|
The National German-American Alliance (NGAA; German: Deutschamerikanischer National-Bund), was a federation of ethnic German associations in the United States founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 6, 1901. Charles John Hexamer was elected its first president, and served until 1917.〔("A German-American Chronology." ) Society for German American Studies. Retrieved 2007-09-04.〕〔("Syllabus for German Immigrant Culture in America." ) Society for German American Studies. Retrieved 2007-09-04.〕 The mission of the NGAA was to "promote and preserve German culture in America";〔Johnson, Charles Thomas (1999). ''Culture at Twilight: The National German-American Alliance, 1901-1918''. New York: Peter Lang. p. 3.〕 it essentially sought to resist the assimilation of Germans in America.〔Kazal, Russell A. (2004). ''(Becoming Old Stock: The Paradox of German-American Identity. )'' Princeton University Press. p. 130. Retrieved 2007-09-04.〕 At the peak of its growth, around 1916, the national organization had chapters in forty-five states, and the District of Columbia, and a membership of approximately 2.5 million people.〔Johnson, p. 15. Johnson notes that membership statistics were imprecise and probably inflated, since they were based on the membership statistics of constituent organizations, without taking into account the fact that some individuals belonged to more than one organization.〕 A professional movement, the NGAA promoted German language instruction in school, the foundation of educational societies, including the German American Historical Society, and the publication of histories and journals to demonstrate "the role German-Americans had played in the development of the United States."〔Tolzmann, Don Heinrich (2000). ''The German-American Experience''. New York: Humanity Books. p. 262-268. Quoted in: Gomez, Andrea, ''(Von Steuben Monument )'', section "Sponsor: National German-American Alliance" (National Park Service, Valley Forge National Historical Park), retrieved 2015-01-02.〕 ==History== The formation of the NGAA was supported by existing state and local German-American organizations, as well as the German-American press.〔 In particular, a state-level umbrella group of German-American organizations in Pennsylvania, the German-American Central Alliance of Pennsylvania (Deutsch-Amerikanischer Zentral-Bund von Pennsylvanien), founded in 1899, provided the impetus for the formation of a national organization.〔Johnson (1999), p. 7-9.〕 On June 19, 1900, the Pennsylvania group, under the leadership of its president, Charles J. Hexamer, hosted a meeting in Philadelphia of representatives from German-American organizations in Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.〔Johnson (1999), p. 9.〕 This core group, chaired by Hexamer, subsequently organized a larger meeting in Philadelphia the following year, on October 6, during the celebration of what was known as German Day, commemorating the arrival of the first German settlers in America. At that meeting, in 1901, the NGAA was officially founded by 39 delegates representing German-American organizations in 12 states and the District of Columbia.〔 The original delegates were primarily people of higher educational and social classes, and were from diverse professional backgrounds, including education, business, and the arts. In general the organization drew its initial support from intellectual elites, with no discernible presence of groups such as farmers, craftsmen, or factory workers.〔Johnson (1999), p. 10, 15.〕 The NGAA was given a United States congressional charter in 1907. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「National German-American Alliance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|