German Immigration to America - Essay Example

German Immigration to America German Immigration to America Does it appear that, on average, the Neulanders were successful in signing more than one family from a parish? Does it seem that most of them knew each other prior to undertaking the voyage? From the probability distribution of the number of families per parish of German immigrants on board the 1752 voyage of St. Andrew, it could be deduced that there is 0.294 probability that there were more than one family from a parish. It is most likely that they knew each other prior to undertaking the voyage because as case facts revealed, “by registering a group of neighbors, rather than isolated families, the agent increased the likelihood that his signees would not stray to the equally enticing proposals of a competitor” (The Voyage of the St.

Andrew, 2011, p. 370). This fact indicates that as neighbors, there is a high probability that they knew each other prior to undertaking the voyage.2. Do you think that it would be appropriate to estimate the average cost of the voyage from the mean family size? Why or why not? Estimating the average cost needs the cost of the fare multiplied by the quantity (number of people who undertook the voyage). Since the exact number of people were not available, it would be safe to approximate the quantity using the mean family size, which also represents “the mathematical average of all the terms” (Giles-Peter, 2005, par. 2) and therefore would appropriately estimate the average number of family members who undertook the voyage.3. Why is it important to study statistical information from the past such as the information in this Case Study?

What does it tell us about our ancestors? It is important to study statistical information from the past because it provides crucial information that explains historical data, such as the number of Germans who migrated to the United States and the cost of undertaking such journey. It provides vast amounts of information relative to demographic factors, average family size, income level, and way of life, among others. Their willingness to journey to an unknown and unfamiliar place indicated that their way of life in Germany was difficult and they were looking forward to be the promise of a better life in America.

ReferencesGiles-Peter, A. (2005). Statistical mean, median, mode, and range. Retrieved 20 March 2012, from < http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/statistical-mean-median-mode-and-range> Author. (2011). “The Voyage of the St. Andrew.” Book Title. Pearson Education, Inc.