More than twenty-five million Americans are of German ancestry. This is more than for any other ethic group except the descendants of people from the British Isles, who originally colonized the country and who now number twenty-nine million. Germans are the largest group to immigrate to America. They have played important roles in American history, and not merely because of the their numbers. American industry, education, military defense, eating and recreational patterns all reflect the contributions and influence of German Americans. The very language of the country reflects that influence, in such words as kindergarten, delicatessen, frankfurters, and hamburgers. The Conestoga wagons in which American pioneers first crossed the great prairie were created by Germans. So was the Kentucky rifle of the frontiersman. The Christmas tree was a German tradition that became an American tradition. The leading American optical firm - Bausch and Lomb - was created by Germans, as were all of the leading brands of American beer. Suspension bridges and the cables that hold them were both created by a German-American engineer. Iron, steel, automobiles, pianos, lumber, chocolate bars, and petroleum are among the many products in which American of German ancestry were pioneers and dominant figures.
We can give a few specific names to the generalizations above. The Kentucky Rifle first appeared among the German gunsmiths of the 1740's in Pennsylvania; one of the leaders in developing this technology was Jacob Deckard. Among the many brewers are names like Schlitz, Blatz, Busch, Anheuser, Pabst, and dozens of others. Among the military leaders, we find names like Eisenhower, Schwarzkopf, Zumwalt, and others.
Since Sowell wrote this paragraph in 1980, the number of German-Americans has risen to fifty-one million, according to the Census Bureau.
