NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY

NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY

October 6 is National German-American Day in the United States to celebrate the German heritage millions of Americans claim in our country.

#GermanAmericanDay

This German-American heritage holiday commemorates the 13 immigrant German Mennonite families from Krefeld who landed in Philadelphia on October 6, 1683. These families established the first German settlement in the original thirteen colonies. They named it Germantown.

CELEBRATE GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY

Celebrate your German-American heritage. Invite friends and family to taste the foods and customs of Germany. Share the language. Discover words the English language adopted from German. Explore the history of immigration by visiting museums near you. Use #GermanAmericanDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY HISTORY

National German-American Day was initially celebrated in the nineteenth century. However, it fell out of favor during World War I.

Then in the 1980s, things began to change. As is tradition, President Ronald Reagan made his world tour in 1982, which included West Germany. Amid a cold war and a divided Germany, the newly elected U.S. President spoke to the people of Bonn. He opened his speech by relating the history of the 13 German families who founded a colony on American soil. He spoke of contributions, advancement, science, and art and the honor to celebrate the German heritage that more than 7 million Americans claim.

The noblest objective of our diplomacy is the patient and difficult task of reconciling our adversaries to peace.
And I know we all look forward to the day when the only industry of war will be the research of historians.

Ronald Reagan, June 9, 1982, Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 6th as German-American Day to honor the 300th anniversary of German-American immigration and culture into the United States. It was on August 6, 1987, that Congress approved S.I. Resolution 108, designating October 6, 1987, as German-American Day. It became Public Law 100-104 on August 18 when President Reagan signed it. He issued Proclamation #5719 on October 2, 1987, and at this time, the President called on Americans to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. It has been commemorated each year since with Presidential Proclamations.