Use the list below to identify reasons why people left Germany, why some might have stayed behind, why some settled in the USA, or why others returned to Germany. Some reasons will fit more than one category; you may also add items of your own. Give historical examples where possible. Enter the words into the columns of the table (Appendix 19-B).
| a new beginning | war | persecution |
| lack of housing | religion | gold rush |
| unemployment | disappointment | famine |
| primogeniture | freedom | draft |
| poverty | overpopulation | despair |
| crime | exploitation | dreams |
| bondage | suppression | missionary zeal |
| escape from punishment | racial persecution | quality of life |
| system of government | disease | crop failures |
| friends | false hopes | language |
| subdividing land | intolerance | isolation |
| cheap imports | failed harvests | indenture |
| idealism | adventure | violence |
| natural catastrophes | job opportunites | |
| avoidance of military service |
lack of skills |