in the 1850s; this included thousands of refugees from the 1848 revolutions in Europe. In these later phases of German immigration, newcomers joined established settlers. This phenomenon of "chain migration" strengthened the already existing German regions in the United States. Today, approximately 58 million Americans claim German ancestry. They are most numerous in California, followed by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Texas. The most dense German-American populations are in the "German belt" -- Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa. Politics & Government German-American political participation was more focused on involvement in the labor movement than in government. Germans in America had a strong influence on the labor movement in the United States. Labor union membership enabled German immigrants to improve working conditions and to integrate in American society as a whole. Originally strong in such occupations as baking, carpentry, and brewing, they were also laborers, farmers, musicians, and merchants. The first and most prominent German figure in American politics was Carl Schurz. He was influential in the election of Abraham Lincoln, served as ambassador to Spain, became a general in the Civil War, later was elected U.S. senator from Missouri, and finally was appointed Secretary of the Interior under President Rutherford Hayes. Foreign Relations Relations between the United States and Germany in the 19th century focused chiefly on immigration and commerce. On the whole, the main interest of the United States was to maintain the continental equilibrium of power -- political relations were of secondary importance. The United States was often represented only indirectly through the diplomacy of Great Britain and France. After 1871, as a unified Germany became a more dominant power in European politics, the relationship encountered some frictions as a result of naval and economic rivalries. See also: About the USA > History of the United States About the USA > German-Americans - Genealogy

Original Documents • American Memory Documents on German-American History • America's Most German-American City • Ferner thue ich euch zu wissen... • German Achievements in America • Presidential Proclamation on German-American Day, Clinton, 1995 CD • Treaty between the King of Prussia and the U.S.A., 1786 CD •  Treaty of Amity and Commerce, 1799 CD • Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, 1828 CD   Biographies • John Quincy Adams, U.S. President (1825-29) • Benjamin Franklin, Scientist and Statesman | Deutsch • Nathanael Greene, General in Revolutionary War • Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President (1801-09) |  Deutsch • Alexander Hamilton, Statesman • Rutherford B. Hayes, U.S. President (1877-81) • Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President (1861-65) |  Deutsch • Carl Schurz, Politician and Journalist |  Deutsch • Baron von Steuben, General in Revolutionary War |  Deutsch • George Washington, U.S. President (1789-97)  | Deutsch

Texts are abridged from U.S. State Department IIP publications and other U.S. government materials.

What kind of information materials are available? CD: These documents are available in fulltext format on the About the USA CD-ROM. Teachers: Request a copy for classroom use. L: Selected documents are available in German as well as other languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Persian and Turkish.

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U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany /Public Affairs/ Information Resource Centers  Updated: June 2008