September 12, 2012
More than 17 percent of Americans, some 50 million people, have German heritage making it the nation's largest ancestry group according to 2010 census data.
The story of Germans coming to this nation to settle starting in the 1600s, spreading throughout the land and enriching the nation, is one of the central stories that will be told in the National Museum of the American People.
"The German immigrants totally immersed themselves in their new homeland bringing with them many skills to lay the groundwork for this great nation; putting aside their native identity to become part of the 'melting pot' called America," said Beverly A. Pochatko, president of the German American National Congress. "They readily fought in the American Revolution and every war thereafter for the country they now called home. Now it is time to recognize their contributions."
The proposed museum, which would sit near the heart of our nation's capital in Washington, has support from national German American organizations including the German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA, German American National Congress (DANK) and the Steuben Society of America. They are part of a coalition of more than 150 ethnic and minority organizations that are calling for a bipartisan Presidential commission to be created after the election to study establishment of the museum.
The museum would tell the story of the making of the American People from the prehistoric period to the present. It would challenge visitors to reflect upon that history and take pride in that story.
The full story of the making of the American People starts with the first migrations to this land thousands of years ago and extends through waves of migration and immigration to the present. Yet nowhere is there a museum devoted to telling this full story. The museum would be established to tell who these people were, where they came from, why they left their homeland, how they got here, when they arrived, where they first settled, who was already here, what they encountered, where they moved after they arrived, how they became Americans, what they contributed and how they transformed the nation.
"The U.S. is a nation of immigrants and their descendants," said Don Heinrich Tolzmann, president of the German-American Citizens League. "The first group of Germans arrived in America at Jamestown, Virginia in 1608 and since that time millions have come to this country and, like many other immigrant groups, have contributed much to this country. A museum regarding the role they have played in the making of America is long overdue."
"The USA of today would look quite different without the contributions and achievements of millions of German immigrants," said Ruediger Lentz, executive director of the German-American Heritage Foundation. "From agriculture to literature, from movies to art and architecture, German-Americans have helped to build and develop this country. It is our duty to not only remember their heritage but to preserve it for future generations!"
The coalition is not seeking federal funding to plan, build or operate the museum. A resolution in Congress calling for the Presidential commission has bipartisan support, including from Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-PA, co-chair of the German-American Congressional Caucus.
The story could be told in four chapters: 1 — The First Peoples Come: Prehistoric period – 1607; Indian migration and settlement, early European explorers and first European settlement.
Chapter 2 — The Nation Takes Form: 1607 – 1820; the fate of Indians, Western European settlement, the African slave trade, the establishment of the nation and the beginning of its expansion westward taking in new peoples. In this chapter, visitors will learn that Dr. Johannes Fleischer accompanied the first English settlers to Jamestown in 1607. The first permanent German American settlement was in Germantown, PA in 1683. Over the next 80 years, large numbers of German immigrants moved to Pennsylvania and accounted for a third of the population of that colony by the time of the American Revolution.
Chapter 3 — The Great In–Gathering: 1820 – 1924; a century of immigration. The ancestors of most Americans came during this period. During this chapter, large numbers of German immigrants continued their journey to America settling in Pennsylvania, New York and in the upper Midwest. By 1900, the populations of Cleveland, Milwaukee and Cincinnati were all more than 40 percent German American.
Chapter 4 — And Still They Come: 1924 – present; the ongoing story of American immigration. Near the beginning of this chapter, between 1931 and 1940, 114,000 Germans moved to the U.S., many of whom were German Jewish or anti-Nazis fleeing government oppression. Albert Einstein was among their number.
Today eleven states are at least 25% German American: North Dakota 47%, South Dakota 45%, Wisconsin 44%, Nebraska 43%, Minnesota 38%, Iowa 36%, Montana 27%, Ohio 27%, Wyoming 26%, Kansas 26% and Pennsylvania 25%. California now has the largest number of German Americans followed by Pennsylvania and Ohio. Today you can travel from Chesapeake Bay to the Pacific by travelling only in counties that have a plurality of German Americans.
The Museum's permanent exhibition at the core of the museum will tell this story of the making of the American people including the story of German Americans. The story would be presented in a dramatic, interactive documentary format. It would be developed and vetted by teams of eminent scholars and be told with force and clarity.
The Museum's permanent exhibition could leave an indelible impression of knowledge and understanding on visitors as they engage and come to know the full story of the making of the American people.
Sam Eskenazi, director of the Coalition for the National Museum of the American People, said that "the theme of the museum is embodied by our nation's original national motto: E Pluribus Unum, from many we are one."
"Both U.S. neighbors, Canada and Mexico, have major national museums in their capitals telling the story of their peoples and they're the most visited museums in those nations," Eskenazi said. "Our museum would be a destination for every school group visiting Washington and it would foster learning nationwide."