German Immigration
It is difficult to define the term "German" (and thus, "German"
migration) because of the changing boundaries of the state of Germany and other
Germanic nations. Germans are often defined as those individuals from areas
where forms of German have traditionally been spoken, including today's
Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Bohemia, and parts of Switzerland, Poland,
Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia.
During the mid-1800s, the part of Europe that is now considered "Germany" consisted of smaller German states controlled by princes. These princedoms were later controlled by empires that allowed little or no political power to remain in the hands of the princely leaders. By 1870s, a united German state was finally created by Otto von Bismarck, although in the years that followed the boundaries of this state would continue to change. Because of the difficulty that exists in defining the term "German" and the numerous boundaries changes that have occurred within Europe throughout history, the following information does not refer specifically to Germany, but to the German states.
Why leave the German homeland?
The reasons why people left their Germanic homes in Europe are varied. No matter what their reason, however, many people of German background made the difficult decision to leave their homeland and find a new home abroad in the United States.
German immigrants had been coming to the United States since the U.S. was a colony of Britain. Many of the early immigrants came to the U.S. in search of religious freedom. Later, as a result of the Napoleonic Wars (1796-1815), individuals sought freedom from military involvement and political oppression. German migration to Minnesota, however, was at its peak during the decades of the 1860s and 1870s.
During these two decades, many German individuals had already been in the United States for some time, arriving in the 1850s and having settled in Midwestern states with high concentrations of Germans, such as Wisconsin and Ohio. Their reasons for leaving Europe for these new homes in the United States were many. One reason was the development of mechanized manufacturing of goods. Increasing industrialization and the use of machines to perform tasks previously done by manual labor threatened cottage industries and drove many individuals to the city in search of employment. Unfortunately, the cities quickly became overcrowded and the availability of jobs there also declined, forcing some people to return to their homes in the rural areas or to migrate to the United States.
Also affecting emigration from the German states was an increase in taxation, which put a financial strain on many individuals and made the prospect of life in America quite promising. Also, a population increased, land became more scarce and thus more expensive. Less people were able to afford land, forcing many of them to look abroad for land where it was more plentiful and less expensive.
Another reason why people left German states was because of the
inheritance laws, such as primogeniture and entail, that were in effect
during the mid-1850s. These laws restricted who could be bequeathed land in an
person's will. Through primogeniture, only the eldest son could inherit the
family land upon the death of his father (women were not allowed to control
property). The entail laws then made it illegal for this son to divide his
newly acquired property, thus preventing younger siblings from being willed
land or being given land by their elder brother. Because land was becoming
scare and quite expensive, these siblings saw moving to America as the answer
to their need and desire for land.
Another factor that led to German emigration was the the unstable political situation in the German states in 1848. Around this time, revolutions in opposition of the monarchical governments were springing up throughout Europe, in such places as Italy, Austria, and the German states. The leaders of these revolutions wanted new, republican forms of government to replace the existing monarchies. However, the revolutions failed and resulted in even stricter regulations being placed upon the people. To avoid these authoritarian governments and their restrictions, many individuals fled Europe.
Coming to America
People chose the United States as their destination for various reasons.
Along with the factors that forced many people to leave their homelands
and to search for the things they desired in the United States, many people
were also persuaded to come to the U.S. by friends and relatives,
emigration officials, and solicitors.
Personal letters sent to the family and friends of immigrants praising America and urging them to come to the United States are called "America letters." Emigrants from the German states often wrote such letters to their loved ones back home, praising the areas of the country to where they had settled, such as Minnesota. Many people were persuaded to move to Minnesota and other parts of the United States as a result of such letters.
Another factor that brought people from the German states to America was solicitation. Particular states and territories had departments of emigration whose job it was to advertise the area and persuade new settlers to come there. Minnesota Territory, for example, established Eugene Burnand as the territory's first Commissioner of Emigration in 1856. Burnand, from an office in New York, advertised Minnesota through pamphlets, immigrant newspapers, and persuasive speeches made to newly-arrived immigrants at the ship docks. Through his work, Burnand brought many new immigrants to the territory, particularly individuals of German extraction. Unfortunately, his post was discontinued because of a lack of funding. By 1876, however, a Board of Immigration was re-established by the state of Minnesota.
Other groups advertised for immigrants to come to the United States, or to particular areas of the country. The Northern Pacific Railway, for example, attracted settlers to such areas as Minnesota in the 1870s. Settlement societies, such as the Turner Colonization Society, also advertised the purposes of their society and the benefits of settling in certain parts of the United States to people of German extraction.
Where in Minnesota?
German immigrants settled in various places throughout Minnesota.
The areas of the state where many of these Germans settled include much of
southern Minnesota. Sibley, including the town of Gibbon, Brown County,
including the cities of New Ulm and Sleepy Eye, and Nicollet County became
areas of high concentration for the German element. Winona was another area in
which Germans settled in southern Minnesota. To the north, Germans made their
homes in Stearns County, in such cities as St. Cloud and New Munich, Benton,
Morrison, and Wright Counties. Also, Germans settled in such towns and cities
as Shakopee in Scott County, Le Sueur in Le Sueur County, Stillwater in
Washington County, and Chaska in Carver County. Although Germans settled all
over Minnesota, these are some areas in which the concentration of Germans was
the highest.
German Culture
Links
University of Minnesota German Ancestry Map
"The Germans in America," by the Library of Congress
IUPUI Max Kade German-American Center
Society for German-American Studies
Map courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps used with permission.
Photos of German families courtesy of Julia M. Schugel.
Sources for German Immigration, Holidays, and Cuisine
Ball Blue Book Guide To Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Volume I. Muncie, Indiana: Alltrista Corportation, 1999.
Bonney, Rachel A. "Was There a Single Geman-American Experience?" A Heritage Deferred: The German-Americans in Minnesota. Clarence A. Glasrud, ed. Concordia College, 1981.
"Frohe Weinachten! Part One." <http://germanculture.about.com/culture/germanculture/library/weekly/aa120298.htm> [Accessed 09 March 2000].
"Geman Christmas." <http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/nikolaus.htm> [Accessed 10 March 2000].
"History of Oktoberfest." <http://www.munich-tourist.de/english/oktoberfest/munich-oktoberfest-history_m.htm> [Accessed 29 March 2000].
"Homemade Sauerkraut." <http://astray.com/recipes/?show=HOMEMADE%20SAUERKRAUT> [Accessed 28 April 2000].
Johnson, Hildegard Binder. "The Germans." They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the State's Ethnic Groups. Judith Drenning Holmquist, ed. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1981.
Johnson, Tammy K. "New Ulm." Photo: Personal Collection.
Lass, William E. Minnesota, A History. Second Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1998.
Map of Germany. ITA's Maps of All Countries. <http://www.theodora.com/maps> [Accessed 13 March 2000].
Schugel, Julia M, comp. "Bernhard Ranweiler." New Ulm, MN: 1980.
Stenzel, Bryce O. "German Immigration to the Minnesota River Valley Frontier, 1852-1865." M.A. Thesis at Mankato State University. July 1995.
Volkl, Johanna, Lena Forster, Priska Rudiger, Juliane Shroder, Tilly Truckenbrodt and Susanne Wiltschek. "Easter in Bavaria." http://wfs.vub.ac.be/cis/festivals/Germany/texts/religion/oster-E.htm [Acessed 09 March 2000].
Zoltsch, Christina. "St. Nicholas' Day with Our Family." http://wfs.vub.ac.be/cis/festivals/Germany/texts/religion/nikol-E.htm [Accessed 09 March 2000].
