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In reply to the discussion: Famous White Americans [View all]hfojvt
(37,573 posts)31. that would probably be more of a language thing
but there were certainly plenty of Germans already living in the United States in 1870. My own paternal German ancestors came to the US in 1739 and the Shueys a little bit earlier. But the Shueys were sort of French-Germans. As Huguenots they were run out of France in 1685 with the revocation of the edict of Nantes and spent about 40 years in Germany before coming to the US.
By 1870 though, they perhaps did not think of themselves as German any more. My paternal ancestor, after all, married a Scot in 1874.
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It is true that unless you were from English descent you were not considered white in early America
former-republican
Oct 2012
#7
That was even true in the 1870s when my paternal ancestors immigrated from Germany
slackmaster
Oct 2012
#10
My grandfather was born in 1895. Only German was spoken in the house when he was a child.
slackmaster
Oct 2012
#51
Frank discussions of race can be painful. I think it's worth it, the discipline of objectivity
Bucky
Oct 2012
#58
No, actually ethnicity is a fact. It's a social construct, but it's sociologically real.
Bucky
Oct 2012
#71