Anna Maria Klinger’s Letters Home to Germany details the account of a German

immigrant in New York City during the middle of the nineteenth century. She describes to the

reader the hopes and aspirations of an immigrant during that time period. She explains to her

family back home what the emigration process is like. She also makes an attempt to convince

her family back in Germany to immigrate to the Americas. She also explains to the reader what

needs to be done for an immigrant to become successful in America.

Anna Klinger’s first letter describes her journey across the Atlantic Ocean and how she

feels about her new home. She describes how much money that she makes as a worker for a

German family that had achieved a level of prominence. She explains to her family that

someone who speaks the English language can make considerably more money, but that work

can still be found for those that cannot. Her first letter displays her concern that her family

must be worried about her because she has not communicated with them in so long. She

describes New York City to them and explains how the different peoples and races there

interacted without much difficulty. She also attempts to convince her family members,

primarily her brother to move to the United States.

Due to the misfortunes of the people in Europe immigrating to America was an option

for many of them. Anna Klinger was very optimistic about bringing her family members over to

share in her new life. In her second letter she writes “Only the ones who don’t like it here had it

good in Germany.” (Klinger 295) Coming to the United States provided a new life for many

immigrants with opportunities that they had not had access to in their home countries. In one

generation they could establish themselves and become flourishing citizens. Anna like many

immigrants who were doing all right in America began to enter into marriages with people from
their homeland and save up money or seek out alternate means to bring their relatives into the

country.

Letters Home to Germany provides to us a glimpse of what things were like for a new

immigrant that was coming into the country during a period of time when immigration was

highly encouraged. In her letters Anna Maria Klinger laid out a guideline for other people

considering seeking a new life by showing them what they could expect when they came to the

country. Her essay shows us the unique trials that people like her faced and how they dealt

with a brand new life