Ethnic Groups and Discrimination
I am a true American; most people would call me Heinz 57, belonging to ethnic groups. My family structure is one composed of many groups, but I have two that stand out the most, Norwegian and Dutch; the rest of me a mixture of English, Irish, Scottish, and probably a few others European groups as well. My grandfather was Norwegian born and immigrated to the United Sates in the 1920’s, while my great-grandmother was born in the United States but 100% Dutch. I want to discuss the Norwegian’s plight to America with you, as it is the culture that I have studied most, and have personal family acquaintances. Modern technology and the Internet are a great resource, I have spoken with family that I did not know existed because of the social site Facebook.
The history of Norwegian Americans is quite interesting and educational; most Americans do not know that Norwegians are known for belonging to the first Europeans to discover North America. Almost five centuries before Columbus discovered America, a Norwegian/Icelander Leiv Eiriksson landed in North America by way of Norse settlements in Greenland. It is believed that the Norwegians from Greenland established the community of Vinland in the area now known as Nova Scotia. It is unknown how far south these settlers explored in North America which has caused a topic of major discussion over the past hundred years among nationalists and historians. Some evidence shows that Norwegians had formed many settlements much farther into the North American mainland than was believed before.
The Norwegian immigration to America after the era of Columbus began in 1825, when a small group of Norwegians sailed from Stavanger, Norway headed for America on the sloop Restauration, which is frequently called the “Norwegian Mayflower.” The emigrants were Lutherans and Quakers fleeing Norway to avoid religious persecution, but it is also believed that some were
Bibliography: Lovoll, O. S. (2000). Norwegian Americans. In Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (2nd ed., Vol. 2). Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None Norwegian-Americans. (n.d.). Norway - the Official Site in the United States. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://www.norway.org/News_and_events/Norway-in-the-US/Norwegian-American-Organizations/Norwegian_Americans/