How German is American

I found this article to be quite interesting. Through other sources I have actually come to find out that Schmidt (my last name) is the second most popular last name behind Mueller. Funny enough, that's actually our families best friends last name. Anyways, I found it very interesting that the German-American culture has according to this article really been submerged. All through out my growing up years my family has had a very strong connection to our German roots. My great grandparents on my Dad's side both spoke German and were very much rooted in their German heritage. Neither of them were actually from Germany but their parents and grandparents were. My family actually moved to America around 1880 which I found very interesting that I got to read that they were part of the movement that article discusses. My family settled in Canada initially. They then went between Canada and Oregon for the next 40 plus years before finally making a permanent settlement in Oregon. My ancestors were low end farmers which helps explain the constant moving.

My family has never strayed away from our German roots. We routinely make homemade German cuisine and attend authentic German restaurants (our favorite is Gustav's which is just south of Portland, OR). We also attend Oktober fest every year which is held in Mt. Angel a strong German community. While my great grandparents did not pass down the German language to my grandparents and my Dad, they passed down their love for German culture and an appreciation for our German heritage.

I did learn a lot of interesting little facts regarding how German-Americans shaped American culture. I knew Santa Clause was a German tradition as well as Uncle Sam came from German-Americans. What really caught my eye was the creation of the two symbols for the most prominent political parties (Republicans-Elephant, Democrats-Donkey) came from German-Americans. I was also intrigued to discover the amount of influence German-Americans had in pushing for all around better education not just for men but for women as well.

While German-American culture maybe not what it once was I have always been extremely proud to be predominately German-American and to still see bits and pieces of our culture alive today.