The German Press in Wisconsin: READING IMMIGRANT HISTORY BY THE BOOKS
Since statehood, Wisconsin has undergone tremendous changes in its ethnic makeup as well as in how ethnic groups here have seen themselves and how others have seen them. Few examples of this are as striking as the transformation of German-speaking immigrants from a distinctly foreign element into a major component of this state’s dominant culture. The development and subsequent decline of German-language publishing provides an important illustration of this change.
Wisconsin’s statehood in 1848 coincides with revolutions in Germany and much of Europe. Fleeing political and personal oppression, a wave of notable journalists and authors came to this state -- at a time when German immigration to Wisconsin was already increasing rapidly.
German-language newspapers and books were produced in every corner of the state and some papers had circulations of over 100,000 well into this century. Discussion will focus on the history of German-language publishing in Wisconsin from it’s beginnings in 1844 to the present and the importance of such publications for new immigrants.
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Leading the discussion will be Dr. Joseph Salmons,
Director, and Mary Devitt, Assistant Director, of the
Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies. They will
consider how the German press covered important events in state
history and possible reasons for the decline of German-language This talk is open to the public and is part of a series sponsored in part by the Wisconsin Humanities Council and hosted by community groups, colleges and universities throughout the state.
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| Portage County Historical Society Portage County Public Library Stevens Point Area Genealogical Society |
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point:
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7 PM, Tuesday, October 6
Anderson Room, UWSP University Center