Building a Civil Society in San Francisco: the German Contribution, 1850 to World War I

German speakers were the second largest ethnic group to make their home in San Francisco and the Bay Area beginning with the Gold Rush. They came from separate political entities that became, in 1871, part of a united Germany. A number of these early German arrivals had left Germany as a result of the failed revolution of 1848. They saw no future for themselves in Germany after the failure of the democratic movement. They tended to be highly educated professionals who brought their expertise and considerable leadership skills to their new country. Some of these immigrants became highly respected leaders of the German community in the city in which they made a new home. Who were those early German-speaking arrivals and what did they contribute to the emerging city by the Bay? How did they make a living in the early chaotic and often lawless city? It is a compelling story that took a dramatic turn with the start of World War I.