Scandinavian Immigration
Sweden, Denmark and Norway
By Justin Anderson, Andrew Gilchrist, Laura Mills and Erin Crowley
Occupations of Scandinavian
Immigrants: Rural
• Many grouped in farming communities in
Minnesota or the Dakotas
– Primarily wheat farmers
• Later branch into dairy, corn, and even tobacco.
– Also work as farm laborers
– Many assimilate easily and rise in society
• Become prominent community members.
Occupations of Scandinavian
Immigrants: Urban
• Many Swedes come to America as skilled
laborers
– Easily assimilated and comparatively well educated,
quickly rise to skilled occupations and white collar
jobs.
• Most worked in wood and metal work and construction.
• Danes and Norwegians often went into shipping or fishing
industries.
– Example: Walter Lindstrom from Sweden 1913
• Begins work in America as a farm laborer in Minnesota but
after taking evening studies, rises to private ownership of
construction company.
Customs brought to America
• Quickly assimilated, lose culture faster than other ethnic
groups.
• Foods
– Most Scandinavian food relatively plain
• Based on fish and game meat.
– American adoptions: Danish pastries, Swedish meatballs,
smorgasbord.
• Holidays and Festivals
– Norsk Hostfest (Every October)
• Largest Scandinavian festival in the U.S.
– St. Lucia’s Day, 13th of December
• “Lucy Bride”
• Celebration of light
– Celebrated widely in Minnesota and cities such as Chicago.
Customs Continued
• Education and Religion
– Lutheran
– Want to preserve culture: many universities
• Swedish: Augustana Synod
• Norwegian: St Olaf’s.
• Other contributions by Scandinavian immigrants
–
–
–
–
Cream separator
Walgreen’s
Greyhound Bus Line
IKEA!
Norway
•
Slightly larger than New Mexico
•
Temperate and polar weather conditions
•
Population (1900): 2,218,000
Sweden
•
Slightly larger than California
•
Temperate and sub-arctic climate
•
Population (1900): 5,100,000
Denmark
•
Slightly less than twice the size of
Massachusetts
•
Temperate climate
•
Population (1900): 2,430,000
Scandinavia: A Profile
-The majority of
immigration from
Norway, Swedish, and
Danish occurred
between 1860 and 1890.
-Many of the
immigrants had been
farmers in the old
country.
-This lead to many of
the immigrants
moving West in
search of cheap
farmland.
- Those who did not
enter farming became
laborers in cities such
as St. Paul,
Minneapolis, and New
York.
Reasons for Immigration
And
Expectations
Danish
• Agriculture and
Industrial
development.
• Population increase
• Search for religious
freedom (Danish
Mormons)
• They would receive
land.
– The Homestead Act
• They would be able to
get jobs.
– Many worked as rural
laborers and domestic
and industrial workers.
Norwegians
• Strict social structure
– Limited suffrage
– Status ascribed
• Population increase
– Not at war
– The success of the potato
– vaccinations
• Limited food supply
– 3-4% of the land was unable
to be tilled.
– Crop failures
• Limited land
– Population boom
• Overcrowding in the cities.
– Industrialization
• Wealth and prosperity
– Farming/different crops
– Public schools
– The Homestead Act
• Greater Freedoms
– Religious freedoms
• They were encouraged by
letters sent back from relatives
in the United States.
– Illiteracy was uncommon in
Norway due to a compulsory
education law.
– Prosperity in the letters were
often exagerated.
Swedish
• Very little land
– Due to a population increase
land was divided much more.
• Religious persecution
– The Church of Sweden
(Lutheran) was very strict.
• Few political freedoms
– The right to vote was based
on the amount of land one
had.
• The lower classes and the
laborers were excluded.
– There was no freedom of
speech, the press, or
assembly.
– Young men were required to
spend 3 months in military
training.
More fertile land
the Homestead Act
timberlands
More work
labor work  the railroads
Religious freedom
More rights
The opportunity to vote
In many states one could
vote once they were
naturalized and 21.
