German Immigrants' Contribution to American Society and Culture

German Immigrants' Contribution to American Society and Culture

Time Line

Early 1800's

Millions of Germans Migrate to America

Milwaukee becomes "The Most German City in America," and German immigrants give us brats (bratwurst), pretzels, strudels, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and the German language (once one of the most popular lanuages in the country and is still taught in most schools).

Hundreds of thousands of German Jews (and some non-Jewish Germans) flee to the United States throughout the early 1900's, particularly the 1930's, as Hitler rises to power and begins persecuting certain groups of people in Europe.

German "artists, journalists, writers and politicians" come to America, as well as "doctors, architects, writers, philosophers, scientists and musicians" ("1933 - 1938"). Here, several German immigrants "made important contributions to the arts and the intellectual life of the region. Hollywood, in particular, benefited from the talents of these new immigrants, and their influence on American popular culture is unmistakable" ("Shaping Culture").

Several talented Germans settle in New York and create the German Jewish Club of NY/the New World Club in 1934. Together, they start publishing the newsletter, Aufbau, which soon becomes quite popular amongst the German-speaking population. Albert Einstein, along with many other successful and brillaint German Jews, seeks refuge in New York as well, and also contributes to Aufbau.

Germans flee to America after the unsuccessful German Revolution of 1848.

Late 1800's

German Culture Spreads in America

Early 1900's

Hitler Sends More Germans Fleeing to America

Late 1900's

Today

German Immigrants Contribute to the Arts in America

What German Immigrants Gave Us

"1933 - 1938." Germany.travel/en/index.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013."Shaping Culture." How German Is American? Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.