“Here they come in great numbers, and they will never learn our language and our customs... and soon they will outnumber us... and our government will even be shaken.” One might think that these offensive statements directed against refugees and asylum seekers came from within the ranks of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, but the surprise is that the people who are subjected to severe abuse here as those who refuse integration are in fact German immigrants!?
These harsh judgments were made in the 18th century by Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, who was instrumental in formulating the famous principle in the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which states, “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Over the centuries, it is precisely the pursuit of happiness and a better life that has led countless people to leave their homelands. People are also forced to migrate to foreign countries due to escaping war or political repression, discrimination based on religion, origin, or sexual orientation, and due to natural disasters, poverty, and lack of prospects and opportunities.
In this regard, historian and migration researcher Jochen Oltmer confirms that "immigration is therefore not a modern phenomenon at all, but rather a natural state of human existence." He adds that this phenomenon is part of human history since modern humans, from an anatomical standpoint, left Africa about 100,000 to 120,000 years ago and spread throughout the world.
The number of Germans who immigrated to America during Franklin's lifetime was still relatively limited - it did not exceed 150,000 until 1820. It was not uncommon for them to be attracted by their own countrymen, who boasted of their alleged success stories as immigrants and praised the wealth they had accumulated in a very short period. But what most new immigrants did not know was that immigration promoters received a financial reward for each new immigrant.
Today, we would describe these immigration promoters as “smugglers” who lure those wishing to emigrate with false promises. Life-threatening journeys on overcrowded inflatable boats are also reminiscent of bygone times. “Crossing the sea on a sailing ship used to cost approximately the salary of a craftsman in a year,” says Zimona Blaschka from the German Immigration Center in Bremerhaven. “In order to be able to bear these costs, families had to sell all their possessions.”
They probably had no idea what would await them on board during their multi-month voyage: confined below deck in a confined space, plagued by fleas, bugs and mice. Provisions consisted mostly of stone-hard crusty bread, salty meat, and moldy soup, and the drinking water was often contaminated and tasted musty. Many immigrants were afflicted with diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, smallpox, and scurvy.
In his book A Voyage to Pennsylvania in the Year 1750, the teacher and organist Gottfried Mittelberger recounts in 1756 what he experienced during his overseas voyage: “Many a people groaning and snorting and crying so hard for their homeland;
Upon arrival in America, most of the ship's passengers were sold at auction - specifically the poor, who were allowed to travel for free on the ships after binding themselves into indentured servitude for several years in exchange for repayment. These contracts were sold in America. As a result, families were separated and parents were forced to sell their children, according to Mittelberger.
Simultaneously with the travel of these first German immigrants to America, caravans of German immigrants were heading east, who responded to the invitation of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great. On July 22, 1763, she issued a statement calling on people to come to Russia. Its goal was to reclaim vacant areas. It promised the new arrivals free transportation to the chosen place of residence, granting them free land, tax exemptions in the first years, and exempting them from military service, in addition to providing education and granting them a special political status. They were thus able to retain their German language and largely manage their affairs on their own.
But in the nineteenth century, the American continent once again became the first place German immigrants dreamed of: “The population in Germany nearly doubled in the nineteenth century, so it is possible to imagine what was happening on the labor market,” says Zimona Blaschka. In addition, crops were destroyed and famines occurred. “People here in Germany did not see any future for themselves or their children, so they decided to emigrate.”
At that time some six million Germans had emigrated to the New World - drawn last but not least by W. E. Eggerling's 1832 emigrant guide A Brief Account of the United States of North America, which extolled life in America by saying that "nowhere can a law-abiding, intelligent, industrious man live so well, so free, and so happily as in America. Indeed, the poorest people in America live better than those two grades above them in Europe."
Without a doubt, the Germans were not the only ones to leave their homeland. Researcher Jochen Oltmer says: “It is likely that about 60 million Europeans left the continent from the beginning of the nineteenth century until World War I.” He adds that the situation changed in the middle of the twentieth century, and Europe transformed from a continent from which residents migrated to a continent where immigrants visited.
“The question of whether immigration is a burden or an enrichment is explicitly linked to questions of economic development and the labor market,” says Oltmer. “If the outlook on a community’s future prospects is more or less positive, then the outlook on immigration is also more positive. If the outlook is somewhat negative, then the attitude toward immigrants is also more positive.”
During the economic miracle of the young Federal Republic of Germany in the 1950s and 1960s, the future looked rosy and promising. Starting in 1956, trains known as “migrant worker trains” stopped at Stuttgart, Dortmund and Cologne stations, carrying Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Yugoslav and Turkish workers, who were recruited with attractive promises of work with good salaries. Until the cessation of employment in 1973, the number of “migrant workers” in West Germany reached about 14 million workers, including about three million people who settled permanently in Germany.
However, Germany did not consider itself a country of immigration. “For a long time we have been dealing with the idea: no matter what reasons people come to the Federal Republic of Germany, they are not part of it, because they will leave anyway. And since they are leaving, there is also no need to take care of them in any way,” Oltmer says.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 30 percent of Germany's total population in 2025 had immigrant origins. The fact that many of the grandchildren or great-grandchildren do not yet feel a sense of belonging to society is linked to the “expat community” perspective. Regarding this, Oltmer says: “There was no real acceptance except to a very limited extent; and if there was acceptance at all, it had to be fought for to a great extent.”
Currently, Germany is seeking to attract foreign workers with good qualifications and competencies, due to the shortage of skilled workers in Germany. While refugees only get asylum if they are politically persecuted in their home country. As a researcher of migration issues, Jochen Oltmer is constantly faced with the question of why some immigrants are accepted and others are not. This question was also asked in 2015, with the arrival of increasing numbers of refugees in Germany. “They used to say: ‘Well, Syrians, you have a right to protection because of the civil war in Syria.’ But at the same time this community was saying regarding those coming from Afghanistan: ‘In your case, we are a little more skeptical.’”
Immigration and asylum are always controversial issues in political debate within Germany and other European countries. Olmer believes that it is the duty of politicians to manage this debate. He says that asylum represents only ten percent of the immigration movement to Germany. The majority of immigrants have no connection to asylum. "This means that we are dealing with a significant distortion of the debate when it comes to generating controversy and creating negative stereotypes," he adds.
The descendants of German immigrants, whom Benjamin Franklin once described as “stupid peasants from the Pfalz,” have long since integrated very well into American society.
While integration into the Federal Republic of Germany is proceeding slowly. Oltmer says we are dealing with "astounding delays." He adds: "Many people have no chance to regularize their situation and obtain a stable residence permit, even though everyone involved knows that they can and will stay." Therefore, there is a need for dialogue and clarification of what the Federal Republic of Germany’s society should look like in the future, Oltmer continues, adding: “This is not a discussion that one can always have in a relatively nice way in one’s own bubble, but rather a very difficult and painful discussion as well. But there is no alternative to it.”
