- Turners
"Turners" ( _de. Turner, gymnasts in English) are
German-American gymnastic clubs. A German gymnastic movement was started by "Turnvater" ("turners' father")Friedrich Ludwig Jahn in the early 19th century when Germany was occupied byNapoleon . The "Turnvereine" ("gymnastic unions") were not only athletic, but also political, reflecting their origin in similar "nationalistic gymnastic" organizations in Europe. After the failed Revolution of 1848, many Turners left Germany, some of whom were politicians and soldiers known asForty-Eighters . Eventually the German movement was involved in in the process leading to German unification.History in the USA
The Turnvereine made an important contribution to the integration of German-Americans into their new home. The organizations continue to exist in areas of heavy German immigration, such as
Texas ,Wisconsin ,Indiana ,Ohio ,Missouri ,Kentucky ,New York City , andLos Angeles .Together with
Carl Schurz , the American Turners were supportive of the election ofAbraham Lincoln asPresident of the United States of America . They provided the bodyguard at his inauguration4 March ,1861 and at his funeral in April, 1865.As with other
German-American groups, the American Turners suffered discrimination during World War I.In
1948 theUnited States Post Office issued a 3-centcommemorative stamp marking the 100th anniversary of the movement.The current headquarters of The American Turners is in
Louisville, Kentucky .ee also
*
German-Americans in the Civil War External links
* [http://www.americanturners.com/ Website of the American Turners]
* [http://www.americanturners.com/history.htm History of the American Turners By Henry Metzner]
* [http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/TurnerTopic/ American Turner Topics newsletter]
* [http://www.LATurners.com/ Website of the Los Angeles Turners with history, photos, newsletters, and links to other Turners Organizations]
* [http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/Damenverein/ Damenverein (Indianapolis, Ind.) photos]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.