Final Project

Early Immigration in Minnesota

Introduction

The people who first lived in the modern day Minnesota belonged to Native American tribes and they settled around 6000 BC. The Ojibwe and Dakota people were the largest tribes living in Minnesota when the first Canadian and French merchants arrived. However, widespread immigration into Minnesota began in the mid nineteenth century when settlers from New England and immigrants from Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Germany arrived. These people were drawn by cheap farmland and burgeoning industrial base and these conditions invited more groups into the region. By 1896, election instructions were being issued in nine languages including German, Swedish, Finish and Norwegian. At the turn of the twentieth century, Minnesota became a significant destination for immigrants who were trooping to the United States. The first big wave of immigration into this state took place at the turn of the twentieth century with more than half of the immigrants coming from Scandinavian countries and Germany. By 1905, foreigners accounted for over 40 percent of the population of the state of Minnesota (Nordstrom 78). The second wave of immigration into the state of Minnesota took place during the Vietnam War and this shook the ethnic composition of the state. The resettlement of refugees from south East Asia in Minnesota by Christian organisations completely changed the ethnic mix because initially, Minnesota comprised of the Indigenous Americans, African Americans and western European immigrants. The entry of south East Asians, Latin Americans East Europeans and Africans later in the century completely changed the ethnic outlook of this state.

The Swedes

Though the Swedes started migrating to USA in the mid nineteenth century, they landed in Minnesota in the summative years of the century. Between 1890 and 1900, more than 150, 000 people of Swedish descent landed in Minnesota and this is considered to be the single largest settlement of Swedes in America. The pace of Swedish migration into Minnesota remained high after the turn of the century and their migration subsided in the 1920s. The Swedish who migrated to the state before the turn of the century were agriculturalists who were running away from perennial crop failures in Sweden. They also had a rural profile but the Swedes who immigrated to the state after the turn of the century were mainly city dwellers who were attracted by the rapidly growing industrial economy of the United States of America (Nelson 68). During the first decades of immigration, the Swedish immigrants were old people with families but the second wave of immigration that took place at the turn of the century saw young singles moving into the state. Minnesota was once considered a Swedish state with more than 15 percent of the states population being Swedish in the formative years of the twentieth century. The Swedish were the largest minority group in the state and the second largest group after the Native Americans. More than 30 percent of all the Swedes who migrated to America landed in Minnesota and at one time, the Capital city of this state had the second largest Swedish population after Stockholm.

The Irish

The first Irish groups settled in Minnesota in the mid twentieth century. They were brought by the Catholic Church under the stewardship of Archbishop John Ireland who helped to form the Minnesota Irish immigration society. Ireland had a colonisation scheme that helped to settle the Irish people in good farmlands and within the reach of the Catholic Church. The first major wave of Irish migration into Minnesota took place in the 1880s with most of these immigrants settling in southern Minnesota. The settled along the Minnesota and the Mississippi rivers and by 1890, there were more than 20, 000 Irish immigrants in Minnesota. Though most of the immigrants came through the Irish immigration scheme, some came as railroad workers. The number of Irish Immigrants into this state was low compared to other west European groups such as the Swedish and the Germans. However, they survived and developed favourably in the state as a predominant minority group and managed to make St Paul City and Irish capital.

The Germans

Germans began immigrating to America in the summative years of the eighteenth century when America was still a British colony. They were running away from the oppression caused by the Napoleonic wars. However, the Germans first entered Minnesota in the mid 1850s but their immigration into the state peaked in the 1860s and 1870s. Unlike the Irish who went to the southern regions of the state only, The Germans settled in various places around the state. The highest number of Germans settled in Minnesota just before the turn of the 20^th century. Most Germans settled in Sibley county, Brown county and Wynona. However, the North had more German settlers than the south with New Munich, Benton, Morrison and Wright counties taking the largest numbers of immigrants. Although the Germans settled all over the state, there are some areas where these immigrants were predominant.

