"Wir halten diese Wahrheiten für ausgemacht, daß alle Menschen gleich erschaffen worden, daß sie von ihrem Schöpfer mit gewissen unveräusserlichen Rechten begabt worden, worunter sind Leben, Freiheit und das Streben nach Glückseligkeit."

-from one of the first German translations of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, July 1776

In this episode, we explore the role of Germanic immigrants in the American Revolution. Topics include:

-the first reports and publications of the Declaration in German by Philadelphia printers, such as Heinrich Miller

-German literacy and German-language print-culture in the Colonies

-push factors influencing emigration our of Germanic territories, including economic, agricultural, political, and religious problems

-the different ways in which the interests of German immigrants and those of British-American colonists overlapped

-the different positions German immigrants took regarding the War for Independence

-the role of German pacifism and German religious sects in the conflict

Hopeful Journeys: German Immigration, Settlement, and Political Culture in Colonial America, 1717-1775