In the period from the 1830s until the First World War there were dozens of German language newspapers in the United States.
Contents
- Local and regional newspapers by state
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Washington DC
- Wisconsin
- National newspapers
- See also
- References
- External links
Although the first German immigrants had arrived by 1700, most German-language newspapers flourished during the era of mass immigration from Germany that began in the 1820s. [1]
Germans were the first non-English speakers to publish newspapers in the U.S., and by 1890, there were over 1,000 German language newspapers being published in the United States. [1]
The first German language paper was Die Philadelphische Zeitung , published by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia beginning in 1732; it failed after a year. [1] In 1739, Christopher Sauer established Der Hoch-Deutsche Pennsylvanische Geschicht-Schreiber, later known as Die Germantauner Zeitung . [2] It was one of the most influential pre-Revolutionary weekly newspapers in the colonies. [2] By 1802, Pennsylvanian Germans published newspapers not only in Philadelphia, but also in Lancaster, Reading, Easton, Harrisburg, York, and Norristown. [1] The oldest German Catholic newspaper, the Cincinnati Archdiocese's Der Wahrheitsfreund , began publishing in 1837. [3] [4] By 1881, it was one of five German papers in the Cincinnati market. [5]
Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department and the University of Pennsylvania.
The American Revolution was a colonial revolt that took place between 1765 and 1783. The American Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain, becoming the United States of America. They defeated the British in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in alliance with France.
Lancaster is a city located in South Central Pennsylvania which serves as the seat of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County and one of the oldest inland towns in the United States. With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities. The Lancaster metropolitan area population is 507,766, making it the 101st largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and second largest in the South Central Pennsylvania area.
The newspapers were hit by two rounds of closure due to sudden drops in advertising revenue. As the U.S. entered World War I, many advertisers stopped placing advertisements in German newspapers. Later, with the onset of Prohibition in 1920, the remaining newspapers faded as immigrants aged and died. [1]
World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.
Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.
