German vs. Irish Immigrants
By: Katlyn, Ariana, and Elijah

Irish and German Immigration to America
• In the late 1700’s to the mid 1800’s more than one- half of
Irish the population and an equal amount of Germans immigrated to America.
• Greater than seven and a half million immigrants came to
America between 1820 and 1870. About two- thirds of those immigrants were either German or Irish.
• These immigrants mainly worked on building canals and constructing railroads. They played a major role in the construction of the country.

Germans in Europe
• There was no unified state of Germany until 1871.
These so called Germans were the people who spoke the Germanic languages.
• Some of those who arrived the “Forty-Eighters” arrived in 1848 as refuges from the failed democratic revolution that ravaged back home.
• Other groups such as the Jews, Pietists, and Anabaptist came seeking religious freedom.
• Back at home many of these Germans worked as small land owners or artisans.

German Immigration to America
• The first German immigration started in the late
1700’s when about 150,000 Germans flocked to
America and settled chiefly in Pennsylvania .
• By 1775 Germans made up about 6% of the total population. They were one of the most common people in America.
• The Germans came to America with more money than the Irish did and were not as poor.

German Immigration to America cont.
• These German immigrants that moved into
Pennsylvania belonged to a couple of different
Protestant sects, mainly Lutheran. They lived in the backcountry of Pennsylvania in their stone barns.
• Other German immigrants pushed far west when the arrived and created successful settlements and religious communities. They played a key role in westward expansion.
• The Germans did not have to struggle and settle for low jobs in factories like the Irish did.

German Settlement Patterns
• The Germans settled mainly in the west and the back country.
• You could find them from as far north as
New York to as far
South as Georgia.

Irish in Europe
• In the eighteenth century, the Irish were under British rule • Revolts & religious disagreements took place
• The living conditions were FAR from ideal: high taxes, military control, religious clashes, economic problems like few job opportunities and over population.
• A couple thousand Irish people immigrated to the United
States in search of better opportunities for jobs and their families especially when