Staying put. The German industrial economy was on the rise, providing plenty of jobs. Not only were Germans able to stay in their country, but many were also emigrating to it as well. Those who wanted to leave were typically single and didn't plan on permanent residence in the U.S. It became more affordable to leave due to a rise in steamboat ocean liners.

Finding your friends. The German-American National Alliance was founded in Philadelphia, as well as German-American clubs and societies. These became important places for cultural exchange between Germans, Americans and other immigrant groups.

Prince Henry of Prussia was sent on a good will tour to the United States. The German Empire supported the construction of a Germanic Museum at Harvard University and established a professorial exchange program between that university and Prussia. American officers served with Prussian regiments and graduated from various Prussian military schools. American army officers were welcomed as guests by William II, as were U.S. Navy units during the Kiel week.

A dark day. 1,300 tourists boarded the General Slocum steamboat for a daytrip along the East River. Many of them were women and children from the German-American community in Kleindeutschland (Little Germany) in New York City's Lower East Side. More than 1,000 people drowned when the ship sank after a fire broke out. Residents of "Little Germany" were devastated. The Lower East Side of Manhattan had been a haven for German immigrants since the 1840's, but many couldn't bear the pain. So they relocated to Yorkville on the Upper East Side.

Lack of transportation. After the outbreak of World War I, the United States under President Wilson steered a neutral course at first. The violation of Belgian neutrality caused relations between Berlin and Washington to deteriorate rapidly. Wilson's offer to act as an "honest mediator" between the warring parties failed. So the "Zimmermann telegraph" with the German offer of an alliance with Mexico intercepted in Washington, and, above all, the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare finally led to the United States' entering war against the Central Powers. During this time, German emigration to the U.S. came to a halt, mainly because of the shutdown of all transportation due to the war.

As the war drew to a close, Germany hoped to be able to negotiate favorable peace terms on the basis of Wilson's "fourteen points" and his desire for a "peace without victory." This hope did not come true, though, as the intention of the Allied Powers to punish the Central Powers, and in particular Germany, found its expression in the Versailles Treaty. After World War I, German-American relations improved. Germany was now a democracy and no longer constituted a direct hegemonial threat to Europe. Washington viewed Germany as a potentially lucrative market for American exports and investments. The separate peace treaty concluded by the United States and Germany in August 1921 became the basis for special relations which were complemented in 1923 with the conclusion of a bilateral trade agreement. The U.S. mediating efforts also served to pave the way for America's own economic and commercial expansion. Until 1931, Germany received approximately 2.5 billion dollars worth of loans from the United States.

A new umbrella. The Steuben Society of America replaced the German-American National Alliance, an umbrella organization for German culture and politics in the U.S. The difference was that the Steuben Society only accepted American citizens and used English as the official language.

The terror of Nazi dictatorship, the annulment of human rights and not least the Nazi attacks against the Jewish population, which were clearly condemned by the American President FDR, let German-American relations cool rapidly. After the November 9, 1938, anti-Jewish riots known as "Kristallnacht" ("Night of Broken Glass"), the American ambassador was recalled from Berlin to Washington. Hitler then recalled the German ambassador as well. Neutrality was the official American response to the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939. Legislation, enacted from 1935 to 1937, had prohibited trade with or credit to any of the warring nations. Many oppressed and persecuted Germans escaped, particularly Jews, gays, artists, journalists, writers and politicians. Protesting German groups including doctors, architects, writers, philosophers, scientists and musicians fled also. Famous names include Henry Kissinger, Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Walter Gropius, Marlene Dietrich, Kurt Weill.

At the end of World War II, disarming, demilitarizing, denazifying and democratizing Germany were the undisputed objectives of the Allies. On June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall laid the foundation for a U.S. program of assistance to the countries of Europe (known as the "Marshall Plan").

American troops remained stationed in West Germany. In 1955, West Germany joined NATO - enemies became allies. An estimated 7.5 million American servicemen and -women were stationed in Germany. Together with their families, they formed lasting friendships that are vital to current German-American relations.

The International Refugee Organization (IRO) was established. It directed re-settlement programs and helped about 550,000 displaced persons to emigrate to America. Many of them made up the last wave of emigrants from German ports. They were former compulsory workers, prisoners of war or non-German refugees. They traveled from Bremerhaven to Halifax, Canada.

During the Berlin Blockade in 1948, the Americans supplied the 2.2 million people of West Berlin by airlift with what was needed (now known as the Berlin Airlift). In May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was established. The new German government, led by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, agreed to make a military contribution to the Western defense effort.

Marching in. The first Steuben Parade took place in New York City. It began as a way to celebrate German-American heritage and to remember von Steuben, who was a German-Prussian army officer who served as inspector general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The parade is the concluding event for the city's annual German-American Friendship Week.

John F. Kennedy's visit to Berlin highlighted his tour of several European countries in June 1963. In his speech from the Schöneberger Rathaus, Kennedy declared his special commitment to West Berlin, concluding his remarks with these words, "All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner'."

Pastorius turns 300. The German-American Tricentennial was celebrated in 1983. It marked the 300th anniversary of Pastorius and his group of German immigrants to Pennsylvania.

German American Day was established by
Congressional resolution to be celebrated every October 6.

Speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on June 12, 1987, on the occasion of the city's 750th anniversary, U.S. President Ronald Reagan called upon Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev "to tear down this Wall" to reunite Germany and hence Europe. This speech proved prophetic when, in 1989, the Wall came down.