Adam Fisher WP#3: Country of Origin English 1102, Prof.

Raymond January 28, 2014 Way Back to My Roots: Germany My Fisher familys roots lead back to Germany. However, it has been a long time since my family lived in Germany. It was 1709 when my ancestor Sebastian Fischer arrived in the American colonies after leaving Germany (Knittle). Official if I wished I could go back to Germany, and become a legal citizen and compared to other countries this process is very simple. The law was passed in January 2000 that states a person who has lived in Germany for eight years can apply to be citizen. The only test required is a German proficiency test to ensure that person applying for citizenship can speak German fluently. There is no test about German history or political system that need to be taken in order to gain citizenship (Dray). Although I feel that knowledge of the basic history should be learned if you plan to be a citizen of a country. Some of this history can be told by the German Flag which has kept the same design but been re-introduced several times. The basic design, as seen in the lower left, has three horizontal strips equal in size where the top strip is black, the middle strip is red, and the bottom strip is yellow. The German soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars are where these colors came from. This flag was first introduced in1848 and remained ("Germany's Flag")

Fisher 2 until Bismarck took power in Germany. Once Germany became a republic again in 1919 the reinstated the original flag design. Whenever the Nazis took over the flag was replaced by the Nazi flag. However one the Nazi regime lost power West Germany brought back the original Flag. In 1990 when Germany reunited it was the original flag design that was chosen to be used ("Germany's Flag"). Along with its flag the National anthem of Germany has been re-adopted over the years. The basic song has remained the same however the stanza sung as the anthem has changed. Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser is the melody behind the German National Anthem Das Lied der Deutschen. In 1841 the lyrics where added by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben creating the First Anthem which was kept until Bismarck took power. This national Anthem was officially introduced in 1922 by the First president of the German Republic. The first stanza was recognized as the National anthem during the Nazi era. After the end of World War II, West Germany took and used the third stanza of this song as the official National Anthem of Germany(Song Lyrics in German and English"). Works Cited Dray, Sarah. "German Citizenship Requirements." EHow. Demand Media, 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. "Germany's Flag." Enchanted Learning. EnchantedLearning.com, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. Knittle, Walter Allen. "The Simmendinger Register." In Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration. Philadelphia: Dorrance & Co., 1937, pp. 291-299. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1982. "Song Lyrics in German and English." German National Anthem. About.com, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.