Title: German Americans - Wikipedia
Headings: German Americans
German Americans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
German Americans
Contents
History
Colonial era
Palatines
Louisiana
Southeast
New England
Pennsylvania
American Revolution
19th century
Jewish Germans
Northeastern cities
Cities of the Midwest
Deep South
Texas
Germans from Russia
Civil War
Farmers
Politics
World Wars
Intellectuals
World War I anti-German sentiment
World War II
Contemporary period
Demographics
By state totals
By percentage of total population
German-American communities
Communities with highest percentages of people of German ancestry
Large communities with high percentages of people of German ancestry
Communities with the most residents born in Germany
Culture
Music
Turners
Media
Athletics
Religion
Language
Assimilation
The apparent disappearance of German American identity
Factors making German Americans susceptible to assimilation
Persistence of German language
German-American influence
Education
Notable people
German-American presidents
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
Historiography
Primary sources
In German
External links
German-American history and culture
German-American organizations
Local German-American history and culture

Content: There is a "German belt" that extends all the way across the United States, from eastern Pennsylvania to the Oregon coast. Pennsylvania has the largest population of German-Americans in the U.S. and is home to one of the group's original settlements, Germantown (Philadelphia), founded in 1683 and the birthplace of the American antislavery movement in 1688, as well as the revolutionary Battle of Germantown. The state of Pennsylvania has 3.5 million people of German ancestry. They were pulled by the attractions of land and religious freedom, and pushed out of Germany 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 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. German Americans established the first kindergartens in the United States, introduced the Christmas tree tradition, and introduced popular foods such as hot dogs and hamburgers to America. The great majority of people with some German ancestry have become Americanized; fewer than 5% speak German.