| English: Although, many English
Anglicans settled in the area as well, the English Quakers
were the dominant group of settlers to inhabit Pennsylvania.
These English immigrants settled heavily in Pennsylvania's
southeastern counties, which became the center of the agricultural
and commercial society.
Germans: Thousands of Germans settled in Pennsylvania,
and by the time of the Revolutionary War they comprised one
third of the population. These German immigrants settled mostly
in the interior counties of Northampton, Berks, Lancaster
and Lehigh. The Germans, coming from a strong farming background,
helped transform the area into one of the richest farming
regions. Germans flocked to Pennsylvania to escape warfare.
The Thirty Years War had ravaged Europe, and for many Germans,
the only way to escape it was to flee to the Colonies. The
Germans brought with them a rich religious tradition. Many
Germans in the 16th and 17th centuries were farmers and led
simple lives. After Martin Luther challenged the Catholic
Church in 1517, he gained large numbers of German supporters,
particularly those who were financially repressed. Many of
these Germans worshipped at home, and were thus called "House
Germans". They valued hard work and piety, and created sects,
named after honored leaders. Some examples of these sects
include the Schwenkfelders, who took their name from Caspar
Schwenkfelder; the Mennonites, who took their name from Menno
Simmons; the Amish, who took their name from Jost Amman; and
the Herrites, who were named after Christian Herr. Seventeenth
century Germany was so chaotic that for many, their only hope
lay in work and prayer. These pietistic religious sects were
very appealing because of the salvation they offered. When
William Penn advertised his colony to the English, German
and Dutch, the German and Dutch Mennonites immediately responded.
Their agent, Francis Pastorius, went to Pennsylvania and was
instrumental in creating Germantown, a colony for the Germans.
Bringing Germans to America soon became a profitable business,
and after 1717 Germans were brought to Pennsylvania in masses.
They created a prosperous farming culture as well as a diverse
Scotch-Irish: From 1717 to the time of the American
Revolution, the Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish) immigrated to the
new world in waves, brought about by severe hardships in Ireland.
In Pennsylvania these Scotch-Irish settlers were mostly frontiersmen
who pushed into the Cumberland Valley region and on into western
parts. By 1776 the Scotch-Irish comprised one quarter of the
population. These were mostly lowland Scots who migrated to
Northern Ireland in the 17th century as part of England's
attempts to strengthen control over Ireland.
Irish: Most accounts of Irish in Pennsylvania are that
of Scotch-Irish, who were Protestant immigrants from the North
of Ireland, but there are accounts of some Irish-Catholics.
Pre-Revolution Irish were most likely servants, and their
presence was evidenced by the number of Irish taverns established
throughout Philadelphia. In 1733, churches began to organize,
which were discretely tucked away into the heart of the city.
Jews: In 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain signed
an order to expel all Jews from Spain. Some of these Jews
converted to Christianity, while others fled to Portugal,
only to be expelled five years later. Some Jews emigrated
to the north of Europe, Italy, Africa and the Ottoman Empire,
and some sailed to the new world to help establish Brazil.
The end of the 15th century witnessed great anti-Semitism
towards Jews, but the Jews found refuge in Poland. As more
and more Jews flocked to Poland it soon became the largest
Jewish community in the world. When the Dutch converted to
Protestantism they soon became an enemy to Spain, and in doing
so, opened their borders to Spanish Jews. As a result, Amsterdam
would developed a Jewish community. In 1630, the Dutch conquered
northern Brazil and allowed Jews to emigrate, leading to the
growth of a small Jewish community in Brazil. In 1654, the
Portuguese won back northern Brazil and gave the Jews three
months to leave. Some of the Jews went back to Holland, the
Dutch West Indies and Dutch Guiana. A small group of Jews
were captured by a Spanish ship shortly after leaving Brazil.
This ship was then captured by a French ship, who dropped
the Jews off in New Amsterdam, becoming the first Jews to
settle in the United States. Other Jews from Brazil would
follow, settling in New Amsterdam, Rhode Island, Jamaica and
the West Indies. In 1648, Poland was in turmoil due to an
uprising, and many Jews were killed. Jews then began moving
west to Holland, then England and finally to America. A significant
Jewish population grew in Pennsylvania, and the first congregation
was established in 1740.
African Americans: The first African Americans in Pennsylvania
were reported to have lived in the Delaware River Valley as
early as 1639 and were enslaved by the Swedes, Dutch and Finns.
In 1684, after the Quakers had arrived, the first slave ship
arrived in Pennsylvania carrying 150 Africans. Slavery in
Pennsylvania was unlike slavery in the south. Instead of plantations,
the slaves were part of the commercial economy working in
agriculture, charcoal-iron, sail making, and as longshoremen,
mariners, street vendors and domestic servants. The years
between 1756 and 1767 marked the onset of the height of slavery
in Philadelphia. The German and Scotch-Irish indentured servants
had dried up, so they turned to black slaves. The use of black
slaves slowed some after 1767 when new batches of indentured
servants were brought to Philadelphia. Opposition to slavery
by both blacks and whites led to a ban on slave importation
as well as the passage of the Gradual Emancipation Act in
Other ethnic groups that populated the state included a small
number of French Hugeunotos, Dutch and Swedes.
University of California, Santa Barbara
© Rickie Lazzerini, All Rights
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