German Immigration to Wisconsin (04:00)

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July 4, 1975: In Freistadt, Wisconsin, the descendants of 40 immigrant Pomeranian German families celebrate as their predecessors had done since 1839. Archival photos show log cabins built by the first settlers.

Religious Freedom: Lutheran Intolerance (04:08)

Several descendants recount religious restrictions and some of the challenges for the pious, Protestant community of German Americans.

German Lutheran Heritage (03:05)

The German community in Freistadt, Wisconsin, continues to follow in the paths of its predecessors in farming and religious piety. The younger generation is gradually moving away to find work and spouses.

Hard-Working, God-Fearing German Americans (05:42)

As Europeans settled in the U.S., they brought with them the concept of land tenure, a belief that land was to be exploited. As a result, the northern forests were destroyed and the rich topsoil was depleted. Labor was a virtue.

German and American Traditions Co-Exist (04:07)

In Freistadt, Wisconsin, descendants of original German settlers demonstrate an amalgam of German and American traditions and pride in their heritage.

Changes in the German-American Community (03:12)

In this segment, juxtaposed segments show a German-language Lutheran church service and a July 4th celebration. A German American narrator discusses the changes in the community over the decades.

German Americans Settled Together (03:19)

The majority of early German immigrants came to America for economic reasons and many settled in the Milwaukee area where their business sense enabled their towns to prosper. Their "closed communities" kept out ethnic minorities.

German Americans in Watertown, Wisconsin (04:00)

In Watertown, the German heritage means very little to the young people. Town residents recall the history of their predecessors as German immigrants in the Milwaukee area.

America's German Reformists (03:26)

Among Watertown's Germans immigrants were political refugees from the failed liberal revolution of 1848 in Germany. They created the beginnings of the reformist movement and spirit of social progressiveness in America.

German Americans Prior to WWI (02:56)

Archival photos present a montage of German activities and contributions in their first century of life in America up to WWI.

World Wars: Destruction of German-American Community (03:34)

Forced, in many cases, to fight their Old Country brothers, Germans never recovered from the trauma of fighting in WWI. In WWII, German-American communities were already broken apart.

German Americans Today (06:08)

Germans who came to America after WWII describe their feelings about America and their experiences of living and working in America. They comment on the American drive for money and consumer goods.