FAMILY ORIGINS

Madeleine Wells
UWRT 1104-042
APA Format
15 October 2016
Writing Prompt #6

Learning about the history of your family is important for shaping an idea of who you
are, and where you come from. Upon talking with my mother about the history of my family, I
found that her fathers family originally came from Germany. This was of interest to me because
I previously had no clue about my ancestry. Learning where my family came from caused me to
want to learn more about the country of Germany, so that I could get a better idea of the lives
that my ancestors lived.
Germanys national flag is comprised of three equal horizontal bands of black, red, and
gold. These colors have each played important roles in the history of Germany and can be traced
back to the banner of the Holy Roman Emperor in medieval times a black eagle with red claws
and beak on a gold field. The Holy Roman Empire was a German-majority, multi-ethnic empire
in central Europe from its beginning in 962 until it was defeated by Napoleon on August 6, 1806
at the Battle of Austerlitz. In 1933, Nazi Germany came to power and made their party flag, the
Hakenkreuz, the national flag until 1949 when the old black-red-yellow flag was restored
following their defeat in World War II (Germany flag colors 2013).
Deutschlandlied, Germanys national anthem, is sung to a melody by Joseph Hadyn and
is based on a poem by Heinrich Hoffmann con Fallersleben in 1841. Since 1952, only the third
verse of the three-verse poem has been sung. The verse focuses on unity of the country, rights of

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the people, and freedom. I find the principles expressed in Germanys anthem to be similar to
those of the United States national anthem (Deutschlandied 2018).
Germany is a beautiful country, and I would love to visit one day. However, I do not feel
the urge to move there permanently. In the case that I may change my mind one day, I have
looked into the procedure of moving to Germany. I could move to Germany and stay for up to
three months without a Schengen visa. If I wished to stay longer to live or work, I would need to
apply for a residence permit within those three months (Moving to Germany 2016). I think that
it would be interesting to find out more precise information on where my ancestors lived in
Germany, so that I could visit the same area one day and see where I come from. Each time I
delve into my familys past I learn something new about the world and its history as well.

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References

Germany Flag Colors- Germany Flag meaning history. (2013). Retrieved October 15, 2016, from
http://germanyflag.facts.co/germanyflagof/germanyflag.php

Deutschlandlied- German national anthem. (2015). Retrieved October 15, 2016, from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Deutschlandlied

Moving to Germany- Guide to German visas and permits. (2016). Retrieved October 15, 2016,
from www.expatica.com/de/visas-and-permits/Moving-to-Germany-Guide-toGerman-visas-and-permits_102738.html