Fig. 1 – Immigrants arriving with hand-drawn carts Tolzmann, Don Heinrich. German Cincinnati Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005
Purpose
The intent of this booklet is to help students learn about the six major groups of immigrants who came to Cincinnati beginning in the 1830s. The history of Cincinnati would be entirely different without the contributions of immigrants who helped build and develop the beautiful city that they now call home.
The booklet will teach students how each different immigrant group was initially unwanted by the local residents. Some of the immigrants had a difficult time blending in because they were conflicted about their own “foreign” roots and language. Sometimes, they were even rejected by immigrants who had come to Cincinnati only a few decades earlier.
This booklet is important for students because the struggles for acceptance and equality encountered by Cincinnati’s immigrants are not normally taught in schools. Often personal family stories are not being passed on at home. For instance, few young people know how Cincinnatians’ fear and mistrust of the Germans and Irish escalated out of control in the 1850s. Immigrants were killed during riots that were organized by local residents. Those who were opposed to immigration became known as “Nativists” or the “Know-Nothing” party. Through the years, hateful strategies and negative public campaigns have been used by extremists to give new immigrants the feeling they were unwelcome.
One way students can personalize their learning about the lives of Cincinnati’s immigrants is to analyze their own last names. The surnames and the mother’s maiden name of the students can indicate the immigrant roots of parents and grandparents. Americans are often labeled with a hyphenated ethnicity, and many Cincinnatians identify themselves as German-American, Irish-American, or African-American. By studying this booklet, students may discover that their own immigrant families experienced hostility and difficulties when they came to Cincinnati. Through learning about the history of Cincinnati’s immigrants they may also discover their own immigrant families’ journeys.