Hopeful Journeys traces the German migrant groups from their origins to their places of final settlement in the colonies. The immigrants' Old World customs, beliefs, and connections did not entirely disappear as they adapted to life in the colonies; instead, the Germans' past ways helped shape behavior in the New World. Germans settled in rural, ethnic communities where family, village, and religion helped them succeed in the multi-ethnic, capitalist economy of British North America.

This collective strategy carried into the political arena, as the immigrants and their descendants sought to solidify and protect their gains. Fogleman contends that, to a significant degree, the immigrants and their children developed a new ethnic identity: adapting to the strains of migration, settlement, and politicization, they became Americanized without becoming less German.