The Effect of Religion on the Emigration Journey of German to Wisconsin in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries and Parallels with Modern Migration
[Document subtitle]
Emigration was not uncommon in European history, and many citizens did emigrate to other countries for various reasons, but for many this was not an easy journey. One factor that greatly influenced the emigration process in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century was an immigrants’ religion. Many European citizens that were emigrating faced religious persecution, but this only accounts for a small percentage of the reasons for emigration. The main reason was the lack of economic opportunity. For example, the Anabaptists left Germany, and greater Europe, …show more content…
There were certain constituents that emigrants were required to make before becoming a citizen due to the various laws put in place by European governments. These constituents were to try to prevent people from renouncing their former allegiances, which allowed European powers to retain their authority over the former residents. For example, the Syllabus of Errors , a statement issued by the Roman Catholic Church on December 8, 1864, stated that all “children of the Catholic Church” should censure the freedom of religion that the United States constitution provided to its citizens (Bridges 69). This meant the Catholics immigrating to the United States had to grapple with the possibility of being at odds with either their religious leader or the laws of their new country. Becoming a citizen of the United States involved renouncing all former allegiances which presented another conflict for Catholics. This required Catholics to give more consideration towards emigration to the United States than Lutherans or the Protestant emigrants because their ties to the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in Italy. The oath of citizenship would have included their allegiance to the Pope and the Church, henceforth, the more devout Catholics had to consider where their loyalties would lie if they were to emigrate to the United States and how this could affect their moral ability to gain citizenship later. While non-Catholic emigrants did not Have had to worry about this obstacle, those that were living under Prussian rule had to consider the possibility of being charged with perjury if they took the oath of citizenship in the United States. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, Prussia enacted a statute that made emigrants who renounced their allegiance to Prussia to then swear allegiance to another government or country guilty of perjury. It also stated that the
[Document subtitle]
Emigration was not uncommon in European history, and many citizens did emigrate to other countries for various reasons, but for many this was not an easy journey. One factor that greatly influenced the emigration process in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century was an immigrants’ religion. Many European citizens that were emigrating faced religious persecution, but this only accounts for a small percentage of the reasons for emigration. The main reason was the lack of economic opportunity. For example, the Anabaptists left Germany, and greater Europe, …show more content…
There were certain constituents that emigrants were required to make before becoming a citizen due to the various laws put in place by European governments. These constituents were to try to prevent people from renouncing their former allegiances, which allowed European powers to retain their authority over the former residents. For example, the Syllabus of Errors , a statement issued by the Roman Catholic Church on December 8, 1864, stated that all “children of the Catholic Church” should censure the freedom of religion that the United States constitution provided to its citizens (Bridges 69). This meant the Catholics immigrating to the United States had to grapple with the possibility of being at odds with either their religious leader or the laws of their new country. Becoming a citizen of the United States involved renouncing all former allegiances which presented another conflict for Catholics. This required Catholics to give more consideration towards emigration to the United States than Lutherans or the Protestant emigrants because their ties to the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in Italy. The oath of citizenship would have included their allegiance to the Pope and the Church, henceforth, the more devout Catholics had to consider where their loyalties would lie if they were to emigrate to the United States and how this could affect their moral ability to gain citizenship later. While non-Catholic emigrants did not Have had to worry about this obstacle, those that were living under Prussian rule had to consider the possibility of being charged with perjury if they took the oath of citizenship in the United States. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, Prussia enacted a statute that made emigrants who renounced their allegiance to Prussia to then swear allegiance to another government or country guilty of perjury. It also stated that the