German Immigrants: not WHITE and not WANTED

#ancestry #findingyourroots #ancestrydna #dnatest #americanhistory #Germans #benfrankling #familyhistory #genealogy

In the 1750s, Benjamin Franklin expressed concerns about German immigrants in the Thirteen Colonies, highlighting their potential impact on English culture and language. Franklin believed that Pennsylvania, founded by the English, should not become a "colony of aliens" who would resist assimilation into English customs. His writings reflected a desire to preserve English dominance and cultural identity in the colonies. While Franklin's views were influenced by the context of the time, they shed light on the complexities of early American attitudes toward newcomers and the challenges of cultural assimilation.

Sources:
Sources

Washington, H. A., Jefferson, T. (1853). The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, cont. Reports and opinions while Secretary of State. United States: Taylor & Maury.

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[nytn]

When do you think Germans were "accepted" as Americans? Let me know below!
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[johnarchluleta]

I had an uncle on my Mexican side that I called the ‘most Mexican’ of all my uncles. Turns out, he was adopted and he was in fact a Bavarian German. Dude looked like Saddam Hussein and was culturally as Mexican as Vicente Fernandez lmao

[GazilionPT]

I think Franklin mentioning Germans and Swedes as "swarthy" was based on his observed reality (only he didn't realise why the reality was such): he knew no German or Swedish immigrants that were slave owners and/or from the upper classes; all German and Swedes he had encountered were rural labourers or small farmers working their own land — after years working on the fields, they were all tanned.

[msakat]

“White people” have a range of skin colors, eye colors, hair colors, and hair textures. We are more diverse than anyone gives us credit for.

[markantony]

Here is the most funny thing about Franklin's comment: Fast forward a few years to the War of Independence, and the Pennsylvania Germans played a pivotal role in the defeat of the British. In fact, if it were not for the large number of PA Germans fighting in the Continental Army against the British, there would be no United States of America.

[Eggomania]

The problem is that the English are descendants of Anglo Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians along with Britons, Danes, and Norman French. The English themselves were and are a mixed ethnic race. All of those cultures mixed and became the English ethnic group. It's reflected in English culture and Language. Ben Franklin was obviously uneducated about his own ancestry. That's the ironic part he was essentially being racist towards himself. Anglo Saxons, Frisians, Jutes, and Norse are technically Germanic tribes. The Norman French are a mixed ethnic group of Norse man and French. The French were another group Ben Franklin looked down upon. Again, being racist towards himself. Also, the Britons themselves, native Celtic tribes of Great Britain, were looked down upon. Irish Scottish and even Welsh. Our founding fathers didn't totally understand the history of their ancestors. The Saxons originally came from the region in Northern Germany, Southern Denmark called Schelswieg Holstein region. The Angels came from Northern Germany, Western Holland. The Jutes came from modern-day Denmark. The Frisians came from the Netherlands. The Norse came from Scandinavia. To go back even further before the Anglo Saxon days before the dark ages, Britian was again a mixed race culture of indeginious Celtic tribes and the Romans. The Roman Empire was a multi cultural society in itself. Roman soldiers garrisoned in Britain came from all over the Roman Empire. From Spain, North Africa, Greece, Italy the Middle East, Gaul, Turkey, parts of Yugoslavia clear to Germany. Those said groups did mix with the indigenous Britons. In a sense, you have an already multi cultural group mixing with Germanic tribes. So I agree that being white really isn't a thing. The reason is borders and language changed throughout Europe. There is no such thing as being pure whatever. Europe is a small continent with a harsh climate and limited resources. Different ethnic groups became subject to stronger ethnic groups. There was constant warfare because of limited resources.

[CesarEnjoyer]

The fact that Ben Franklin called Germans and Swedes “swarthy” is so funny to me😂

[catherinehall]

My impression is that Ben Franklin was impressed with Ben Franklin.
Almost everyone else failed to meet his standards.

[ericponce]

The Anglo- Saxons that conquered England were from Germany. The English language is Germanic in origin. Did Ben Franklin remember these things?

[patriceesela]

As an African living in Europe, this white on white xenophobia is kinda fascinating especially these days. I've witnessed an english man from the south being called a racist because of his expressed dislike for the English from the North😂😂😂 People can't tell the difference between xenophobia and racism

[joanhuffman]

Later on Pennsylvania it was observed that a sign on a bridge which was in German and English, had slightly different meanings. The German was straightforward, "No galloping on the bridge". The English which was directed at their Scots-Irish neighbors said, "gallop on the bridge at your own risk".

[clairecooke]

Another great video Danielle! I’m learning how “white” was a very changeable concept through history, and it just serves to reinforce that race isn’t actually a thing, it’s what we make it.

