German Immigrants

PLC - Group 5
Brittany, Claire, Kayla, and Saffiyah

German Immigration
In 2000, German descent compromised the largest nationality or
ethnic group in the United States.
46.5 million or 15.2 percent were German
Came to the U.S seeking economic opportunity or religious and
political freedom

Language, Culture, Family,

Community Values
First point of settlement was a British colony of Pennsylvania.
Penn Dutch maintained old-world language
Until WWI many German Americans lived in German-Speaking
communities throughout the U.S.
Many little Germanys were in cities around the U.S.
Steuben Day Parade is Celebrated in major cities.
German dancing, music, food, costumes, elaborate floats
German American Day-October 6th
Oktoberfests

Language, Culture, Family,

Community Values

In 1855 German immigrants launched the first Kindergarten

Introduced Physical Education and Vocational education
Responsible for gymnasiums in schools
Argued that the Germans and their culture invented the american
weekend
Large scale recreational facilities began to appear

The Influence on Student

Learning...
Although there are elite universities in the US that give out
scholarships to many students for their talents around the world,
students with average talents do not have the chance to enter
the schools unless their parents have a lot of money.
In Germany, the grading scale consists of grades 1 to 6, 1 being
very good, and 6 being very poor. In general, they place much
more emphasis on big examinations.
Overall in Germany, the studies are more theoretical than any
other country and contain many lectures.

The social, intellectual, and political

implication of language use
Politics
-The Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic, federal, and social constitutional state
German Immigrant Education in the United States
-In the United States, it was very important for the German immigrants to keep their roots,
and have their children exposed to the German culture.
-Political action was taken by German Americans in order to have their children taught in
German during school.
-This was most successful in private school systems, such as religious institutions like
Lutheran and Catholic schools. Several states were able to get legislation signed to have
German in public schools
-They also pushed for German press and intellectual journals to keep the German language
alive.
-The hope of this would be to expand their children's education and language.
-Most Germans were expected to graduate high school and attend a University.

The social, intellectual, and political

implication of language use
German Female Workforce
-The view of women in the workforce is changing and is almost equal to male workforce
in numbers, but they do not have equal rights in terms of pay and benefits.
-Women are expected to drop any career they have to raise the kids, which isnt a bad
thing. However, when the mother needs to work to help the family stay a float,
education issues come in due to the short school day.
-German school days are between 8am - 12pm
-Although looked down upon in society, there is a plea of straying from tradition
regarding the short school day. It doesnt allow working mothers to do what they need to
do.
-During the past few years, more schools are taking on this full day approach to allow
women to succeed in the workforce.

Sources
Baker, L. W. (Ed.). (2004). German Immigration. Retrieved March 16, 2015, from Gale U.S. History in
Context website: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/
ReferenceDetailsWindow?zid=a1bdd01f59dacbddab4e6bea68b2a54e&action=2&documentId=GALE
%7CCX3436800018&userGroupName=gray02935&jsid=f6ef0c62ec142c368bfc2a12c90b49ea
Bennhold, K. (2010, January 17). In Germany, a Tradition Falls, and Women Rise. Retrieved March 16,
2015, from The New York Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/world/europe/
18iht-women.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1
German Grading System - Study in Germany. (2013, January 8). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from
http://www.studying-in-germany.org/german-grading-system/
German immigrant influence on american culture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2015, from First choice
website: http://www.1stchoicemag.com/leisure-recreation/
76-german-immigrant-influence-on-american-culture