- published: 13 Dec 2015
- views: 131220
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 50 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group.California, Texas and Pennsylvania have the largest numbers of German origin, although upper Midwestern states, including Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, have the highest proportion of German Americans at over one-third.
None of the historical German states had overseas colonies, so not until the 1680s did the first significant groups of German immigrants arrive in the British colonies, settling primarily in New York and Pennsylvania. Immigration continued in very large numbers during the 19th century, with some eight million arrivals from Germany. They were pulled by the attractions of land and religious freedom, and pushed out of Europe by shortages of land and religious or political oppression. Many arrived seeking religious or political freedom, others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe, and others simply for the chance to start fresh in the New World. The arrivals before 1850 were mostly farmers who sought out the most productive land, where their intensive farming techniques would pay off. After 1840, many came to cities, where "Germania"—German-speaking districts—soon emerged.
We have made a picture treating upon Prince Henry's visit to America in the following manner. A tableau is arranged showing the United States Capital at Washington in the centre and on either side, the bow and stern of Kaiser Wilhelm's yacht the Hohenzollern." On the right, there mysteriously appears the likeness of Prince Bismark and the later President McKinley. This fades away and there appears the picture of Admiral Dewey and Prince Henry of Prussia. This mysteriously fades away and then appears in their places the pictures of Kaiser Wilhelm, the Emperor of Germany, and Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States. An American and German sailor stand on either side during the entire tableau and they cover the faces of Kaiser Wilhelm and President Roosevelt with the German and American flags. A most beautiful and artistic film and an appropriate show closer.
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