Bush Praises German-American Relations

As Germans this week remembered Germany’s historical unification with the unveiling of the newly refurbished Brandenburg Gate, it was also a day to remember in German-American relations.

In what was the first direct contact from the US leader in weeks, after Chancellor Schröder snubbed the US leader with his refusal to participate in a US-led “adventure” in pre-election campaigns, US President George W Bush wrote on unification day: “The German and American people have ties that date back to the establishment of our nation. Over the past half century, those bonds were deepened by a shared commitment to democratic values….”.

This weekend, Bush addressed Germany for the first time since the transatlatic relationship cooled down after Schröder’s Justice Minister compared the American leader’s methods to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Speaking on occaision of October 6, German-American Day, Bush described German-American relations as a “good tradition”, and one to be remembered on this day.

Support and Respect

Speaking at the White House, Bush choose his words with care avoiding any direct refernce to the current political ice between the two countries, which only in the past week showed signs of slowly beginning to thaw.

“Our friendship was founded after World War II on support and respect”, he said. “On this day we give these important and continuous relations between Germany and the United States our particular attention”, he said.

In his speech, Bush underlined the role Germany played after September 11, in the fight against terrorism and in particular in the hunt for terrorists behind the attacks. He called to the American people to merit the contributions of German-Americans to the American nation.

Religion and economy

The first Germans emigrated to America some 300 years ago in search of religious freedom. By the 1800s, the majority came for economic reasons – mainly small farmers from southwest Germany, who were closely followed by craftsmen and industry workers from the west and northwest. The last group to follow were farm hands and day labourers from the north. By the 19th century, all German regions were represented in the United Sates.

In 1800, around nine per cent of the US’ population had ties to Germany. Mass immigration reached a high only half a century later, and by the 1880s some 1.5 million Germans had landed on America’s shores. By the turn of the century, immigration had slowly begun to drop. Since the 70s only around 150 000 Germans have emigrated to the US.

In all, some 8 million Germans have choosen to live their lives across the Atlantic over the centuries. According to a 1990 census, more Americans claim some degree of German “ancestry or ethnic origin” than any other – some 57.9 million, or 23,3 per cent of the population.

German Day

German Day was first celebrated back in the 19th century. It was officially reintroduced by then US president Ronald Reagan as German-American Day. It is celebrated on October 6 in remembrance of 13 German families who landed in Philadelphia in 1683, founding one of the the first major German settlements in the US.

Since then, both American and German leaders take this occaision to commemorate the historic and cultural ties between the two countries.

“When Ronald Reagan proclaimed German-American Day in 1987 for the first time, Europe was still divided by the Iron Curtain. We Germans regained our unity and freedom in a peaceful way. The thanks for this is owed to the American people, who secured peace in Europe for over 40 years. America stood by our side in the most difficult times, and we will never forget the contricutions of US Presidents”, Helmut Kohl said on October 6 back in 1991, reflecting on the historical role the US played in securing peace in Europe.

In 1995, former US Presidnet Bill Clinton underlined the importance of Germans in the US, and their cultural legacy here: “Since the earliest days of the settlement of North America, immigrants from Germany have enriched our nation with their industry, culture, and participation in public life. Ove a quarter of Americans can trace their ancestry back to German roots, but more importatnt than numbers are the motives that led so many Germans to make a new beginning over across the Atlantic. America’s unparalleled freedoms and opportunities drew German immigrants to our shores and have long inspired the tremendous contributions that German-Americans have made to our heritage”.

Cultural legacy

Indeed, some of the cultural icons most closely associated with the United States were produced by German Americans, including the first pair of blue jeans made in 1850 by Bavarian-born Levi Strauss and the hamburger, which was introduced in 1904 by German Americans living in St. Louis.

Even ketchup, the essential sauce for the world popular hamburger, was invented by a German American, namely Henry Heinz.