Kapitel 1 Kultur-Kyle O'Meara

From my reading on How German is American I learned many things that I would have previously not of known as a first year German student who is not of German ethnicity. One of the most surprising pieces of information I have learned from reading this article is German is the largest ethnic group in the United States. I never have known that over 15% (42.8 million) of Americans identify themselves as ethnically German. I would have previously assumed that the largest ethnic group in the United States would be Irish. Also, I was surprised that Chicago's architecture has been closely related to German Bauhaus architecture. Living around 90 minutes from Chicago in my hometown, I always have believed Chicago to be a true sense of pure American architecture.

Reading this article has also enlightened me on the topic of German immigration into the United States. I found out that Germans both immigrated to cities, as well as countrysides in the United States. I previously thought that most Germans immigrated to countrysides and became farmers in the Midwest. In addition to immigration I also learned many social reforms in America came with German immigrants such as Turners and Free Thinkers who brought ideas such as women's suffrage and also physical education. However, reading this article I also learned how many German traditions have become Americanized as Germans continued to assimilate in American culture. Many culinary traditions have been discarded, and what remains in terms of Bratwurst and Sausage is now generally Americanized and would generally not be found in America. One final thing I have learned is that anti-German sentiments during World War I played a profound impact on ethnic Germans becoming Americanized to avoid scrutiny from US nationalists. Overall, this article really had enlightened me on German culture and its effects on America.