German-American Day, 1998

Proclamation 7133 of October 5, 1998

German-American Day, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

From the time our republic was born, German Americans
have enriched our national life and culture. Many,
seeking religious freedom, first settled in and around
Philadelphia more than 300 years ago; and to this day,
one of the largest neighborhoods in that city is called
Germantown. Throughout the colonial period, more
Germans arrived on these shores and made their homes
throughout the Thirteen Colonies. Today, almost a
quarter of the American people can trace their roots
back to Germany.

German Americans have had an important and lasting
impact not only on the growth of our Nation, but also
on the formation of many of our deepest values. As
skilled and industrious farmers, German Americans have
shared their love for the land and a strong sense of
family and community. With a deep respect for education
and the arts, they have broadened the cultural life of
the communities in which they live. And, from their
earliest days in this country, Germans and German
Americans have revered freedom, as epitomized by the
service of General Friedrich von Steuben during
America's struggle for independence and by the
dedication of the entirely German American Provost
Corps which, under the command of Major Bartholomew von
Heer, served as General Washington's personal guard
unit during the Revolutionary War.

All of us can take pride in the accomplishments of
German Americans--as soldiers and statesmen, scientists
and musicians, artisans and educators. It is fitting
that we set aside this special day to remember and
celebrate how much German Americans have done to
preserve our ideals, enrich our culture, and strengthen
our democracy.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, October 6,
1998, as German-American Day. I encourage all Americans
to recognize and celebrate the many gifts that millions
of people of German descent have brought to this Nation
and that have enriched the lives of our citizens.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-third.