Title: German Immigrants in the 1800s | Synonym
Headings: German Immigrants in the 1800s
German Immigrants in the 1800s
Explore this article
1 Timeline of Immigration
2 Where They Settled
3 German Influence
4 German Assimilation

Content: Many towns and counties in the Midwest had a German majority, so German-American communities developed a strong cultural and political influence on the growing region. German communities also developed in Texas in towns, such as New Braunfels, Fredericksburg and Luckenbach. 3 German Influence
Germans had a major influence on the growing nation. Their population fueled the economic and political rise of the Midwest, as states such as Illinois and Wisconsin grew from backwaters to economic powerhouses. Germans also served in the Civil War in large numbers, almost entirely on the side of the Union, helping turn the tide in that formative conflict. Culturally, Germans introduced their beer-making and sausage-making techniques, as well as Lutheranism and Judaism in numbers previously unseen in the United States. 4 German Assimilation
Distinct German communities continued to exist for decades, especially the isolated Amish and Mennonite religious groups, but Germans proved adept at assimilation into American society. A large number of major 19th century figures, including Levi Strauss, Thomas Nast and John Rockefeller, were either German immigrants or immediate descendants. Many Germans altered their names from Schmidt to Smith, for example, in light of anti-German sentiment during World War I. After World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first German-American president.