Social mobility.
Hannah Olsen
-Great Great Grandmother of Justin Anderson.
-Lived in the village of Vilshute, Sweden in the second half of the
19th century.
-Hannah lived in a family of poor farmers.
-Her older sister in Nebraska sent back enough money for two
tickets to America.
-At age 14 in the mid 1880s Hannah emigrated with her brother,
age 11 (did not come through Ellis Island).
-Worked in New York for four months, eventually moving to
Nebraska to meet her sister.
-Met John Albert Anderson and got married.
John Albert Anderson
-Great Great Grandfather of Justin “Dubya” Anderson.
-Family was moderately well off in Sweden- Ran a brewery.
-Emigrated with his entire family to the United States in 1882
-Moved immediately to Nebraska.
-Met Hannah Olsen, had seven children.
-Made money for his family through the Railroads in Nebraska.
-The oldest son was Clarence (JUSTIN’S GREAT
GRANDFATHER)
-He had a son named George. (JUSTIN’S GRANDFATHER!!!)
-He had five children, the youngest son was Jon (JUSTIN’S
DADDY!!)
-He had four children. (THE OLDEST IS JUSTIN!!!)
Famous Scandinavian Immigrants
Jacob Riis
•Immigrated from Denmark to New York City in
1870
•Became a reporter
•Prominent in campaign for workers’ rights
•How the Other Half Lives (below)
Famous Scandinavian Immigrants
•Born in Stockholm
•Immigrated to U.S. to further acting
career in Hollywood
•Winner of 3 Oscars
•Famous movies include
•Casablanca
•Gaslight (won her first Oscar)
Famous Scandinavian Immigrants
Lars Onsager
•Born in Oslo, Norway on November 27, 1903
•Immigrated to U.S. in 1928 to work at John Hopkins
University
•Contacted by U.S. government to help work on
atomic bomb during World War II
•Stayed in America until his death in 1976
Bibliography
Anderson, Eleanor F. Telephone Interview. 29 Jan. 2004.
Daniels, Roger. Coming to America. New York: Harper Collins, 1990.
"Distribution of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Immigrants in the United States." Facts On
File, Inc. American History Online. <www.fofweb.com>.
Hillbrand, Percie V. The Norwegians in America. Minneapolis: Lerner Company, 1967
Hillbrand, Percie V. The Swedes in America. Minneapolis: Lerner Company, 1967
“Immigration: Scandinavians.” 04 June 2002. The Library of Congress. 05 Nov. 2006
<http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/scandinavian.html
"Ingrid Bergman." ABC Clio. ABC-Clio, 2006. American History. 7 Nov. 2006.
"Jacob Riis." ABC-Clio, 2006. American History. 7 Nov. 2006.
Lahmeyer, Jan. "Norway: Country Population." Populstat. 2002. 7 Nov. 2006
<http://www.library.uu.nl/wesp/populstat/Europe/norwayc.htm>.
"Lars Onsager." ABC-Clio, 2006. American History. 7 Nov. 2006.
Lindstrom, Walter. Personal Interview American Mosiac. 1980.
Lipko, Esther. Personal Interview. 1985. (The Oral History Room at the Ellis Island
Bibliography
Madnusson, Linda. “Causes of Swedish Immigration.” ThinkQuest. 15 Aug. 1999. 15 Nov
2006.
http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=7&[aKey=9&1o
Key=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey=.
Morrison, Joan, and Charlotte F. Zabusky. American Mosiac. New York: E.P. Dutton,
1980.
Ohlson, Anna. Personal Interview. American Mosiac. 1980
Raatma, Lucia. Our Cultural Heritage: Swedish Americans. Chanhassen, Minnesota: The
Child’s World, 2003
Riis, Jacob. How the Other Half Lives. Williamstown, Massachusetts: Corner House,
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"Sweden." Britannica. Britannica Online. 7 Nov. 2006
<http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-29873>.
"World Atlas." Facts on File. Facts on File. 7 Nov. 2006.