German-American "Immigration"

The fate of immigrants, refugees, and migrant workers was experienced by the more than seven million Germans who emigrated to America over a period of three centuries. Their experiences ought not be forgotten. For these lessons from America can be learned and adapted by nations faced with large-scale immigration today. These include Germany, where the flood of non-German-speaking immigrants -- with their clubs, houses of worship, schools and newspapers in inner city neighborhoods -- is …

…model state" within the Union was occasionally discussed until about 1850. No doubt, the process of acceptance and integration of ethnic minorities will suffer setbacks in urban centers everywhere in the world. A functioning multicultural society does not come about without the best effort on the part of all concerned. However, the German-American experience can shed some light on the process and help strengthen our rationality in the face of doom prophets and nativistic hate mongers.