German-American Day 2008 at McDaniel College Back to GAD
October 14, 2008

Workshop: Germans in America: Into the Promised Land

Sometimes whole German villages packed up and immigrated to the United States. Moving as a group allowed them to hold on to their customs and traditions for a longer time. The descendants of these early settlers are able to trace their heritage back to these villages and are able to think about how their lives have changed as a result of the courage of these early immigrants. As these immigrants moved into the interior of the country, they made new homes for themselves. Eventually, they spread all across the country, even participating in the California gold rush.

Learn about how a whole German village packed up and moved to America. Find out about the adventures of German-Americans in the California Gold Rush and how their descendants tried to pass on their heritage to the next generation.

In this 90-minute workshop, we will view excerpts from the 4-hour TV/video series Germans in America and examine the following questions:

This workshop will be conducted in English. Previous knowledge of German is not required.