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.