Sowell's Ethnic America: Irish, Germans

I was reading a piece by Charles Murray on "The Immortal Sowell" and he mentioned Thomas Sowell's Ethnic America.

Sowell sees his books on race and ethnicity as the product of his obligation as a black scholar confronted with destructive racial policies.

Hmm, I thought. Did I ever read Ethnic America? So I went downstairs and found Ethnic America on my bookshelf. But I had never read it.

Wow. What a book. Right away, it answered a couple of questions I had about the Jews. As in, how did they get to be in Eastern Europe? And how does Yiddish appear?

But first. The key thing to understand about immigration is that before steamships, the migrants came in sailing ships that were really designed for cargo. For instance,

[T]he Irish came to America in vessels that carried lumber [to Ireland] from the northeastern United States, so that is where they landed when the ships returned.

Naturally, the living conditions in these sailing ships was vile, "without adequate ventilation, toilet facilities, or enough food or water." The migrants slept on shelves -- except that made women rather vulnerable, so many preferred to sleep on the floor in a sitting position.

The Irish

In Ireland, the Irish lived as a conquered people. Under the Penal Laws, Catholic Irish could not be educated nor could Catholic churches operate legally. The result was that 

Clandestine, grass-roots organizations of all sorts developed among the Irish to serve their religious, educational, and political needs... Not only did the Irish develop considerable organizing skills from having to provide themselves with a range of institutions normally provided by government; they developed skills to circumventing governmental institutions that they regarded as illegitimate oppressions.

So when the Irish came to the US in the 1840s potato famine in the holds of sailing ships they arrived in Boston and New York basically prostrate and without urban skills or money. So most of them worked as servants or day laborers. But they had experience in underground politics. That plus their charm and blarney got them into US urban politics. 

The Germans

German Americans are the largest group after those of British origin. They started coming in the 17th century as "Pennsylvania Dutch" that were actually deutsch. Many started as indentured servants, and went out to the frontier to farm because that was the cheapest land.

[T]he early German settlers quickly established a reputation for hard work, thoroughness, and thriftiness.

They tended to live in isolated German-speaking communities in a single religious denomination, but gradually learned English and contributed scrapple, chocolate cake, cole slaw, and sauerkraut to American cooking. On the frontier they often lived in communities next to the Protestant Scotch-Irish. The Germans were quiet, frugal and friendly to the Indians. The Scotch-Irish were quick-tempered, hard-drinking, and often in feuds with each other or the Indians.

Early German immigrants were predominantly farmers, but during the 19th century more and more had urban skills. For instance in 1849 there was a German optician named Bausch and a German businessman named Lomb: both immigrants. Then there was Roebling, the suspension bridge guy, plus Steinway, Weyerhauser, and Heinz. Not to mention Studebaker, Chrysler, Wanamaker, Rockefeller.

Much "innocent public family entertainment... music, picnics, dancing, card playing, swimming, bowling" was introduced to America by Germans.

Prior to Hitler, most German Jews identified as Germans rather than Jews, and some American-Jewish newspapers were prosecuted in World War I for being too pro-German.

Next: Jews and Italians.