German Immigration

Immigrants from Germany have been coming to the United States since the mid 1800s when the colonies belonged to Britain. I think that the German people have not lost their German culture, especially in major cities like New York City. They have had the American culture thrust upon them and yet they still have and embrace their German heritage. The main cause of their immigration from Germany in the 1800s was in search for religious freedom and freedom from military involvement. Most Germans chose immigrating to the United States over other countries because they were in search of the things they desired and many were persuaded by emigration officers, friends, and relatives. Most German immigrants went on in living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

German Immigrants chose Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania because back in the 1800s, the land was inhabited by Native Americans so German immigrants settled in those states. Another reason why German immigrants went to the Midwest was because "land was made available to the Northern Pacific Railway," http://www.mnsu.edu/u/ says. They also say, "Land was sold to the immigrants for $2.50-$8.00 an acre in 1872-1873 and could be bought with credit under certain conditions." This was a great opportunity for German Immigrants. Taxes in Germany were rising and as the population increased, the amount of land became less available and more expensive. By immigrating to the Midwest, Germans could cheaply but land whose climate is similar to Germany's. Once they were settled, they tried to get their families to join them in America. In the picture above, the light blue stands for the German population immigrating to the United States. The majority of the Germany Population settled in the Midwest and Pennsylvania. The immigrants coming to America immigrated there because of career opportunities but today it is different. Today, most Americans think that immigrants take American jobs and deteriorate American culture.

"...immigrants do not take away jobs from American workers. Instead, they create new jobs by forming new businesses, spending their income on American goods and services, paying taxes and raising the productivity of US business," Sharon Xu writes at Kean University. I think this statement is true because immigrants do create jobs and pay taxes, immigrants ultimately help the economy. Most Americans don't want to have a job painting windows or mowing lawns, they want to have successful careers. Immigrants hold on to their own culture ans they enrich American Culture.

Immigrants make up the United States and also make up our culture. Food is a major role is American culture. When you are at a party, you usually eat Pizza, which is an Italian food. In the map above, dark blue represents the Italian population and they are concentrated in the New Jersey New York area. The East Coast is known for having the best Pizza. The Pretzel,which is from Germany, is a great snack in American culture. Besides food, immigrants also held on to their language. The United States has no official language. Spanish is the most common language spoken in the United States besides English. Second is French and third is German according to ethnichavrest.org. Immigrants still celebrate their holidays that they celebrated in their country. The holidays aren't celebrated by everyone but that is what makes America unique. Each ethnic group celebrates their cultures holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and Oktoberfest and then there are the holidays that everyone celebrates in Americas short history such as the Forth of July. That is what makes America unique.

German Immigrants made great decisions to immigrate to the United States. They left behind their poor lives to find a land of hope and freedom. They had many opportunities to have jobs and buy land, cheap land that they could afford. German immigrants have also contributed to the economy, by paying taxes and creating new businesses. They have also not lost their culture. German immigrants still speak their German language, cook their German food, and celebrate their German holidays. The German culture is strong in the United States. Many cultures are strong in the United States, all the different cultures from immigrants come together to form the American Culture that I know and love today.