Germans in Omaha immigrated to the city inNebraska from its earliest days of founding in 1854, in the years after theRevolutions of 1848 in the German states. They continued to immigrate to Omaha in large numbers later in the 19th century, when many came from Bavaria and southern Germany, and into the early 20th century. Germans created and maintained a high cultural, social and political profile locally and nationally through the 1930s. In 1890,Germans comprised 23% of Omaha's population.^[1] By 1910, 57.4% of Omaha's total population of more than 124,000 identified as being of German descent.^[2]

By 1930 and the start of theGreat Depression, immigration from Germany had virtually ceased. Although Germans comprised the second most numerous group of foreign-born nationals after Czechs, those foreign-born immigrants totaled less than one percent of the total population of the city.^[3]

German immigrants and German Americans in Omaha had a high rate of literacy. The mostly working class population supported numerous German-language newspapers that had national as well as local distribution in the early 20th century. Germans built and operated several successful breweries in the city, bringing good beer and beer-making skills to the upper Midwest. The German model of public education was established in states throughout the Midwest, which were quickly training teachers in normal schools to expand education in new villages.

Valentin J. Peter (1875-1960), editor of theGerman-languageOmaha Tribüne, was chiefly responsible for the formation and leadership of the Nebraska chapter of theNational German-American Alliance. This coalition was influential in representing and attempting to lead the German-American electorate across the United States between 1912 and 1940, although the community was very heterogeneous.^[4]

During the early years of World War I (the Great War), Peter was supportive of Germany and urged German-Americans to be so, too. He changed his position before the US entered the war in 1917 on the side of Great Britain and France, and supported the Allies.^[5] He also supported the US and its allies in World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The first known German in the Omaha area arrived more than 20 years before the city was founded.Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied toured the UpperMissouri River in 1832, and recorded a stay atCabanne's Trading Post in present-dayNorth Omaha.^[6] After arriving in Omahaen masse beginning in the 1860s, Germans in Omaha built their own churches. At church and in their businesses, including grocery stores and farm supply shops, they conducted daily life in German for years. Many young German immigrants from Omaha served in the Nebraska battalion during theCivil War,^[7] as well as later serving throughout the country.

One early German settler in Omaha was Vincent Burkley. (Heanglicized his name). After working as a grocer and farm laborer for three years starting in 1854, he opened his ownprinting company. He was almost immediately successful.^[8] Burkley was elected as a member of theOmaha City Council for several years,^[9] as well as theOmaha Board of Education.^[10]

In the earliest days of Omaha, the "heart of the German settlement was in the large concentration betweenSouth 10th and 13th Streets. Here one could purchase food from several German merchants, including Volkmier's Meat Market, Schmid's Grocery, and the Schube Haus (bakery) ... The Emmel House (hotel) and Hottenroth and Bauer Boarding House were also located in this core".^[11] The area south of the railroad corridor and west of South 16th Street contained an area of German Catholics. This settlement was centered on South 16th Street and Center Street and includesSt. Joseph's Church, which was established in 1887 to serve German-speaking Catholics. Protestant Germans settled in a concentration centered on South 11th Street and Center Street, and built a German Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886.^[12]

By 1900 Germans lived in more dispersed neighborhoods, including theNear North Side neighborhood,Florence, andSouth Omaha. Within 25 years they lived throughout the city, with large enclaves in theDundee andField Club neighborhoods.^[13] Another "concentration was ... nearSouth 19th and Vinton Streets ... The Bongardt Meat Market, Schmidt Saloon and Muller's Hall were located in the 1700 block of Vinton. Wilg Dry Goods was at 1810 Vinton, Strausburgh Druggist at 1822 Vinton, and the Schouboe Bakery at 3130 S. 18th St."^[14]

Germans built severalDeutschekirchen - German churches - throughout Omaha.^[5]St. Joseph's was aRoman Catholic parish established in 1901 to serve Omaha's German-speaking Catholics.^[15]

The German community in Omaha was literate and large enough to support several German-language newspapers, which also had national distribution. They included theOmaha Tribune, theVolkszeitung Tribune, and theSonntagspost, which was later called theAmericaHerold.^[16]

