Scandinavian ImmigrationSweden, Denmark and Norway

By Justin Anderson, Andrew Gilchrist, Laura Mills and Erin Crowley

Occupations of Scandinavian Immigrants: Rural

• Many grouped in farming communities in Minnesota or the Dakotas– Primarily wheat farmers

• Later branch into dairy, corn, and even tobacco.

– Also work as farm laborers– Many assimilate easily and rise in society

• Become prominent community members.

Occupations of Scandinavian Immigrants: Urban

• Many Swedes come to America as skilled laborers– Easily assimilated and comparatively well educated,

quickly rise to skilled occupations and white collar jobs.

• Most worked in wood and metal work and construction.• Danes and Norwegians often went into shipping or fishing

industries.

– Example: Walter Lindstrom from Sweden 1913• Begins work in America as a farm laborer in Minnesota but

after taking evening studies, rises to private ownership of construction company.

Customs brought to America

• Quickly assimilated, lose culture faster than other ethnic groups.

• Foods– Most Scandinavian food relatively plain

• Based on fish and game meat. – American adoptions: Danish pastries, Swedish meatballs,

smorgasbord.

• Holidays and Festivals– Norsk Hostfest (Every October)

• Largest Scandinavian festival in the U.S.– St. Lucia’s Day, 13th of December

• “Lucy Bride”• Celebration of light

– Celebrated widely in Minnesota and cities such as Chicago.

Customs Continued

• Education and Religion– Lutheran– Want to preserve culture: many universities

• Swedish: Augustana Synod• Norwegian: St Olaf’s.

• Other contributions by Scandinavian immigrants– Cream separator– Walgreen’s– Greyhound Bus Line– IKEA!

Norway

• Slightly larger than New Mexico

• Temperate and polar weather conditions

• Population (1900): 2,218,000

Sweden

• Slightly larger than California

• Temperate and sub-arctic climate

• Population (1900): 5,100,000

Denmark

• Slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

• Temperate climate

• Population (1900): 2,430,000

Scandinavia: A Profile

-The majority of immigration from Norway, Swedish, and Danish occurred between 1860 and 1890.-Many of the immigrants had been farmers in the old country.-This lead to many of the immigrants moving West in search of cheap farmland.- Those who did not enter farming became laborers in cities such as St. Paul, Minneapolis, and New York.

Reasons for ImmigrationAnd

Expectations

Danish

• Agriculture and Industrial development.

• Population increase• Search for religious

freedom (Danish Mormons)

• They would receive land.– The Homestead Act

• They would be able to get jobs.– Many worked as rural

laborers and domestic and industrial workers.

Norwegians• Strict social structure

– Limited suffrage– Status ascribed

• Population increase– Not at war– The success of the potato– vaccinations

• Limited food supply– 3-4% of the land was unable

to be tilled.– Crop failures

• Limited land– Population boom

• Overcrowding in the cities.– Industrialization

• Wealth and prosperity– Farming/different crops– Public schools– The Homestead Act

• Greater Freedoms– Religious freedoms

• They were encouraged by letters sent back from relatives in the United States.– Illiteracy was uncommon in

Norway due to a compulsory education law.

– Prosperity in the letters were often exagerated.

Swedish• Very little land

– Due to a population increase land was divided much more.

• Religious persecution– The Church of Sweden

(Lutheran) was very strict.• Few political freedoms

– The right to vote was based on the amount of land one had.

• The lower classes and the laborers were excluded.

– There was no freedom of speech, the press, or assembly.

– Young men were required to spend 3 months in military training.

More fertile landthe Homestead Acttimberlands

More worklabor work the railroads

Religious freedom

More rightsThe opportunity to vote

In many states one could vote once they were

naturalized and 21.Social mobility.

Hannah Olsen -Great Great Grandmother of Justin Anderson.

-Lived in the village of Vilshute, Sweden in the second half of the 19th century.

-Hannah lived in a family of poor farmers.

-Her older sister in Nebraska sent back enough money for two tickets to America.

-At age 14 in the mid 1880s Hannah emigrated with her brother, age 11 (did not come through Ellis Island).

-Worked in New York for four months, eventually moving to Nebraska to meet her sister.

-Met John Albert Anderson and got married.

John Albert Anderson

-Great Great Grandfather of Justin “Dubya” Anderson.

-Family was moderately well off in Sweden- Ran a brewery.

-Emigrated with his entire family to the United States in 1882

-Moved immediately to Nebraska.

-Met Hannah Olsen, had seven children.

-Made money for his family through the Railroads in Nebraska.

-The oldest son was Clarence (JUSTIN’S GREAT GRANDFATHER)

-He had a son named George. (JUSTIN’S GRANDFATHER!!!)

-He had five children, the youngest son was Jon (JUSTIN’S DADDY!!)

-He had four children. (THE OLDEST IS JUSTIN!!!)

Famous Scandinavian Immigrants

Jacob Riis•Immigrated from Denmark to New York City in 1870

•Became a reporter

•Prominent in campaign for workers’ rights

•How the Other Half Lives (below)

Famous Scandinavian Immigrants

•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)

Famous Scandinavian Immigrants

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

Bibliography

Anderson, Eleanor F. Telephone Interview. 29 Jan. 2004.

Daniels, Roger. Coming to America. New York: Harper Collins, 1990.

"Distribution of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Immigrants in the United States." Facts On File, Inc. American History Online. <www.fofweb.com>.

Hillbrand, Percie V. The Norwegians in America. Minneapolis: Lerner Company, 1967

Hillbrand, Percie V. The Swedes in America. Minneapolis: Lerner Company, 1967

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

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

"Ingrid Bergman." ABC Clio. ABC-Clio, 2006. American History. 7 Nov. 2006.

"Jacob Riis." ABC-Clio, 2006. American History. 7 Nov. 2006.

Lahmeyer, Jan. "Norway: Country Population." Populstat. 2002. 7 Nov. 2006

<http://www.library.uu.nl/wesp/populstat/Europe/norwayc.htm>.

"Lars Onsager." ABC-Clio, 2006. American History. 7 Nov. 2006.

Lindstrom, Walter. Personal Interview American Mosiac. 1980.

Lipko, Esther. Personal Interview. 1985. (The Oral History Room at the Ellis Island

Bibliography

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

http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=7&[aKey=9&1oKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey=.

Morrison, Joan, and Charlotte F. Zabusky. American Mosiac. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1980.

Ohlson, Anna. Personal Interview. American Mosiac. 1980

Raatma, Lucia. Our Cultural Heritage: Swedish Americans. Chanhassen, Minnesota: The Child’s World, 2003

Riis, Jacob. How the Other Half Lives. Williamstown, Massachusetts: Corner House, 1972.

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

"World Atlas." Facts on File. Facts on File. 7 Nov. 2006.