German-American Day (German: Deutsch-Amerikanischer Tag) is a holiday in the United States, observed annually on October 6 under Pub. L. 100–104, 101 Stat. 721.[1] It celebrates German-American heritage and commemorates the founding of Germantown, Pennsylvania (now part of Philadelphia), in 1683.
| German-American Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | German-Americans |
| Type | Cultural |
| Date | October 6 |
| Next time | October 6, 2025 |
| Frequency | Annual |
History
editThough the founding of Germantown on October 6, 1683, was to provide the date for German-American Day, most of the first thirteen Quaker and Mennonite families in Germantown were religious refugees of Dutch origin rather than Germans and until 1710 Germantown remained predominantly Dutch.[2][3] The town was nevertheless named Germantown, due to the influence of the leader of the earliest settlers, Francis Daniel Pastorius, who was German and later aligned himself with a group of fifty-four German families who had accompanied Johan Printz to the Swedish settlement on the Delaware several years earlier and had resettled themselves.[4][5] These families subsequently founded Germantown, Pennsylvania, which, due to greater numbers, would subsequently be dominated by Germans within a generation, thanks in part to the efforts of Caspar Wistar.[6]
Observances
editIn 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German-American Day to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Germantown, Pennsylvania, and to celebrate German culture in the United States.[7] On August 6, 1987, Congress approved S.J. Resolution 108, designating October 6, 1987, as German-American Day. It became Pub. L. 100–104, 101 Stat. 721 when President Reagan signed it on August 18. A proclamation (#5719) to this effect was issued on October 2, 1987, by President Reagan in a formal ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, at which time the President called on Americans to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Presidents since then have continued to make proclamations to observe German-American Day.[8][9]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ "STATUTE-101-Pg721" (PDF). United States Government Publishing Office. Washington, D.C.: United States Government. August 18, 1987. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
- ^ van der Sijs, Nicoline (2009). Cookies, Coleslaw, and Stoops: The Influence of Dutch on the North American Languages. Amsterdam University Press. p. 223. ISBN 9789089641243.
- ^ Hull, William I. (1935). William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania. p. 395.
- ^ Keyser, Naaman H.; Kain, C. Henry; Garber, John Palmer; McCann, Horace F. (1907). History of Old Germantown: With a Description of its Settlement and Some Account of its Important Persons, Buildings and Places Connected With its Development. Germantown, Philadelphia: H.F. McCann. p. 20.
- ^ "History of Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ Prof. William I. Hull: William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania.
- ^ Reagan, Ronald (January 19, 1983). "Tricentennial Anniversary Year of German Settlement in America". U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany. Berlin: United States Department of State. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
- ^ "Presidential Proclamation – German-American Day, 2015". whitehouse.gov. October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ "German-American Day, 2017". Federal Register. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. October 6, 2017. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017. Alt URL
Sources
edit- Kazal, Russell A. (2004) [1815]. 'Becoming Old Stock: The Paradox of German-American Identity. Princeton, New York: Princeton University Press. p. 136. ASIN B01FGN7SLO.
External links
edit- German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA in Washington, DC
- German-American National Congress
- Motion picture film of ceremonies held in Hindenburg Park in Los Angeles, California, on German Day, 1936, from the Hoover Institution Archives.