>>7062854>It was a culture that was stolen from me by anti-German legislation in the 18th and 19th centuries in AmericaAnon, times have changed. I'm in the same boat in terms of heritage, including German immigrants who eventually discarded their German language. It's assimilation, and it's fine.
'Rediscovering roots' too often becomes a project of identity-masturbation. If you want to learn about German culture, I would advise against attempting to recover some fictive, idealized German culture of the 18th and 19th centuries - or of a 'pure German' culture in the country that is mystically separated from their immigration.
This 'German culture' wasn't really stolen from you. You're talking about cultural changes that happened well over 200-300 years ago in the story of your heritage. Even in my family, where German wasn't spoken after the first world war, a huge amount of the pressure came about simply because English was the more useful language.
Additionally the immigration was not 'forced on' the German people. They voted for it, and they've both benefited and suffered in some degrees. How do you think they managed to be the strongest economy in Europe after a depopulating war, while other peers stagnated? When they don't want to handle newer migrations, they will vote to change it too.
Ignoring both of these facts separates you from the reality of how everyday Germans live today - and it's that understanding that might highlight what elements of your American cultural identity are actually substantive.
With all of that said, German culture overall and in the time period you mention is extraordinarily rich. I would recommend, in particular, Goethe, Hesse, and Mann's works.
