The Germans
Why did the Germans migrate to America?
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After the Napoleonic War, which ended in 1815, Germany's economy was suffering. The Germans wanted to go to America to escape poverty and famine. Another push factor for the Germans was a potato famine. The Germans were really into farming and without the potato, their farms suffered. Even though the Germans grew other crops, farms were becoming very small because of the tradition of spliting up farms for inheritance throught the family.
Where did the Germans settle and What did they do?
A popular place for the Germans to settle was known as the "German Belt" which consisted of Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. Many of the people who had settled there were wealthy land owners. The Germans also settled in Louisiana up to Mississippi and along the Ohio and Missouri rivers. They settled here because they were part of the cotton trade. The jobs that the Germans held were bakers, carpenters, brewers, farmers and merchants.