Edward Rosewater, the Czech editor atThe Omaha Bee, used the slogan "Germania our Mother, Columbia our Bride" to describe the kind of "dual-sentimentality" many Germans in America felt toward their country of origin.^[17] In the early 20th century, German immigrants came to Omaha for work and to escape state oppression led byKaiser Wilhelm in Germany.^[18]

The German community in Omaha was noted for settling quickly throughout the city. Periodsociological research also identified a range of reluctance among some German immigrants, as well as second- and third-generation Germans towardsassimilation.^[19] During the early 20th century, Germans in Omaha were successful in ensuring thatGerman culture,German history andGerman language lessons were included in the local public school system, because they comprised a large part of the electorate.^[20]

Germans in Omaha were employed in many of the city's manufacturing industries, particularly itsbrewing sector, which was created by German immigrants. Leading German employers in the city included theMetz Brewery,Krug Brewery and theStorz Brewery.Gottlieb Storz,Frederick Krug andFrederick Metz built the success of their breweries by hiring Germanbrewmeisters and laborers for their skills.^[21]

Many Germans in the Omaha area also worked at theUnion Stockyards, and infarming inDouglas County.^[18] In 1910 the Union Stockyards reported to theUnited States Immigration Commission that 14.1% of its workers were German immigrants.^[22] Numerous Germans worked at German-ownedbeer gardens,dry goods stores,farms, andmilling operations throughout the city and Douglas County.^[19] The German work ethic was highly regarded throughout the city. Immigrant workers from Germany were readily employed inJobbers Canyon and by the railroads in Omaha.^[13]

German-owned breweries in Omaha sought to keep alcohol legal at a time when political pressure was widespread to establish Prohibition. German voters in Omaha were largely responsible for the election of Nebraska GovernorAshton C. Shallenberger in 1908, as Shallenberger ran on an anti-Prohibition slate. After he was elected, however, Shallenberger became pro-Prohibition. Temperance was strongly supported in most of Nebraska for 30 years before the national Prohibition movement.^[23] A statewide election seeking aprohibition of alcohol in 1890 won in almost every county across the state, except Omaha'sDouglas County. The German vote there was credited for keeping the state "wet" during that period.^[24] WhenWilliam Jennings Bryan returned to Nebraska after his third unsuccessful Presidential campaign in1908 to advocate for Prohibition, he became "the arch enemy ofdas Deutschtum."^[5]

In July 1910 Germans in Omaha rallied with other immigrant organizations across the city to create theNational German-American Alliance. At least 54 social, farming and cultural organizations from around Omaha were represented at the first meeting. This alliance brought together many German organizations around Omaha in July 1911 at the city's annualSängerfest, which was a dance and rally for more than 5,000 attendees. By masking political objectives within a German cultural event, National German-American Alliance leaders were able to politicize the event without scrutiny from the mainstream press.^[5]

Bavarian-bornValentin J. Peter was the publisher of a German-language newspaper called theOmaha Tribüne. In 1914 Peter led the National German-American Alliance in strong opposition towomen's suffrage during a statewide election on the issue. TheOmaha Tribune editor denounced the effort as "chiefly ... to introduce state prohibition with the help of these women's voices."^[25]

In the years leading up the US entry into World War I, tensions in Europe were reflected in the US. During a 1915 address to the National German-American Alliance, Valentin Peter said,

Both here and abroad, the enemy is the same! PerfidiousAlbion - there England has pressed the sword into the hands of almost all the peoples of Europe against Germany. In this country it has a servile press at its command, which uses every foul means to slander everything German and to poison the public mind. - Valentin Peter (1915)^[26]

Such expression of pro-German feelings by German immigrants aroused anti-German sentiment in the many Americans who favored the British as allies.^[26] But, in 1916, the Vice-President of the National German-American Alliance openly chastised PresidentWoodrow Wilson for pro-Ally actions at the beginning of the Great War.

