Max Kade Institute Library Search

Use the above window to search all fields. Otherwise, search individual fields below.
Please note: In many of the bibliographic records, MKI has not used umlauts (ä, ö, ü) or the letter ß. Try searching both for umlauts and for ae, oe, or ue, and ss.

FormatBook Chapter
Author, AnalyticSchroeder, Adolf E.
Title, AnalyticTo Missouri, Where the Sun of Freedom Shines: Dream and Reality on the Western Frontier
Author, MonographicMarshall, Howard Wight//Goodrich, James W.
Title, MonographicThe German-American Experience in Missouri
Place of PublicationColumbia, MO
PublisherMissouri Cultural Heritage Center, University of Missouri-Columbia
Date of Publication1986
Location in Work1-24
AbstractIn October of 1824, Gottfried Duden, a German lawyer and civil servant, arrived in Missouri on a mission to find a favorable location in the Far West for the massive emigration which he believed was the only solution to the economic, political and social ills in Germany. He wanted to write a guide that would provide prospective emigrants with the practical and detailed information which he had not found in other books on America. Duden published his Report on a Journey to the Western States of North America and a Stay of Several Years Along the Missouri in 1829. In spite of his efforts to be objective, he evoked a land of limitless opportunity in which the new settler could become quickly established in a benevolent environment, crops would thrive in a fertile soil, family harmony would naturally prevail, and little cash would be necessary to live. Unfortunately for the "Duden Followers" who flocked to Missouri in the 1830s, his experience was somewhat exceptional.Whatever hardships the early settlers endured, they held to the belief that their children and those who followed them would enjoy a better life in the new country. To this extent their American dream was realized as their children prospered and their countrymen joined them in increasing numbers. Their churches, schools, and settlements helped to transform the frontier, and many of the traditions they brought have become an integral part of American cultural and social life. Today in Missouri, almost forty percent of the population has some German ancestry. In some ways Duden's dream has become reality.
Call NumberMKI/SHS F 475 G3 G4 1986
MKI TermsEmigration and immigration (Germany-US)/ German Americans -- Missouri/ Missouri/ Frontier and pioneer life/ Guides