Swedish Exodus

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Southern Illinois University Press Scandinavian Studies / American History “It is a tribute to this admirable survey that one is left at the end wishing for more personal details of the fascinating adventures of these pioneers.” —Times Literary Supplement Swedish Exodus, the first English translation and revision of Lars Ljungmark’s Den Stora Utvandringen, recounts more than a century of Swedish emigration, concentrating on such questions as who came to America, how the character of the emigrants changed with each new wave of emigration, what these people did when they reached their adopted country, and how they gradually became Americanized. Ljungmark’s essential challenge was to capture in a factual account the broad sweep of emigration history. But often he narrows his focus to look closely at those who took part in this mass migration. Through historical records and personal letters , Ljungmark brings many of these people back to life. One young woman, for example, loved her parents but loved America more: “I never expect to speak to you in this life. . . . Your loving daughter unto death.” Like most immigrants, she never expected to return. The story of Swedish immigrants in the United States is the story in miniature of the greatest mass migration in human history, that of 35 million Europeans who left their homes to come to America. It is a human story of interest not only to Swedes but to everyone. Lars Ljungmark received his doctorate and became a docent at Gothenburg University , where he retired as an associate professor of history. His research, begun in 1958 to explore Hans Mattson’s recruitment of Swedes for the state of Minnesota, resulted in the book For Sale—Minnesota. Kermit B. Westerberg was the major translator of From Sweden to America: A History of the Migration, edited by Harald Runblom and Hans Norman. Southern Illinois University Press 1915 University Press Drive Mail Code 6806 Carbondale, IL 62901 www.siu.edu/~siupress Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-8093-2047-9 ISBN 978-0-8093-2047-9 Ljungmark-CDDC.indd 1 9/23/08 3:08:08 PM ...