Time Periods
German Migration into Missouri:
To understand better nearly two centuries of German assimilation in Missouri, our project team has divided the expanse of years into five distinct phases:
1. Early Settlement: 1819-1848: Exploring the people, ideologies, and emigration societies that played a role in the beginning of the emigration movement from Germany.
2. Revolutionary: 1848-1875: Germans that came from Europe’s revolutions were instrumental in the physical and ideological battles of the American Civil War—over 216,000 German natives fought for the Union.
3. Growth and Prosperity: 1875-1914: When Missouri’s German industries and businesses boomed during the Gilded Age in the United States.
4. World at War: 1914-1945: The events of World Wars I and II greatly affected German-Americans assimilation into American mainstream culture and nearly destroyed their ties to the Old World and its culture.
5. Modern: Post-1945: Societies and businesses re-examine their German heritage, preserving and enhancing a new cultural heritage for the future.