How German is American

While I don't personally have any German in my ancestry, I feel that I have always been quite aware of the fact that German culture has had a profound on American society. I believe that the fact that I lived my entire life in between the southern border of Wisconsin and downtown Chicago, both places that are known for having very high German populations and being influenced by German culture. In particular I felt that I was aware of how much German cuisine has shaped the American diet, because I basically grew up eating German food as it is so common in Chicago. Also as the article stated I was aware of how German design and architecture has been important in the architecture of American cities, Chicago specifically. I was actually aware of this before I read the article because my Uncle is very interested in architecture, and it makes sense that this is the case since Chicago has such a strong German community.

There were somethings in the article that i wasn't aware of despite growing up in a heavily german area. I found the fact that Germans played such a pivotal role in designing some of the most famous icons in American culture. I was surprised in particular to learn that the modern images of Santa Claus, The donkey and elephant of the two political parties and Uncle Sam were all created by the same person.
-Mike Flinn