German Immigrants, Race, and Citizenship in the Civil War Era

Download or read book German Immigrants, Race, and Citizenship in the Civil War Era written by Alison Clark Efford and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study of Civil War-era politics explores how German immigrants influenced the rise and fall of white commitment to African-American rights. Intertwining developments in Europe and North America, Alison Clark Efford describes how the presence of naturalized citizens affected the status of former slaves and identifies 1870 as a crucial turning point. That year, the Franco-Prussian War prompted German immigrants to re-evaluate the liberal nationalism underpinning African-American suffrage. Throughout the period, the newcomers' approach to race, ethnicity, gender and political economy shaped American citizenship law.