Meanwhile, many Germans were also arriving in the United States. Harsh weather conditions from 1829 to 1830 resulted in severe food shortages in Germany. By 1832, more than 10,000 Germans were coming to the United States in a single year seeking fertile land to farm and a better life. In 1848, revolutions had broken out in several parts of Germany. The rebels fought for democratic reforms. When the revolts failed, thousands had to flee. Attracted by its democratic political system, many came to the United States.
Many other German immigrants came simply to make a better life for themselves. Between 1848 and 1860, nearly one million Germans arrived in the United States.
Immigrants from Germany often had enough money to move west and buy good farmland. These immigrants transformed the environment by turning prairie into farmland. Others were artisans and merchants. Cities of the Midwest such as St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati had German grocers, butchers, and bakers.
A small minority of the immigrants from Germany were Jewish. German Jews began immigrating to the United States in the 1820s. By the early 1860s, there were about 150 communities in the United States with substantial Jewish populations.
1. Identify TWO main reasons why many Germans left their homeland to come to the United States.