Why?
Germans were pushed out of their country after an unsuccessful revolution in 1848. The government became corrupt and inflation destroyed the economy. Much of Germany also experienced crop failures during that time, along with many other European nations. Many Germans left in search of a better government and more secure jobs in the US. They were pulled by Americas stable economy and opportunity.
The Journey
An estimated million-plus people came from Germany across the Atlantic. They weren't as poor as the Irish immigrants, but they were still looked down upon. They crossed in steamboats, often traveling to Great Britain before making the journey to the US.
In the US
Most German immigrants settled in the mid-western states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio. They found jobs as jewelry makers, musical instrument manufacturers, cabinet makers, tailors, musicians, brewers, and trappers. When comparing them to the other immigrants, they were often more successful, and not as discriminated against.
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/0/9/14095505/370749415.gif?430)
Map of German ancestry in the US. As you can see, German immigrants came mainly to the mid-west.
Influence on the US
The German immigrants greatly influenced the educational, political, religious, agricultural, musical, and food aspects of the mid-west and across the nation. They introduced a way to re-fertilize soil that had been previously unable to grow anything. They also built many well-known cathedrals. The arrival of German immigrants also made German a class in public schools. Polka would not have been brought to the US without them, and their influence on the mid-west's diet was immense. Their diet included sausage, cheese, beer, and many other things you often see in Wisconsin.
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/0/9/14095505/366920590.jpg?375)
They have also influenced architecture, like this common style of house.