Is my last name Germerikan?

The Brochure published by the Max Kade institute raising some interesting points about German cultural evolution in America and the implications and comparisons for other national and ethnic cultures in this country. I found the tracking of the slow decline of displayed German heritage fascinating. I am curious if similar time lines of assimilation exist for other European nations in American, such as the French, English, Spanish, or particularly the Eastern European nations, including Russia.

While many of the legacies and endowments of German culture listed in the article seemed obvious to me, a few them surpirsed me, particularly, the origin of the post secondary education format having come from German society. I would be curious to find how this format was transplanted from Germany to America. I was also fascinated by the story of the "forty-eighters" and the "free-thinkers." I as read about these groups, as well as the religious institutions and the "Grunsdow" it occurred to me that, although the Brochure makes the claim that German American's did possess and overwhelming interest in National politics, they seemed to foster a national community infrastructure through these interests. These lodges and posts which existed throughout the Midwest established a network of German culture such that someone moving through the country or even from Europe could have a system of cultural support wherever they went.

In the end, German culture, as with most individual ethnic and nationalistic culture, was to a great degree subsumed and amalgamated into "American Culture." The question I pose is weather this "melting pot" assimilation of culture is good or bad.