Gottfried Duden

Gottfried Duden ( born May 19, 1785 Remscheid, † October 29, 1855 ) was a German doctor, farmer and Justice of the Peace in the U.S. as well as a writer. His experience report was a trigger for the German emigration to North America.

Life

Duden emigrated in 1824 to Baltimore (Maryland, USA), moved from there to St. Louis ( Missouri) and earned sixty English miles west of it located near the confluence of the Missouri River and Mississippi River a farm; today is this place called Dutzow and is located near the city later founded by the German Hermann ( Missouri). He was committed to personally explore the conditions for German settlement movement in the United States. His experience he described in exclusively positive letters held by Germany, who went there from hand to hand.

Duden returned already in 1827 to Germany, where he settled in Bonn and published in 1829 a book entitled "Report on a trip to the western states of North America and spend several years on the Missouri in the years 1824-1827 " ( Elberfeld 1829 ). This book was extremely successful and is considered an important boost to the onset of mass around 1830 German emigration to the United States. The reasons for Duden early return to Germany and the task of his supposedly thriving farm are not known and are not mentioned in his book. The farm consisted mainly of arable land that was farmed by hired assistants; Duden is said to have lived in a small hut at Lake Creek and primarily written. He had no special knowledge about agriculture.

Reception

Duden was around 1830 not the only author of the so-called German exile literature, but he was one of the most famous. From today's perspective, his book is considered by historians embellished and deliberately positively stained depiction of living conditions in the U.S. and especially in Missouri. Its publication was intended not only as a travelogue, but should serve the purpose to induce his countrymen to increased emigration to the USA. Duden was convinced that Germany was overpopulated and the social problems of his time could be solved by emigration. He expresses this view in the preface of his book. Against this background, its report and its tendency is to see. With his work he reached less peasants and workers, but members of the educated classes. One consequence of his propaganda was the establishment of the Giessen Emigration Society, which wanted to build its own German state in northern Missouri; but it remained in the plans for statehood, although actually migrated thousands German with the aim Missouri in the United States.

In the preface to the English translation of Duden's book states: "(... ) a master piece of promotional literature. Duden 's adroit pen wove reality with poetry, experience with dreams, and contrasted the freedom of the forests and democratic institutions in America with the social narrowness and political confusion in Germany. He glorified the routine of pioneer existence (...) "(Eng.: . (...), A masterpiece of propaganda literature Duden pen wove reality with poetry, experiences with dreams and compared the freedom of the forests and of democratic institutions in America with social narrowness and the political confusion in Germany. He glorified the everyday life of pioneer life).