ire . ▁Despite ▁this , ▁the ▁leadership ▁in ▁Berlin ▁committed ▁the ▁nation ▁to ▁the ▁financial ▁support , ▁maintenance , ▁development ▁and ▁defence ▁of ▁these ▁poss essions . ▁ ▁German ▁colonial ▁population ▁ ▁The ▁Pennsylvania ▁Dutch ▁who ▁em igr ated ▁to ▁America ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁and ▁ 1 8 th ▁centuries ▁were ▁religious ▁refuge es ▁from ▁the ▁Th irty ▁Years ▁War ▁which ▁dev ast ated ▁the ▁German ▁states ▁ 1 6 1 6 - 1 6 4 8 ▁rather ▁than ▁colonial ▁sett lers . ▁Germ ant own , ▁Pennsylvania , ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 6 8 4 ▁and ▁ 6 5 , 0 0 0 ▁Germ ans ▁land ed ▁in ▁Philadelphia ▁alone ▁between ▁ 1 7 2 7 ▁and ▁ 1 7 7 5 , ▁and ▁more ▁at ▁other ▁American ▁ports . ▁ ▁More ▁than ▁ 9 5 0 , 0 0 0 ▁Germ ans ▁imm igr ated ▁to ▁the ▁US ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 5 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 , 4 5 3 , 0 0 0 ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 0 s , ▁but ▁these ▁were ▁personal ▁migr ants , ▁un related ▁to ▁the ▁German ▁Empire ▁( created ▁ 1 8 7 1 ) ▁and ▁later ▁colonial ▁plans . ▁The ▁Empire ' s ▁colon ies ▁were ▁primarily ▁commercial ▁and ▁plant ation ▁regions ▁and ▁did ▁not ▁attract ▁large ▁numbers ▁of ▁German ▁sett lers . ▁The ▁vast ▁majority ▁of ▁German ▁em igr ants ▁chose ▁North ▁America ▁as ▁their ▁destination ▁and ▁not ▁the ▁colon ies ▁– ▁of