Title: Germans - Immigrants of The 19th Century
Headings: 
A Century Later
Content: The homestead law of 1862, which provided 160 acres, as long as it was developed for five years, encouraged many German farmers to immigrate and move to the American Mid-west and West. Unlike many other immigrant groups the Germans were not driven to immigration by poverty. Once in America the Germans dispersed across the West and Midwest. There were several urban centers upon which German immigrants converged in large numbers. They were St. Louis, Belleville, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee. The state of Wisconsin in particular became the home of many German immigrants during the 1800s. Compared to other immigrant groups the Germans were by far the most socially acceptable in America. They had a protestant background, were typically thrifty and reasonably well educated. Even the Immigration Restriction League expressed a preference for the German immigrant. German immigrants of the 19th century were primarily farmers.