In the 1840s, why did so many German people move to the United States? There was a famine in Germany due to the failure of the potato crop. Political unrest in Germany led to the desire for more freedom. Several religious groups suffered persecution in Germany. War drove many German refugees from their homes.

From the 1830s to the 1860s, more than one and one half million Germans immigrated to United States of America. German immigrantsto America were typically struggling farmers, political refugees, religious refugees, ormen avoiding conscription in the German military. These German immigrants settled throughout the United States, in both urban and rural communities; however, the majority settled in the mid - western states. German immigrants acquired a reputation for being hardworking, thrifty, and law-abiding people. Germans made numerous contributions to American culture, including inventions, traditions, sports and food. The flooding of German immigrants to America was the result of long-term social, religious, and economic changes occurring throughout the German states.