The Norwegians

Norwegians started arriving in United States of America at the turn of the 19^th century but the never moved to Minnesota until after the end of American Civil War (Fuller, 34). The first Norwegians settled in the Mid- Western states before moving to the west where land was cheap and plenty. After the civil war, many Norwegians moved into the state but it is the US-Dakota war of 1862 that pushed more Norwegians into the Minnesota River valley. The treaty of Traverse Des Sioux saw many people from the native tribe of Dakota leave Minnesota, creating room for increased European settlement.  Just like the Germans, the Norwegians settled all over the state but their first permanent settlement was in the south east. By 1870, there were more than 12, 000 Norwegians in Minnesota but the number had more than doubled by 1880.  At the turn of the century, there were more than 50,000 Norwegians in Minnesota with most of them settling around Lake Superior which created employment for the predominant fishing population. Norwegians had started moving into the cities in the summative years of the nineteenth century with the biggest influx of Norwegians into the cities taking place in at the turn of the century.

* Famous Scandinavian Immigrants
 1-Albert Einstein. Famous for the theory of relativity was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Six weeks later the family moved to Munich. He moved to the US in 1940 and died in 1955.

2-Lars Onsager

•         Born in Oslo, Norway on November 27, 1903

•         Immigrated to U.S. in 1928 to work at John Hopkins University

•         Contacted by U.S. government to help work on atomic bomb during World War II

•         Stayed in America until his death in 1976

3- Ingrid Bergman

•         * Born in Stockholm

•         Immigrated to U.S. to further acting career in Hollywood

•         Winner of 3 Oscars

•         Famous movies include

•         Casablanca

•         Gaslight (won her first Oscar)

In conclusion:

These early migrations into the state of Minnesota made the state a very unique state. There is not other state in America where the migrant population is higher than the native population. Over the decades, foreign born population has risen dramatically outpacing the rate of national growth of foreign population. In the formative years of the twentieth century, there was no specific language that could be spoken by al the people of Minnesota due to the significant ethnic diversity .As stated earlier, in the last three elections of the nineteenth century; instructions were issued in eight different languages to accommodate all the migrant populations in the state. This was the most unique case in the history of America. Early migrations in Minnesota have made the state to stand out as one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse states in United States of America. Due to these early migrations, Minnesota currently has the largest concentration of western European citizens with Swedes and Germans being the most predominant west European groups in the state of Minnesota.  It is worth noting that these immigrations took place immediately after the agrarian revolution and deep into the industrial revolution and the cheap and plenty land in Minnesota was one of the factors that encouraged migrants into the state. It is also important to note that most of these immigrants did not arrive from their home countries directly. They would settle in other parts of America then move towards the west in search of cheap land for agrarian purposes. The largest waves of migration into the state of Minnesota took place at the turn of the twentieth century but the migrations slowed down in the 1920s. Most people from Western Europe had settled in Minnesota by 1920 and most of the immigrants that settled there after the great depression and before the Second World War were people from south East Asia and immigrants from West Africa. All in all, the study of immigration in America cannot be complete without the study of early immigration into the state of Minnesota which attracted migrants from many parts of North western, Western and Eastern Europe.

Works Cited

1-      Fuller, Howard. The Scandinavians in America, 986-1970: A Chronology and Fact Book. Dobbs Ferry, New York: Oceana Publications, Inc, 1972.

2-      Nelson, Helge. The Swedes and the Swedish Settlements in North America. Lund: The Royal Society of Letters, 1943. Reprint, New York: Arno Press, 1979.

3-      Nordstrom, Byron. Early Immigrants in Minnesota. Minneapolis: T.S. Denison and Company, Inc., 1976.

4-      Filet Minnesota. Irish history in Minnesota, 2005.Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

5-      German Immigration. German immigration, 2010.Web. 15 Nov. 

6-      The Advocates for Human Rights. The facts: Immigration in Minnesota, 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

7-      http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/27/midday1/

8-      Madnusson, Linda. “Causes of Swedish Immigration.” ThinkQuest. 15 Aug. 1999. 15 Nov    2006.

9-      "Sweden." Britannica. Britannica Online. 7 Nov. 2006   <http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-29873>.

10-  “Immigration: Scandinavians.” 04 June 2002. The Library of Congress. 05 Nov. 2006

     <http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/scandinavian.html

 

Outline for final project

Early immigration in Minnesota

Introduction:  The first peoples living in the region now known as Minnesota were members of diverse Native American tribes who settled in the area as long ago as 6000 B.C. The Ojibwa and Dakota, are the largest tribes living in Minnesota in the early and mid-nineteenth century, both had well-established societies based on hunting and gathering when the first French and French Canadian traders arrived to establish fur posts among them.

