Time orientation Future over present
Source: Spector, R. (1992). Culture, ethnicity, and nursing. In P. Potter & A. Perry (Eds.), Fundamentals of nursing (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Year Book. Reprinted with permission. This material was published in Potter & Perry’s Fundamentals of Nursing, Jackie Crisp and Catherine Taylor (Eds), Copyright Elsevier (2009).
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be generalized, but it allows the reader to grasp the diversity of beliefs that surround us (Lefcowitz, 1990, p. 6).
Since 1830 more than 7 million Germans have immigrated to the United States. There are presently 50.7 million Americans, or 16.4% of the population, who claim German ancestry. California, Texas, and Pennsylvania have the larg- est numbers of people with German ancestry. The Germans represent a cross section of German society and have come from all social strata and walks of life. Some people have come to escape poverty, others have come for religious or political reasons, and still others have come to take advantage of the opportu- nity to open up the new lands. Many were recruited to come here, as were the Germans who settled in the German enclaves in Texas. The immigrants repre- sented all religions, including primarily Lutherans, Catholics, and Jews. They represented the rich and the poor, the educated and the ignorant, and were of all ages. Present-day descendants are farmers, educators, and artists. The Germans brought to the United States the cultural diversity and folkways they observed in Germany. The tradition of the Christmas tree and the festivals of Corpus Christi, Kinderfeste (children’s feast), and Sangerfeste (singing festival) all originated in Germany (Conzen, 1980, pp. 405–425). The German Americans introduced the first kindergartens.
The Germans began to migrate to the United States in the 17th century and have contributed 15.2% of the total immigration population. They are the least visible ethnic group in the United States, and people often are sur- prised to discover that there is such a large Germanic influence in this country. In some places, the German communities maintain strong identification with their German heritage. For example, the city of Fredericksburg, Texas, main- tains an ambience of German culture and identity. Some people born there who are fourth-generation and more continue to learn German as their first spoken language (Spector, 1983).
The German ethnic community is the second largest in the state of Texas and is exceeded only by the Mexican community. Germans have been immi- grating to Texas since 1840 and continue to arrive. They are predominantly Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist. Many of these people have maintained their German identity. The major German communities in Texas are Victoria, Cuero, Gonzales, New Braunfels, and Fredericksburg.
During the European freedom revolutions of 1830 and 1848, Texas was quite popular, especially in Germany, and was seen as a “wild and fabulous land.” For tradition-bound German families, however, the abandonment of the home- land was difficult. They were enticed, however, by the hopes of economic and social improvement and political idealism. An additional reason for the mass mi- gration was the overpopulation of Germany and the immigrants’ desire to escape an imminent European catastrophe. By the 1840s, several thousand northern Germans had come to Texas, and another large migration occurred in 1890. This second cluster of people came because there was severe crop failure in Russian- occupied Germany, and the Russian language had become a required subject in German schools. Other German migrations occurred from 1903 to 1905.
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The Germans found pleasure in the small things of everyday life. They were tied together by the German language because it bound them to the past, entertaining them with games, riddles, folk songs and literature, and folk wisdom. The greatest amusement was singing and dancing. Religion for the Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists was a part of everyday life. The year was measured by the church calendar; observance of church ritual paced the milestones of the life cycle. The Germans believed that each individual was a “part of the fabric of humanity,” that “history was a continued process,” and “everything had a purpose as mankind strove to something better” (Lich, 1982, pp. 33–72).
The Germans had a penchant for forming societies and clubs, the longest- lasting of which are the singing societies. The first was organized in 1850 and exists still today. The Germans brought with them their customs and traditions; their cures, curses, and recipes; and their tools and ways of building (Lich, 1982).