"Pennsylvania Dutch" and "Pennsylvania German" are often used interchangeably to describe the German-speaking immigrants who arrived in Pennsylvania via the Port of Philadelphia from the Palatinate, which includes what is now Germany, particularly the southwest region that includes parts of Switzerland, France, and Austria, generally speaking between the 1700-'s and the 1800's. Most people, even those of Pennsylvania Dutch/German descent, do not realize that there is often a distinction made within the heritage based upon the timeframe of arrival in Pennsylvania related to the nationalization of Germany and itself.
The first ship of settlers from the Palatinate arrived in the Port of Philadelphia in 1683 under the leadership of Francis Daniel Pastorius, and they settled together in Germantown, which is now within the boundaries of Philadelphia. These first settlers were followed by many more shiploads of immigrants seeking to escape religious persecution in what was then the First Reich, the Holy Roman Empire of the German People, and they sought religious freedom offered by William Penn in the colony of Pennsylvania. The German Confederation, was formed in 1815 following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire following Napoleonic Wars in 1806, and the immigration from that region shifted around the time of that dissolution. Immigration from what was considered the Palatinate came to an end around 1808 as the people of Germany began to take shape into a country that eventually became the nation-state of Germany in 1871, which began the Second Reich. After 1806, and especially after 1815, the people of Germany began to have political and cultural affiliation with the forming country. Therefore, when delving into specifics, we say Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants, arrived in Pennsylvania via the Port of Philadelphia between 1683 and 1808, and their descendants identify as Pennsylvania Dutch lineage; whereas immigrants from Germany who arrived in Pennsylvania after 1808 and their descendant are called Pennsylvania German.
"Pennsylvania Dutch" was also the identification given to the first settlers from the Palatinate as a matter of misunderstanding among settlers from other parts of Europe who were already established in Pennsylvania. The German word for "German" being "deutsch" which sounds sounds like the English word "dutch." Another possible reason for the identification of the early settlers as "Pennsylvania Dutch," is the fact that most of the ships who delivered these immigrants to the Port of Philadelphia left from the Dutch port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, so it is possible they were merely associated generally with their port of origin.
No matter when our ancestors emigrated, we all share the same heritage, and we are a tapestry of various microcosmic cultures within the macrocosm of our culture as a whole that makes us Pennsylvania Dutch / German. And of course, when it comes to Braucherei, our folk tradition knows no timeframes and needs no distinction.
by Gretchen Swank; written Monday, November 14, 2022
Sources: Wikipedia. (November 2022). Germany. Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
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