Little known German-American Day is Oct. 6

Nevada Daily Mail

Originally, German-American Day was celebrated in the 19th century. It was revived in 1987 as German-American Day and headed by Drs. Eberhard and Ruth Reichmann of the German Heritage society in Indiana. Thousands of Americans petitioned Congress for this day to proceed.

The U.S. Congress then passed a joint resolution requesting President Ronald Reagan to call on the American people to observe German-American Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

On Oct. 5, 1987, President Ronald Reagan officially proclaimed Ger-man-American Day.

However, the celebration of the day is on Oct. 6, because on that date in 1683, 13 German families from Krefeld, a town near the Rhine river in Germany, started a community coincidentally known as German-town in Pennsylvania.

In 1991, President Bush said "generations of German immigrants and their descendants, have made outstanding contributions to American history and culture. However, the ties that are celebrated today are not only those born of kinship but also those based on common values and aspirations. Indeed, the same love of liberty that led the first German immigrants to these shores continues to animate U.S.-German relations."

Germans were part of the Jamestown settlement of 1608, they participated in the American revolution (on both sides). More Americans claim German ancestry than any other national ancestry, according to the report issued in 2000 by the United States Census bureau. 43 million Americans --15 percent of the responders -- listed German as their primary cultural heritage in 2000. Local census reports for Vernon county find that 23 percent of the residents report German ancestry.

Many Germans were encouraged to immigrate through idealized depiction's of life in the New World. By far most of the immigrants left Germany in search of an improved standard of living, Religious freedom, as did a fear of compulsory service in the Prussian military.

When Germans did arrive they began to settle in areas with others of the same nationality.

The majority of Germans in the 19th century settled in the states of Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, North Dakota and Nebraska.

American society today has changed from that of the early 20th century. Cultural differences are now a thing of pride rather than shame.