Originally printed in 1976, in observance of the country’s Bicentennial, and in honor of the American dream which brought so many immigrants to these shores, Gerard Wilk wrote and published Americans from Germany. A full quarter of the American population can trace its roots to Germany. The author, himself, is a German-American who came, as so many before him, to seek “refuge from tyranny.” German Immigrants have played a major role in American history. From science and industry to the arts and politics German-Americans have greatly influenced the economic, political, and social direction of this country. So great has the German cultural influence been over the centuries that few even recognize the origin of what many accept as American cultural standards. The Christmas tree, Broadway musicals, kindergarten, graduate school, social security, and labor unions all derived from German influence.
American history is full of iconic German-Americans. Wilk felt the stories of some of these influential Germans needed told, so he wrote a series of biographies which originally appeared in Relay from Bonn, an Embassy publication released through the German Information Center in New York. Feeling the need to reach the public at large, Wilk combined these stories into book form, “for there seems to be no better way to remind us that relations between nations are made by people and consist of people — overcoming boundaries and bridging oceans.”
In official recognition of the contributions of so many German-Americans, Congress declared October 6, 1987 as German-American Day. In accordance with the law setting this day of recognition, President Ronald Reagan issues a proclamation in which he declared:
“German teachers, musicians, and enthusiastic amateurs have left an indelible imprint on classical music, hymns, choral singing, and marching bands in our country. In architecture and design, German contributions include the modern suspension bridge, Bauhaus, and Jugendstil. German-American scientists have helped make the United States the world’s pioneer in research and technology. The American work ethic, a major factor in the rapid rise of the Unites States to preeminence in agriculture and industry, owes much to German-Americans’ commitment to excellence…
I urge all Americans to learn more about the contributions of German immigrants to the life and culture of the United States…”
Reprinted in 1987 and again in 1995, Americans from Germany gives all Americans the opportunity to discover, as Reagan encouraged, about the contributions of some specific German-Americans. Listed below in the contents are the individuals and families whose stories appear in these pages. President Reagan’s proclamation appears in full as well.
Table of Contents
About this 1995 Reprint Edition
Introduction by Berndt Von Staden
Forward by Henry S. Reuss
German-American Day 1987: A Proclamation by President Ronald Regan
Biographical Sketches by Gerard Wilk
- Josef and Anni Albers
- John Peter Altgeld
- John Jacob Astor
- Albert Bierstadt
- Wernher Von Braun
- Adolphus Busch
- Albert Einstein
- Karl Follen
- Manfred George
- Walter Gropius
- Oscar Hammerstein
- Friedrich Hecker
- Abraham Jacobi
- Johann De Kalb
- Henry A. Kissinger
- Jakob Leisler
- Emanuel Leutze
- Francis Lieber
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Ottmar Mergenthaler
- Christian Metz
- John O. Meusebach
- The Muhlenberg Family
- Friedrich Münch
- Thomas Nast
- Anna Ottendorfer
- Erwin Panofsky
- Franz Daniel Pastorius
- The Röblings
- Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
- Johann Paul Schott
- Carl Schurz
- Martin Schwarzschild
- Charles Proteus Steinmetz
- The Steinway Dynasty
- Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben
- Levi Strauss
- Johann August Sutter
- Paul Tillich
- The University in Exile
- Henry Villard
- Robert Wagner
- Bruno Walter
- Kurt Weill
- Friedrich Weyerhäuser
- John Peter Zenger
Selective Bibliograhy by Don Heinrich Tolzmann
German-American Heritage Map (1990)
German-American Census Statistics
Americans from Germany is available from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: IGH05, Price: $5.83.