Teacher | Student
Originally produced in: Deutschland
Also available in: en

1. Settlement areas of German immigrants in the USA

Presentation

The map shows the girdle zone of the core settlement areas.

Questions

  1. Where did the German immigrants settle?
  2. Name other big immigrant groups and the areas they settled in.

Display teacher's view to find the answers.


Description and Analysis

  • German immigrants settled mainly in the Midwest and in the north. They are underrepresented at the East Coast.
  • The English and the Irish settled mainly in populous areas in the Northeast . There and in the south (New Orleans) you can also find French immigrants. Another important group in the south are Afro-Americans but it should be remembered that most of them were brought to the USA by force as slaves. There are also Mexicans living in the areas that belonged to Mexico until 1845.

Geographical/Historical Context

For a long time during the 20th century the US-American society was called ‘Melting Pot’ but nowadays it is called ‘Salad Bowl’. The name has been changed, as no melting process happened, which means that even after many generations the different migrant groups has not mingled completely. Looking at the federal states or at the districts of cities it is obvious that there are regions or quarters that are still dominated by certain groups. The most prominent examples are Little Italy, Little Odessa or Chinatown in New York.

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