- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Research Guides
- German Language Humanities
- German-Americana Resources
German Language Humanities : German-Americana Resources
German Americana
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the largest number of immigrants to America came from German-speaking lands. The field of German-American Studies examines how these immigrants and their descendants have shaped their North American environment and been shaped by it. Areas of research include language use and loss, influences on American history (such as the development of the education system, anti-slavery and anti-temperance efforts, participation in the U.S. Civil War, etc.), immigration and community, and culture and traditions.
This page identifies German-Americana resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other locations around the world.
Resources for German-American Studies at UW-Madison
A few options to begin exploring German Americana at UW-Madison
Sample Search Within the Library Catalog: "German American" (Includes holdings at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library)
Sample Search for Items within Wisconsin Historical Society's Archives: "German American"
Sample Search Within Wisconsin Historical Society's Web page: "German American"
The Wisconsin Historical Society contains one of the nation's largest collections of German-language American newspapers and journals
Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies (UW-Madison)
Contains a large collections of books, pamphlets, documents, audio recordings, journals, and manuscripts pertaining to German-American history, literature and culture. Online catalog can be searched here.
Early American Imprints, Series I. Evans (1639-1800)
This collection contains digital editions of primary source materials on every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America. Search for "German" under language.
German-American Correspondence Collection from the Max Kade Institute
Links
- Chronicling America: Historic American NewspapersSearchable database of U.S. newspapers provides access to selected digitized historic pages from the years 1836-1922, including many in immigrant languages such as German
- Feuchtwanger Memorial LibraryThe library of Lion Feuchtwanger at the University of Southern California. Feuchtwanger was a German Jewish emigre writer who fled Europe during World War II.
- Franklin and Marshall College Archives & Special CollectionsFranklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania has a rich collection of materials documenting Pennsylvania-German culture.
- The Germany Society of Pennsylvania - Horner Memorial LibraryLocated in Philadelphia, PA, the German Society of Pennsylvania's library an extensive collection of books, pamphlets and manuscripts relating to German-American history and culture
- IUPUI University Library Special Collections & Archives / German-Americana CollectionsIncludes records of national and Indianapolis/Indiana immigrant organizations and families; contains the national records of the North American Turners.
- Leo Baeck InstituteDevoted to the history and culture of German-speaking Jews.
- Max Kade Center at the University of KansasBooks and archival collections relating to immigrant and exile studies.
- Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies (UW-Madison)The Max Kade Institute has a large collections of books, pamphlets, documents, audio recordings, journals, and manuscripts pertaining to German-American history, literature and culture. It is located on the fourth floor of the University Club, near Memorial Library and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
- Researching German-Americans at University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeGuide to primary sources for the study of 19th and 20th-century German-Americans in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, with strengths in Socialism, politics, labor issues, businesses including brewing and publishing, and religious or cultural organizations.