Were Germans “uprooted” from their country to the United States?
Sorry, “uprooted from their country” means they were forced to leave. The Germans, and any immigrants other than African slaves came voluntarily. It all comes down the definition as you stated it above, people are often referred to as uprooting themselves, but in that case it is voluntary, not forced. They chose to come mainly for economic opportunity. Social classes in Germany at the time most immigrants left were fairly rigid, limiting chances for economic and social progress for the lower classes. Most first generation immigrants moved into ethnically segregated communities where they could retain the language and culture of the ‘Old Country”. They did work to learn English in order to integrate more fully, but it was usually only with the second generation that full integration happened. It was common for first generation immigrants to insist on their children only speaking English at home in order to “be more American” Anyone who’s been in an old German (or Polish, Italian, Hungar
