48ers: German refugees who fled failed democratic revolutions for political freedom in Germany during 1848-49 and settled largely in the Midwest region of America.
Pennsylvania Dutch: Early German settlers primarily from southwestern Germany who settled mainly Pennsylvania; their name is a corruption of "Deutsch," meaning "German" in German language.
Steerage Act (1819): This act regulated the conditions of sea travel for immigrants coming to America, many of whom were Germans at that time.