PRINTER'S NO. 4363
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
996
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY MALAGARI, GALLOWAY, BURNS, TOEPEL, HILL-EVANS,
MACKENZIE, MURT, LONGIETTI, KINSEY, KORTZ, HOWARD, SAINATO,
SCHMITT, NEILSON, DRISCOLL, ZABEL, SANCHEZ, DeLUCA, MILLARD,
READSHAW AND SCHLOSSBERG, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing October 6, 2020, as "German-American Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, On October 6, 1683, 13 families, having sailed
earlier from the German City of Krefeld, established Germantown,
Pennsylvania, the first German settlement in America; and
WHEREAS, Germantown became the first American community to
formally protest the evils of slavery in 1688; and
WHEREAS, Between the 1680s and the American Revolution, the
majority of an estimated 100,000 German immigrants coming to
North America settled in Pennsylvania, comprising a third of
Philadelphia's population by the 1760s; and
WHEREAS, In the many years since, millions of German
immigrants have come to the United States and this Commonwealth
in pursuit of personal and religious freedoms and economic
opportunity; and
WHEREAS, Their descendants continue to shape the cultural
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landscape of this Commonwealth, with more than 3.3 million
Pennsylvanians reporting German ancestry, making it the largest
ancestry group in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Established in 1764, the German Society of
Pennsylvania is the oldest German organization in the United
States and serves the State's German-American community; and
WHEREAS, The German Society of Pennsylvania, based in
Philadelphia, seeks to foster a better understanding between the
United States and Germany by advocating awareness of German
culture, traditions and contributions to the history, culture,
economy, science and technology of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Today, Pennsylvania and the Federal Republic of
Germany enjoy a close relationship through our shared history
and common interests; and
WHEREAS, Germany is one of this Commonwealth's most important
trade partners, with $1,562,000,000 in Pennsylvanian exports
going to Germany in 2019 and 43,089 workers employed by German-
based companies as of 2018; and
WHEREAS, German Americans are rightfully proud of how their
deep cultural, historical and familial ties have helped
strengthen this robust transatlantic relationship; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize October
6, 2020, as "German-American Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the German
heritage of Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate the
important relationship between the Commonwealth and the Federal
Republic of Germany.
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