|
| 
Germans
Contents
Immigration >
Kleindeutschland > The End of Kleindeutschland
Kleindeutschland
Kleindeutschland was a collection of ethnic
groups as diverse and independent as the German states themselves.
Its inhabitants thought of themselves as Bavarians, Prussians, or
Saxons, before they thought of themselves as Germans, even after
German unification in 1871. Many dialects could be heard in the
streets of Kleindeutschland and its residents practiced a variety
of regional customs. In 1860, the Bavarians dominated the city,
but by 1880 the Prussians were the largest German nationality in
New York. German Jews, while always a minority, made up roughly
20% of New York's German-American population by the 1880s.
German immigrants and their American-born children tended to settle
next to, socialize with, and marry people from their native state,
or one nearby. In 1880, 43% of second-generation Bavarian Americans
were endogamous (i.e., were married to someone from the same group,
in this case the same ethnic group) and another 22% were married
to someone from an adjacent region. Endogamy was even more prevalent
among the Prussians.
German-Americans were conspicuous in their taste for associations,
or Vereine, and were usually organized on the basis of regional
origin. Almost every German man belonged to some mutual assistance
fund, Masonic lodge, fraternal order, or singing society. And Volksfeste,
or ethnic celebrations for particular German states, were frequent
and well-attended events in Kleindeutschland.
Perhaps the most important social institutions in Kleindeutschland,
however, were the thousands of saloons, beer halls, and wine gardens,
which dotted the neighborhood. German families came to drink, listen
to music, enjoy theatrical performances, and escape the dark and
stifling tenements in which they lived. German-Americans united
in their opposition to the evangelical Protestant reformers who
wished to forbid public entertainments, the consumption of alcoholic
beverages, and active recreation on the Sabbath. Sunday was the
only day which most working class Germans had free, and these were
activities they were unwilling to give up.
|
|
|