[johaquila]

As a German, I am not shocked by this. I _was_ shocked when I first learned that the Irish were once not considered white. That's just ridiculous if you assume it's really about skin color as the term 'white' suggests.
The idea that most Germans are blond and have blue eyes, or that we all have _particularly_ light skin is ridiculous. Our language came from Scandinavia, but only a small part of our genes. The Nazis even had an insane breeding program to make Germans Nordic, but on average we never actually were. (Look for "Lebensborn" if you want to know more.)
Germany has always been a melting pot right in the center of Europe, although we also have significant internal diversity even today. (I am sure I could easily tell whether a crowd of people wearing neutral clothing is from the North, the South-West or the South-East.) We have roughly equal proportions of the three major groups that make up Europeans: (Western) Hunter-Gatherers, Early European Farmers, and Indo-Europeans. At least since we were colonized by the Romans 2000 years ago, we have had a strong connection to Italy, which is far enough in the south for people to have a relatively dark, Mediterranean/Middle Eastern complexion. I think most Germans who moved to America were farm workers, so they were tanned from working outside all day. A conspicuous subgroup were the Amish and Mennonite people from Switzerland who had first been welcomed in South-West Germany, but had got into conflict with the authorities there as well due to their extreme religiosity and complete rejection of military service. They sought to lead a life just like people in the Bible and rejected any technologies that might get into the way. Some still reject electricity in their homes today; of course Franklin had no sympathy for them.
Franklin's concept of 'white' here seems to be based on a distinction between 'worthy to be a citizen' and 'potential slave material'. This particular form of racism arises in a race-based slavery system. Europe profited from such a system, but essentially never had it on the continent itself. This is why racism in Europe is different than in the US. There was never a need to tell at a glance whether someone is a slave. In particular, when people are obviously 'mixed race' or from a 'race' that looks very European, such as many native Americans, most of us here in Europe genuinely don't see them as belonging to another 'race' at all.

[stevehanken]

As a German-American, let me say this, Saxony is the largest state in Germany, not only that, but King George the third was from the house of Orange, that is he was from the Netherlands which also included parts of Saxony ! His first language was German and the reason he brought Hessians to America to fight his war with us, he knew them and spoke their language. So if Saxons were OK, where does Franklin draw the line?

[tancreddehauteville]

There is an old saying in England: "The wogs begin at Calais". I'm afraid this exemplifies the sense of racial superiority the English have towards other Europeans, let alone those from outside Europe. When the English emigrated to America they brought this attitude with them. In the modern age, this hostility to other Europeans, particularly those from eastern countries, was one of the causes of Brexit.

[markantony]

In reading the comments, there seems to be some confusion in what "German" people Franklin was concerned about. Prior to the American independence, there was a large influx of German speaking people from the Palatinate Region of Europe. Most settled in Pennsylvania because unlike the other colonies, William Penn was accepting of them, as he considered them excellent farmers and an asset to his colony. The Palatinate Region consisted of an extended area along the Rhine River that included areas that are now in Southwestern Germany, Eastern France, and parts of Switzerland. All these people were German speaking, but not all of them were from what is now Germany.

I will add that the Amish, which Pennsylvania is famous for, actually originated in Switzerland and many people who ancestors were "Pennsylvania German" when they take a DNA test and trace their ancestry back to Europe, are often surprised to learn their ancestors actually came from Eastern France.

[minnaerd]

This is very interesting! I am German, and working on my families genealogy. By that I came over tons of ancestors who went to the US. Big numbers of early immigrants came from southern Germany, Württemberg, where more people are of darker skin- and haircolor. There is even a history of expelling poor village people, selling them to the US. (German history of immigration is quite complex, linked to political matters, Germany not being one country til 1871. Being German before that mainly meant, being from a state where german was spoken.)

[wilburdemayorga]

my parents are from nicaragua and my grandma (dad's mom) descends from german catholics (austrians and bavarians). Her maiden name (mayrhauser) was traced to a bavarian named walter von mayrhauser, he was a franco-prussian war veteran who fought against the french in the bavarian army. nicaragua received large influxes of german immigrants from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.

[francisebbecke]

My ancestors came from Germany to Pennsylvania about the time Franklin was saying this. They settled in Elizabethtown, PA.

[rocketreindeer]

My adopted sibling is Finnish. The Finns' language is completely different from the Scandinavians. Their traditional culture and spirituality was based on nature and animals, similar to First Nations cultures in North America, not the stories about Thor and Odin and all those guys from Marvel (ha ha). One theory is that they came from Indigenous tribes in Asia, i.e. Siberia, who travelled and intermarried with northern European people and eventually became the Finns. There are also Indigenous Sámi people in the Nordic countries who were mistreated and had their drums burned, and were forced to assimilate or be killed, and other horrible stuff. Today, a lot of people consider them "white", but if you look at pictures of them from a hundred years ago, many of them look almost identical to First Nations people in Canada and the U.S. Another theory is that they also originated in Asia and migrated to northern Europe and became reindeer herders. I've read people from parts of Europe say they aren't as hung up on the concept of "race" as some other countries are so insistent needs to be the lens, and don't give a rat's butt about classifying everyone into a color block. So like you, I agree that white does not seem to be an actual thing. I didn't realize Ben Franklin was such a jerk, but since people are complex, it's interesting he's one of the few founding fathers to free his slaves, because he apparently realized they weren't inferior to him. I'm not sure of the timelines of his feelings on all that. But great video, you have so much good stuff, and so many true stories to learn from.