Body

1-By 1850, many settlers from New England as well as immigrants from Norway, Sweden, Ireland, and Germany had settled in Minnesota. Drawn by the lure of inexpensive farmland and a growing industrial base, diverse groups continued to migrate to Minnesota.

2- By 1896, official election instructions were being issued in nine languages: English, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, French, Czech, Italian, and Polish.

3- Minnesota became a significant immigration state as a result of the wave of immigration to the United States at the turn of the century.

4- While the foreign-born population in the United States was only 15% in the 1890s, the foreign-born population for Minnesota was 40%.

5- Another wave of immigration to Minnesota, which began after the Vietnam War, marked a change in the ethnic makeup of Minnesota’s immigrant populations. This wave peaked in the 1980s when hundreds of refugees from Southeast Asia, aided by local churches, were resettled in Minnesota communities. Minnesota’s ethnic mix— originally comprised of Native Americans, African Americans, and immigrants from diverse Western European countries—was further enriched by new populations primarily from Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

In conclusion: There are always reasons for immigrants such as war, hunger, and finding new life style.

My final project

In my final project I decided to write about “early immigration in Minnesota”. When I came to the  US, Minnesota is the first state I lived in and I’m interesting to know about the state history. Also, to find out where did the native people go after the migrants came?

The winner for third Interview

The winner for third Interview

After reading the 3^rd interview for all my classmates I chose Hailey, Eder to be my winner for the 3^rd interview. The reasons I chose her to be my winner because, she covered all the fourth elements and parameters. Firstly, in the interview she describes the preparation of her interview following with the description of how the interview was conducted and how easy it was for her to conduct the interviewee. She presents the facts and wrote a report about the country (Saudi Arabia) in a very meaningful way. I can actually see from the writing how Saudi Arabia would look like. She explains the culture and different information about Saudi Arabia in the country report. She also, mentions the work cites at the end of her post. Secondly, the interview transcripts, she took with me as an interviewee. In my opinion she conducted me very well. She has all the core questions that she had to put through the interview. Moreover, her document is well prepared which shows that really put effort in her work. I think some of the places of her interview had specific information about the culture which means she really asked the interviewee indeed questions. The part I liked mostly about her interview is that when I read her first interview, it seemed that she didn’t put much effort but, the 3^rd interview looks really good for me. Thirdly, she mentions in her interview the objectives and what she learned from her interviewee. She asked me too many good questions that I did not expect. Such as “Do the bride and groom kiss at the end?” I said that because I am from Saudi Arabia and I really surprised when she asked me that. Her question is kind for specific and no body from outside the country can think about this question. Finally, her interview had all the components that were needed for the perfect interview.

Third Interview result

click here

The winner for 2nd interview

The winner for 2^nd interview

        

After reading the 2^nd interview for all my classmates I chose Schleif, Emily to be my winner for the 2^nd interview. The reasons why is she the winner because, she covered all the fourth elements and parameters. Firstly, in the interview she describes the preparation of her interview following with the description of how the interview was conducted and how easy it was for her to conduct the interviewee. She presents the facts and wrote a report about the country (Saudi Arabia) in a very meaningful way. I can actually see from the writing how Saudi Arabia would look like. She explains the culture and different information about Saudi Arabia in the country report. She also, mentions the work cites at the end of her post. Secondly, the interview transcripts, she took with her interviewee Mutaz Aljuligum. In my opinion she conducted the interviewee very well. She has all the core questions that she had to put through the interview. Moreover, her document is well prepared which shows that really put effort in her work. I think some of the places of her interview had specific information about the culture which means she really asked the interviewee indeed questions. The part I liked mostly about her interview is that when I read her first interview, it seemed that she didn’t put much effort but, the 2^nd interview looks really good for me. Thirdly, she mentions in her interview the objectives and what she learned from her interviewee. Also I noticed I her country report that she did good research about Saudi Arabia. I said that because I am from Saudi Arabia and I really surprised when I read the country report because she wrote about some information that not showing easily to anyone. Such as ‘Riyadh means “garden” in the official language Arabic. The capital city alone has an estimated population ‘That means she did really good job. Finally, her interview had all the components that were needed for the perfect interview

2nd interview result

link for the 2nd interview result

Third Interview

Interview

Interviewer: Mohammed

Interviewee: My Quach :

 Location: Caribou cafe

Date: 11/19/2010

1- The interview Transcript:

Mohammed: Hi. My name is Mohammed.

