Summary of Erika Lee's America for Americans

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to fear German immigrants, who were flooding the colonies in large numbers. He believed that they would never assimilate and would instead, outnumber the English.

#2 The story of German immigrants in Pennsylvania highlights the complexity of xenophobia, as well as the different contexts in which it flourishes. German immigrants were not just feared and hated, but they also provided labor and bodies to settle and develop the colony.

#3 Germans were among the first settlers in Pennsylvania, and they were extremely positive about the new land. They were given free land, economic opportunity, and religious toleration, all of which attracted more Germans to Pennsylvania.

#4 The German immigration to Pennsylvania was primarily made up of farmers and tradesmen, and they were typically Protestant. They were able to acquire large tracts of land and were relatively prosperous within two decades of settlement.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822502796

IRB Media

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Insights on Erika Lee's America for Americans

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Benjamin Franklin was one of the first to fear German immigrants, who were flooding the colonies in large numbers. He believed that they would never assimilate and would instead, outnumber the English.

#2

The story of German immigrants in Pennsylvania highlights the complexity of xenophobia, as well as the different contexts in which it flourishes. German immigrants were not just feared and hated, but they also provided labor and bodies to settle and develop the colony.

#3

Germans were among the first settlers in Pennsylvania, and they were extremely positive about the new land. They were given free land, economic opportunity, and religious toleration, all of which attracted more Germans to Pennsylvania.

#4

The German immigration to Pennsylvania was primarily made up of farmers and tradesmen, and they were typically Protestant. They were able to acquire large tracts of land and were relatively prosperous within two decades of settlement.

#5

While the transatlantic migration was profitable for both sides, it began to raise concerns among the colonial governments. The Germans were especially problematic, as they were loyal to the British Crown, and caused land disputes and tensions with the Native Americans.

#6

The German immigrants that arrived in Pennsylvania in the 18th century were seen as a threat to the colony’s Englishness. They were seen as a foreign threat, and their mere foreignness made them suspect.

#7

While some feared that the Germans might become savages in the backcountry, others feared that they were too good at being white settlers. Colonial governments did not hesitate to break Native American treaties and use fraud and intimidation to wrest more and more territory and resources from native peoples.

#8

The Pennsylvania law of 1729 required every white male over sixteen years old to register and sign oaths of allegiance and abjuration within forty-eight hours of his arrival. The law was designed to discourage the importation of lewd, idle and ill-affected persons.

#9

The German registry was the first example of state-sanctioned xenophobia in American history. While colonial authorities were suspicious of German immigrants, they still believed that they could be assimilated and were desirable colonial subjects.

#10

The need to attract white settlers served as a counterpoint to xenophobia, and this need produced both liberal immigration policies that brought growing numbers of European settlers to the colonies and