Viking Magazine - May 2010 - 22

there was tremendous interaction.
In America, news from Norway was
copied from Norwegian newspapers.
After a while, newspapers in Norway
began citing news from newspapers in
America, and Norwegian-American
newspapers circulated widely in Norway.
All the bigger Norwegian-American
newspapers had correspondents in
Norway and reported news from the
home districts of the immigrants from
all parts of the country. It was jokingly
said that people in Norway subscribed
to Norwegian-American newspapers
to find out what was going on in their
own country. No purely American or
Norwegian newspaper could do the
same. Of course, people in Norway
subscribed in order to be informed
about their compatriots in America.
Q Did Norwegian-American newspapers
promote assimilation to the
new land, or did they slow it?
A This has been a discussion among
historians. The thesis of my book is
that [newspapers] did not hinder [assimilation].
Rather, both played out
simultaneously. In the 19th century,
people in these immigrant communities
could live their whole lives and
not learn English. This was the only
source of information they had about
life in America, as well as about the
country they had left behind.
Q Was there a relationship between
the press and the church?
A The Lutheran church dominated
the Norwegian-American press in
its pioneer years. [Clergy] were the
cultural, social, religious and political
leaders in rural communities, where
most Norwegians lived in the 19th
century. This is typical of all immigrant
groups at that time. What was
unique about the Norwegians was
that they were very denominational.
The newspapers were filled with condemnations
[by Lutheran clergy] of
other Lutheran churches. The most
dominant group in these years was the
Norwegian Synod, which was then
the liturgical high church. Even newspapers
that tried to be outside of the
church accepted these statements from
the Lutheran pastors.
We had a very strong secular movement
after 1900 among Norwegian
Americans, and in American society
in general. Of those who came after
1900, many were labor party people.
They had seen strikes in Norway, and
many of them became more secular
and radicalized than immigrants of the
19th century. So, the newspapers after
1900 changed character and became
more secular as well.
Q What role did the press play
as Norwegian immigrants entered
American politics?
A History of the
Norwegian-American Press
July 29,
1847
Nordlyset published in
Muskego, Wis. It heralded
the founding of a vigorous
Norwegian-American
secular press, with
more than 280
newspapers
published
weekly, semiweekly
or daily.
Carl Fredrik Solberg,
publisher and editor
of Emigranten
January 23,
A Those who were engaged in
the press represented the " thin layer
of intellectuals " outside the church.
Office of
1852
Emigranten, the most
important pre-Civil War
newspaper, published
in Inmansville, Wis. The
newspaper's transition
from Democratic to
Republican allegiance
signaled a general
development in the
Norwegian electorate
and exemplified the
heavy political engagement
of pioneer Norwegian-American
newspapers.
June 1,
1866
Skandinaven, published
in Chicago. By 1900, then
published in daily and
semiweekly editions, Skandinaven
had by far outdisIMAGES
COURTESY OF (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): P. 30 ST. OLAF COLLEGE, P. 39 NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, P. 75 NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION,

Viking Magazine - May 2010

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