My Quach : Hi. My name is My

Mohammed: Thank-you for the chance you gave me to interview you and I really appreciate it. It took long time to meet you. It seems you busy all the time. So, how was your class today?

My Quach You know I have 5 classes this semester which means 16 credits, and it’s really hard for to get even rest. However, I apologise for let you wait all these days.  

Mohammed: So, which class are you taking?

My Quach : ELS class, Math 070, PH194, Fitness and  health promotion class.

Mohammed: So, what’s your major?

My Quach : Mine, is finance , but I really don’t like it.

Mohammed: Why?

My Quach : Well I knew that finance has good opportunity in the future, but companies don’t pay a lot for finance in my country.

Mohammed: Well which major you want to change to?

My Quach : Marketing.

Mohammed: why?

My Quach : nowadays in my country there are a lot of companies want to open new shopping malls in Vietnam , because of the economic in my country getting high compare it with past years.

Mohammed: Oh! That makes sense! So, is this why you came from Vietnam, to Saint Cloud, to the United States?

My Quach : Yes.

Mohammed: So, how long have you been here?

My Quach : 1.5 years. It’s actually, 2 semesters.

Mohammed: So, how long are you planning to stay here?

My Quach : I plan to graduate her and do my mater too.

Mohammed: Oh! That’s great.

My Quach : Hopefully.

Mohammed: Hopefully.

My Quach : And after that, I plan to find job .

Mohammed: Job? Where? Here?

My Quach : I’m not sure because, I’m still not sure if I want to  get Job or Masters in Public Health because that’s what I want to study.

Mohammed: Do you want to start with our interview questions?

My Quach : Sure!

Mohammed: First of all, you have mentioned to me about your major, and before we start, could you tell me about yourself and your family.

My Quach : My family consists of 4 members. I have 1 brother and a sister. My older sister is married, is a proud mother of a 2 year old son and will soon be a mother for the second time. We hail from the South Vietnam, very peaceful place situated amidst the exotic greenery and thrilling waterfalls.

Mohammed: Sounds awesome. So, do you live in the same house as your family?

My Quach : Yes, I do. But my older sister and his small family live with her husband house.

Mohammed: Is this your culture to live all together?

My Quach : Yes, it’s my culture to live all together.

Mohammed: Oh! It’s the same with my culture as well.

My Quach : Nice.

Mohammed: So, how about the girls in your country? Is it mandatory for me to live with their husband and husband’s family, once they are married off?

My Quach : Well, in Vietnam, once a girl is married off, it’s our tradition for the girl to leave her parents’ house and go and live with her husband. But these days, with every country becoming more modernized, there are few families that allow having their daughter and son-in-law live with them instead.

Mohammed: Okay. My next question is do you have a religion?

My Quach : Yes, we do.

Mohammed: What is it?

My Quach : I am a Buddhist, so is my family and so are the majority of Vietnam. On the contrary, we have few percentages of people who are Muslims and Atheists.

Mohammed: So, you are from Vietnam, can you tell me a little bit about Vietnam?

My Quach : Vietnam is an S shaped country, situated in the South East Asia, neighboured by Laos and Thailand. The majority landscape of Vietnam is hills and forests, hence bringing in the wild life, I would say.

Mohammed: Nice. So, my next question is what are the most common sports that people play in Vietnam?

My Quach : In Vietnam, we play all the games, comprising of volleyball, soccer, tennis, badminton, swimming and basketball.

Mohammed: Oh! That sounds great. My next question is how did you involve with the new culture?

My Quach : At the beginning, it was really difficult. Being so far away from home, I missed the food and my family the most. Also the lifestyle back home totally different than here.

Mohammed: Same here. What are some of the difficulties you have faced while in the US and how have you dealt with them?