By the outbreak ofWorld War I, some Americans were concerned about divided loyalties of German immigrants and their descendants. Anativist movement affected Omaha. The Federal government enforced theAlien and Sedition Acts against Germans nationals. Germans who were notAmerican citizens were required to register with the Federal government as "Alien Enemies".^[27] Although Valentin Peter had earlier been a supporter of Germany against Great Britain, by the outbreak of the war, the editor of theOmaha Tribüne had become an ardent supporter of the United States' involvement in World War I on the side of Great Britain.

Anti-German feelings ran high in Nebraska because of the war. A historian noted, "German books were destroyed. The legislature prohibited the use of foreign languages on the public streets or on the telephone and prohibited schools from using or even teaching foreign languages below the eighth grade. Wartime patriots initiated both official and vigilante action against German immigrants."^[28] When theUnited States entered the war, most general businesses and churches ceased conducting affairs in German due to nativist sentiment. They did not want to appear less than loyal to the US.^[29] This sentiment seeped into the general Nebraska population.

Anti-German sentiment contributed to passage of a 1919 state law that enforced teaching in English. By law, "No person, individually or as a teacher, shall, in any private, denominational, parochial or public school, teach any subject to any person in any language than the English language."^[30] Robert Meyer was found to violate this law because he taught German. He was taken to court by the State of Nebraska. Although his appeal to theNebraska Supreme Court failed, theU.S. Supreme Court inMeyer v. Nebraska determined that Meyer had the right to teach the German language as a subject, and to teach it in German.

By 1919 open discrimination against Germans throughout Omaha was taking hold. Many German-language newspapers were forced to change to English, or to close.^[31]

After the First World War, Germans in America sought to regain their political influence, and they succeeded. Both Valentin Peter, editor of theOmaha Tribüne, and the National German-American Alliance gained enough political clout to influenceUnited States presidential campaigns. In 1920, immediately after the1920 United States presidential election in November, Peter came under scrutiny by theUnited States Senate, and was called to testify on his involvement in the campaign. According to Peter's testimony, he flipped to supportingCalvin Coolidge in exchange for $12,500.^[32] Later, during the1928 presidential election, theDemocratic National Committee enlisted Peter to join to show the support of German-Americans forAl Smith. There were deep divides among Germans in America in politics and many cultural issues.^[33][34]

By this period there were few first generation German immigrants. German Americans had national spokesmen who often provided conflicting political messages. They reflected the wide variety of opinions held by German Americans as they had assimilated into American life. Period sociologists noted the multiplicity of opinions as demonstrating the process of American assimilation among Germans in America.^[19] Many German-Americans were completely assimilated into American society. ByWorld War II, many of the distinctive institutions of German society in Omaha, such as stores, German-language churches, and social groups, had disappeared or become less exclusive of other groups.^[33]

The experience of German immigrants in Omaha and throughout Nebraska is said to have deeply influencedWilla Cather. She addressed the assimilation, discrimination and community of Germans in several of her stories.^[35]

The inventor of theReuben sandwich was a German American who lived in Omaha.^[36]Omaha Tribune editor Val Peter's company, the Interstate Printing Company, is still operated today by the Peter family in Omaha.^[37] TheVolkszeitung Tribune was a German-language newspaper that was published in Omaha from the late 19th century through the 1980s.^[38] A German Old People's Home was located in Omaha for almost 100 years. A home forelderly people of German heritage, it was operated as a charitable,non-profit corporation by twenty-seven trustees, all descendants of German immigrants.^[39]

St. Joseph's Catholic Parish, located at 1723 South 17th Street inSouth Omaha, continues with parishioners of German heritage comprising a large percentage of the church's membership.^[15]

The German-American Society, located at 3717 South 120th Street inWest Omaha, continues to hold regular events, teach German traditions and observe special celebrations. Its location in a more suburban area represents the long-established assimilation of German Americans.

• German Nebraskan
• History of Omaha
• Krug Brewery
• Metz Brewery
• Storz Brewery

• German-American Society of Omaha
• German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA in Washington, DC

• German-American history
• German-American culture by city
• German-American culture in Omaha, Nebraska
• Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska
• German communities in the United States

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing German-language text
• Articles containing Spanish-language text