German Americans
Brandy L. Sullivan
Axia College of University of Phoenix
German Americans
German Americans are residents of The United States who can trace their ethnic history to German speaking areas of Europe (Tolzmann, 2008.) Many of the German Americans are from Germany but also come from Switzerland, Austria, and other countries. The 2000 U.S. census stated that 46-million Americans are descendants of the eight million German people who came to America in the 19th century. Many German Americans live in what is known as the German belt. This is an area in the mid U.S. that spans from Pennsylvania to Washington and is comprised of 21-states (Tolzmann, 2008.)
German Americans colonized in the United States in the early 1600’s. They were settlers noted for their craftsmanship and industrious traits. German Americans became well known and were the first Americans to manufacture products like soap and glass. The original settlers faced no segregation, racism, or prejudice. German Americans originally became the building blocks for basic parts of today’s culture. German Americans were and are the largest ethnic group in the United States. German Americans introduced the Christmas tree, gift giving, and the Easter bunny. The American education system is also based on German culture. Without German Americans there would not be kindergarten, physical education, or bilingual instruction in schools. Life was fair and good for German Americans until the start of World War I.
During World War I American was taken over by anti-German hysteria. This hysteria led to the persecution to many German Americans. They were lynched and beat. The country even went as far as burning any books or other literature that was written by someone of German descent. Mob violence swept the country and in 1916 26-states banned the use of any form of the German language (Tolzmann, 2008.) During this time German Americans were victims of the dual labor market. They lost their...