My Quach : Coming to a totally new place, with vast differences between the living styles back home and where I am now, was totally a big change. I would say, the difficulties that I faced the most, was not being able to have my family here with me. You are always in need of your motherly support and your fatherly advices when you need them, and while being here, I missed those the most. However, as time flew, I got around with people and I’ve been well settled here.

Mohammed: That’s good to hear. My next question is what are the differences between the education systems here in the US and your country?

My Quach : In the secondary education, I have seen a lot of freedom in the US education system. For an example, back home, it was mandatory for us to study all subjects and we were given little choices whereas, in the high schools, children are given many choices. On the contrary, in the college systems in Vietnam was in such a way that if you were studying a particular subject like medicine, you were to concentrate and take classes only medicine. Meanwhile, the US College systems is broad in such a way that it is mandatory for all students to fulfil the 10 cores of the University requirements and I prefer this way, because it educates us more, enabling us to study subjects that later may be of help.

Mohammed: That’s true! Thank you so much My Quach :, for giving me the time and the chance to interview you again. It was my pleasure to have you as my interviewee.

My Quach : I’m happy to be of help! Thank you.

2-Preparations for the interview

Describe the preparations.

My preparations for this interview were good.  I used the same questions for my interviewee.  I went to my friend house to get a recorder for the interview because my camera sound not clears enough.  I double checked to see if the recorder works well.  After I finished with all of this, I went and prepared myself by practicing the interview questions again.

How did you approach people?

After I met my second interview with Minguyer; she introduced me to My and some of her friends.  I told her that I wanted to interview a man instead of a woman. But she said that, she do not know a Vietnamese boys here in St. Cloud.  I already interviewed two girls, so I wanted a guy’s perspective and view of things.  After she told me that, I have no other ideas and I told her hock me up with your friend.  She gave me her phone number and I called her and told her about my English class.  She had agreed to meet with me.  It was on a Friday night when I met my interviewee.

When, where, and how did you conduct and record the interview?

I conducted the interview in Caribou Café on the last day of the week, when s he and I were free.  I invited her for a coffee and cookies.  I made sure the place was quiet, so the recorder can record us well.  She came early for the interview. 

Whom did you interview?

I interview My Quach.  She’s a new student in St. Cloud State University this semester is the second for her.  She joins a lot of club on campus, such as Women club and CSA (China Student Association). I asked her why you a member of CSA while you from Vietnam. She said that her generation from China and her parents can speak Mandarin very well. She will be graduating after 2.5 year.  Her major is Finance.  

3. Describe the interview. What did surprise you?

This interview was very nice.  I enjoyed it a lot.  My Quach was such a wonderful person.  She knows many things about her culture.  I learned what kinds of food she likes eating and learning about all the clubs she’s in.  She’s so educated and loves learning about Finance and Marketing.  She likes to read story a lot, which made her English is good and easy for me to understand her.  She smiled a lot.  I didn’t think s he was going to tell me as much information from the beginning, but she was honest and shared a lot of important information with me.

4- Country report

Vietnam

Vietnam is among the most stunning nations situated within the South East Asia. Its capital city is Hanoi. According to Dirk (2004, p. 34), Vietnam has a total area of 329,560 square kilometers, and its typical time zone is UTC/GMT +7 hours. Into the North, the country divides up the extended borderline with China. In the South West, Vietnam is bounded by the Gulf of Thailand, in the East by the Gulf of Tonkin, by Laos and Cambodia in the West, and by South China Sea in the East and South. Vietnam has an exclusive shape of a stretched out S together with an elongated coastline of 2,140 miles with numerous amazing sites.

History      

The history of Viet Nam began 2,700 years ago. It served as a state ruled first by China, then followed by Mongolians and finally, undertaken by French. It got its independence from the French on September 2, 1945. However, Viet Nam was separated into North and South and unfortunately, led to the Viet Nam War.  The North side ended up winning the internal war.

