Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Perez: My Story
The Puerto Rican culture is widely known to be a "mixed breed" of sort, since after Columbus came to the island a mix of Spanish, African and Taino has marked the island. Perez, at least, is of Spanish-Jewish from voyagers that came here with Columbus way back in the late 1800's. Although the Jewish religion never flourished in Puerto Rico many of its followers were forced by the Spanish church to become Catholics. As for my present family regarding immigration, most of my family lives in the US including close relatives like, uncles and grandparents, but non of them have problems with the US law system, which is common regarding the fact that Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the US, meaning we already have citizenship.
This has nothing to do with particularly German immigration, because most German immigrant move to northern states, but this still, I feel it depicts Latinos, because an officer won't stop a white, blue eyed, blonde ILLEGAL Swedish man. Why? Because he "blends in to American society"? That is my view on this matter and I really hope it gets solved soon.
Ulrich Schweinsteiger: From Germany to America
February 22, 1867
Father came to us today with surprising news that we will be leaving for America in 1 month. I probably saw this coming,Northern Stuttgart is filled with many people and mother told us it was best to move the family to America: "The land of Opportunities". Our family consist of three, Phillip (3 years old), Thomas (7 years old), my grandmother Annette and grandfather Karl and I, Ulrich (15 years old). Our family owned a bakery in the heart of the city but due to the taxation on water and light, the bill went up and father was forced to sell the bakery.
April 15, 1867
Our second day on board and it finally hits me that we may never see our homeland once again. After being in England for weeks, I could see how people fled Germany to go to America by the thousands most were families and other consisted of young men. Many different people from other countries were also going to America, mostly from Wales and Ireland.
November 30, 1867
After almost a month upon arriving in America we finally settle in a small German community in a house our Aunt Lara found us, outside of Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania. Aunt Lara had moved to America a few months before we did and kept in touch with father because he had explained to her that he wanted to open a bakery like the one we had back in Stuttgart. One other note, mother in now pregnant with her 4th child and he will be the first American born Schweinsteiger in the family, its a girl and she is due in January.
October 2, 1868
Life in america has gone much better than in Germany , father's bakery is filled with costumers at all hours and Erika is growing up real fast. My two younger brothers are attending American school and me and father are handling the bakery quite well. It has been almost two years since we left for America and our luck has not looked down since then. Although I would want to return to Stuttgart when I get the chance, I would most certainly want to see how it has done since we left and visit old friends, but one thing is clear, I definitely do not regret moving to America.
Father came to us today with surprising news that we will be leaving for America in 1 month. I probably saw this coming,Northern Stuttgart is filled with many people and mother told us it was best to move the family to America: "The land of Opportunities". Our family consist of three, Phillip (3 years old), Thomas (7 years old), my grandmother Annette and grandfather Karl and I, Ulrich (15 years old). Our family owned a bakery in the heart of the city but due to the taxation on water and light, the bill went up and father was forced to sell the bakery.
April 15, 1867
Our second day on board and it finally hits me that we may never see our homeland once again. After being in England for weeks, I could see how people fled Germany to go to America by the thousands most were families and other consisted of young men. Many different people from other countries were also going to America, mostly from Wales and Ireland.
November 30, 1867
After almost a month upon arriving in America we finally settle in a small German community in a house our Aunt Lara found us, outside of Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania. Aunt Lara had moved to America a few months before we did and kept in touch with father because he had explained to her that he wanted to open a bakery like the one we had back in Stuttgart. One other note, mother in now pregnant with her 4th child and he will be the first American born Schweinsteiger in the family, its a girl and she is due in January.
October 2, 1868
Life in america has gone much better than in Germany , father's bakery is filled with costumers at all hours and Erika is growing up real fast. My two younger brothers are attending American school and me and father are handling the bakery quite well. It has been almost two years since we left for America and our luck has not looked down since then. Although I would want to return to Stuttgart when I get the chance, I would most certainly want to see how it has done since we left and visit old friends, but one thing is clear, I definitely do not regret moving to America.
To Leave: A German Story.
Germans have been immigrating to America ever since the British, but a great abundance came during the mid-1800 (1850-1870), many came for different reasons, but for these times mostly because of the industrial boom happening in the United States. Most migrated to states like Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Another reason for their migration to the US was taxation, the economy was not very good in Germany and the population was growing at a high rate. Going to America, for many, was the only possible option.
The most common route German immigrants took was by train or steam boat to Great Britain, then after arriving in Great Britain most would take a very crowded, often dirty, travel boat to America. One must keep in mind, most of these immigrants were looking for better life than the poor one they lived back in their homeland, and since they did not have that much money, they had to find the cheapest way to get to America, and this was how.
Upon arriving in the US, most Germans as previously mentioned, moved to Northeastern United States. These states included Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Minnesota and Michigan, among others, and most of the Germans who moved there were farmers. Other Germans that did not move to the countryside included bakers, businessmen, butchers, cabinetmakers and distillers. Some adversities that these German immigrants faced was religious prejudice, unlike Latinos or Blacks that would we discriminated most often because of the color of their skin, the Germans would most often be judged because of the religion they practiced. Protestant was the most commonly practiced religion but it was not fully accepted, at least in the US until the late 1800's and by the 1930's the most commonly practiced religion in the US became the Protestant religion.
Moving to the US must have been hard for the German people especially having to deal with all of the uncertain political standpoint in which the country was, and the poor living conditions the countryside of Germany was going through. Living in the US during the first and second World Wars must have also been a bittersweet time for these immigrants knowing what their country, which they use to call home, was going through.
The most common route German immigrants took was by train or steam boat to Great Britain, then after arriving in Great Britain most would take a very crowded, often dirty, travel boat to America. One must keep in mind, most of these immigrants were looking for better life than the poor one they lived back in their homeland, and since they did not have that much money, they had to find the cheapest way to get to America, and this was how.
Upon arriving in the US, most Germans as previously mentioned, moved to Northeastern United States. These states included Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Minnesota and Michigan, among others, and most of the Germans who moved there were farmers. Other Germans that did not move to the countryside included bakers, businessmen, butchers, cabinetmakers and distillers. Some adversities that these German immigrants faced was religious prejudice, unlike Latinos or Blacks that would we discriminated most often because of the color of their skin, the Germans would most often be judged because of the religion they practiced. Protestant was the most commonly practiced religion but it was not fully accepted, at least in the US until the late 1800's and by the 1930's the most commonly practiced religion in the US became the Protestant religion.
Moving to the US must have been hard for the German people especially having to deal with all of the uncertain political standpoint in which the country was, and the poor living conditions the countryside of Germany was going through. Living in the US during the first and second World Wars must have also been a bittersweet time for these immigrants knowing what their country, which they use to call home, was going through.
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