singlegermanfemale:Better late than never: German-American Day (Deutsch-Amerikanischer Tag) is a hol
singlegermanfemale:Better late than never: German-American Day (Deutsch-Amerikanischer Tag) is a holiday in the USA, observed annually on October 6. It celebrates German-American heritage and commemorates the date in 1683 when 13 German families from Krefeld in the Rheinland landed in Philadelphia. These families subsequently founded Germantown, PA, the first German settlement in the original 13 American colonies, and organized the first petition in the English colonies to abolish slavery in 1688. Originally known under the rubric of “German Day”, the holiday was celebrated for the first time in Philadelphia in 1883, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the settlers. Similar celebrations developed later in other parts of the country. The custom died out during World War I as a result of the anti-German sentiments. The holiday was revived in 1983, when President Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German-American Day to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German-American immigration and culture to the United States. -- source link