Becoming German tells the intriguing story of the largest and earliest mass movement of German-speaking immigrants to America. The so-called Palatine migration of 1709 began in the western part of the Holy Roman Empire; where perhaps as many as thirty thousand people left their homes; lured by rumors that Britain's Queen Anne would give them free passage overseas and land in America. They journeyed down the Rhine and eventually made their way to London; where they settled in refugee camps. The rumors of free passage and land proved false; but; in an attempt to clear the camps; the British government finally agreed to send about three thousand of the immigrants to New York in exchange for several years of labor. After their arrival; the Palatines refused to work as indentured servants and eventually settled in autonomous German communities near the Iroquois of central New York.Becoming German tracks the Palatines' travels from Germany to London to New York City and into the frontier areas of New York. Philip Otterness demonstrates that the Palatines cannot be viewed as a cohesive "German" group until after their arrival in America; indeed; they came from dozens of distinct principalities in the Holy Roman Empire. It was only in refusing to assimilate to British colonial culture―instead maintaining separate German-speaking communities and mixing on friendly terms with Native American neighbors―that the Palatines became German in America.
#3739109 in Books Cornell University Press 1998-11-19Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.51 x .98 x 6.31l; 1.39 #File Name: 0801434580304 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great discussion of the issues in the US Army that led to failure and disaster at the beginning of WW II;By Bayard B.A fascinating discussion of the issues that led to so much failure and so many disasters at the beginning of and during World War II. American unpreparedness wasn't just due to penury on the part of the US Congress or inept presidents during the 1920s and 1930s. Much of it was a direct result of the rigid bureaucracies and of the lack of critical thinking on the part of various organizations and departments in the US Army. As late as 1942; the chief of the Cavalry Corp pleaded with General George C. Marshal to increase the number of horses in the cavalry! It proved impossible to get the various army branches such as the Infantry; the Cavalry; and the Ordnance Department in 1941 and 1942 to establish an army that was capable of fighting a mechanized war on a world scale. General Marshal had to abolish the various Branches and establish an entirely new organization in 1942 in order to get the Army in a position such that it could fight and win a war.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Failed TransformationBy Retired ReaderThis book provides a compelling and well researched account of how the U.S. Army interpreted its experiences in WWI and how it attempted to transform itself from an internal security force into a modern army ready for an other world war. The author does so by reviewing how the Army reacted to the new weapons systems that emerged from World War I (WWI) and were to dominate military operations for the rest of in the 20th Century. He wisely concentrates on two specific weapons systems: armored fighting vehicles (tanks and armored cars); and by extension mechanization in general; and military aircraft (bombers; fighters and reconnaissance aircraft). The author discusses how U.S. Army attempted to further develop these systems and integrate them into its force structure and force planning. It quickly becomes clear that the unprepared state of the U.S. Army at the start of World War II was the direct result of misunderstanding the implications of these weapon systems for modern warfare and the faulty tactical doctrines that resulted form this misunderstanding. The author demonstrates that the extreme austerity imposed on the Army between the wars exacerbated this unprepared condition; but it was not the sole cause of it. In the end; lack of well thought out doctrines impeded not only the Army's efforts to prepare for modern war; but the development of the weapon systems with which to fight it.This reviewer would suggest that anyone interested in this book would be well advised to also read a second book; "Beyond the Trenches" by General William E. Odom (ret). In it Odom traces the development of U.S. Army doctrine between the wars and the factors preventing the emergence of a really sound set of doctrines and plans.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great book!By Joshua AckermanI was required to read this book (among 2 others) for my U.S. Military History class. The book is outstanding. Anyone interested in history and military strategy would find this as an excellent read.
