An Analysis Of German-Americans During The U.S. Civil War

This paper mainly traces the experiences of the German immigrants who had beeninvolved in the Civil War, and then analyses their contribution. And also, to point outthat the big impact on the relationship between the German immigrants and thenatives, draws a conclusion that the Civil War helped to Americanize theGerman-born immigrants.The preface mainly introduces the reason to study the German immigrants in theAmerican Civil War Era, the current research situations at home and abroad, definesand explains some related concepts.The body of this paper is made up of three parts.The first part elaborates the reasons and the characteristics of the Germanimmigration. After introducing the experience of German people immigrated to theUnited States, analyzes the reason of the big emigration before the civil war, fromdifferent angles, such as political, economical, and social motives. Then analyzeswhere the immigrants were from, their occupations, settlement patterns and politicalpoints as well.The second part, there will be an detailed illustration and analysis on the erupt ofthe civil war and the reaction of the German immigrants, the reason they enlisted in,and how they contributed to the victory of the north, especially about those Germanofficers, soldiers and the women.The third part discusses the impact of the Civil War on the German immigrants. Onone hand, in the long run, the Civil War had a positive impact on theGerman-Americans’ process of Americanization. On the other hand, in the collisionwith American main stream culture, German traditional culture was continued. Thenpoints out that the German immigrants kept their traditional culture while assimilatedinto the American culture.The conclusion summarizes the whole paper, and draws several views on theGerman immigrants’ experience in the Civil War: First, German Immigrants chose tostand with the north not only because their faith in democratic and freedom, but theirown real profits as well. Second, their great contribution improved the relationshipbetween Anglo American and them, yet there still existed some prejudice above them.Third, The Civil War experience had apparently accelerated their assimilation to themain stream culture of America, although they still tried to maintain their culture atthe same time. In one word, after the suffering Civil War, the German immigrants hadsuccessfully adapted to the American culture.