Demographics

            The results of the 2001 “Survey on Population Dynamics and Family Planning” (Dirk, 2004) indicate that Vietnam is 3^rd very populous state within Southeast Asia and the 14^th very populous of more than 200 territories and nations in the world. In 2001 the total population was 78.7 million people, but in 2009 the population was over 85.8 million people. The swift population increase is not only as a result of the hard work of poverty cutback and hunger eradication at the local and national level but also on individuals at the family level. The entire fertility rate is 1.87 children born per a woman. According to Sharmar (2001), the country’s birth rate is rather high, 16.47 births per two populations. On the other hand, the death rate goes up to 6.18 deaths per 1000 population. In a total of 71.33 year, her life expectancy on birth, male can live up to 68.52 years whereas female upto74.33 years. Vietnamese administration identifies over 54 ethnic groups in which the “Viet” group is the leading with 85.8% of the whole population. Viet are concentrated in the coastal plains and alluvial deltas. Vietnam people mainly speak the so-called Vietnamese; all the same there are other languages such as Chinese, Tay, Khmer, Nung and Muong.

Topography

            Vietnam is mainly made up of hills as well as mountains that are densely forested. In essence, a large percentage of her population lives on level ground which is only 20%: out of 40% of her 331,688 Km² is mountainous, while the other 40% is hills. Just about 25% of the total land is under cultivation. The fraction may seem small, but with the use of bio-technology the agriculture sector is able to produce enough food for the country’s population. Back in history, forest occupied 75% of the country, nevertheless during the Vietnam War the US Army cleared most forests and the figure reduced to 23% in the year 1980 (Sharma, 2001, p. 6). Currently, plans programs are underway to put back at least 5m hectares. Up to now, 0.6m ha is already reforested. The following diagram illustrates a portion of the mountains in Vietnam.

Government and politics

            The Communalist Republic if Vietnam comprises of a single-party state. In 1992 precisely in April a different state constitution was officially approved therefore taking the place of the 1975 edition. The key function of the “Communist Party of Vietnam” (Zirk, 2005) was later on reasserted in every organ of politics, society and government. During contest election, only political groups united with the Communist party are allowed to take part. They include trade and worker unionist parties and the “Vietnamese Father Front.” Like any other nation, Vietnam is headed by a president who is also the “Commander in Chief of the Military of Vietnam” He or she is also expected to chair the “Council on National Defense and Security.” Currently, Vietnam has a prime minister called Nguyen Tan Dung who is the top of the government, supervising over a committee of ministers comprising of three delegate prime ministers together with 26 commissions and ministries.

International relation

            At present Vietnam has her own foreign policy. The policy is of diversification and openness as well as multi-lateralization of foreign relation. Also, it talks about actively and proactively engaging in oversea economic corporation which intensifies foreign togetherness in other fields. In reality, Vietnam is an associate and reliable colleague of every country within the international community. Actively, she plays a significant role in regional and international cooperation processes.  As of 2007, Vietnam had recognized ambassadorial relations with exactly 172 nations such as the United States. What is more, she embraces relationship of 63 international parties including ASEAN, WTO, United Nations and other 650 non-government parties. In a nut shell, Vietnam has a sound international relation.

            At times an individual may wish to carry out a business in a certain country, say Vietnam. Another person may have plans to visit and explore a country. In such scenarios, it is beneficial for one to have an understanding of the people and geography of the country he or she wants to visit or do business. It is only through a country report that this can be accomplished. Consequently, the above Vietnam report is very significant when it comes to understanding the Republic of Vietnam, her people and environment.

References

Dirk, A. M., Brownlie, A. L., & Bease, D. L. (2004). A study of the countries in the world.          Journal of Vietnam, 9(3), 10-19.

Sharma, P. (2001). The committee for population, family and children of Vietnam.

            New York: Routledge.

Zirk, A. (2005). Global dimming: global isssues,49. Retrieved from             http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:LW4LYcAhidQJ:www.unescap.            org/esid/psis/population/5appc/doc/Vietnam_country_report.doc+vietnam+country+repor            t&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke&client=firefox-a

Objectives:

1.    Learn a little bit about Vietnam.

2.    How people live in their country and what they usually do beside their jobs.

3.    Learn about their families and how they treat elderly people

4.    Learn more about marriage/dating and when people start dating.

5.    Traditions in their country.

6- Compare the similarities and differences between Vietnam and the United State in areas such as education, culture and lifestyle.