PRINTER'S NO. 2182
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
470
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY MENSCH, DINNIMAN, BOSCOLA, BROWNE, GREENLEAF,
ARGALL, FARNESE, SCAVELLO, BREWSTER, RESCHENTHALER,
EICHELBERGER, FONTANA, COSTA AND YUDICHAK, OCTOBER 19, 2016
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, OCTOBER 19, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Designating the week of October 23 through 29, 2016, as
"Pennsylvania German Heritage Week" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, There are communities of Pennsylvania Germans living
in many parts of the United States and Canada today; and
WHEREAS, The largest settlement is in Pennsylvania,
concentrated in the eastern part of this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Germans, also called Pennsylvania
Deutsch, are descendants of early German immigrants to
Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, The first major emigration of Germans to America
resulted in the founding of the Borough of Germantown in
northwest Philadelphia County on October 6, 1683; and
WHEREAS, The German population arrived in droves, mostly
before 1800, to escape religious persecution in Europe and also
to seek a better life; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Germans maintained numerous
religious affiliations, with the greatest number being Lutheran
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or Reformed, as well as many Anabaptists; and
WHEREAS, The Anabaptist religion promoted a simple lifestyle
and their adherents were known as Plain People or Plain Dutch
(Deutsch), as opposed to the Fancy Dutch (Deutsch) who tended to
assimilate more easily into the American mainstream; and
WHEREAS, Over time, the various dialects spoken by these
immigrants fused into a unique dialect known as Pennsylvania
German or Pennsylvania "Dutch" (Deutsch); and
WHEREAS, At one time, more than one-third of Pennsylvania's
population spoke this language, which also had an impact on the
local dialect of English; and
WHEREAS, Substantial Pennsylvania German literature, art and
architecture exist and many written records were adorned with
illuminated writing; and
WHEREAS, Articles such as pottery, furniture, needlework and
barns made use of decorative motifs, often of a highly artistic
nature; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania Germans have greatly contributed to the
culture of this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Organized in 1891, the Pennsylvania German Society
has published abundant material relative to the history and
folklore of the Pennsylvania Germans; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of October 23
through 29, 2016, as "Pennsylvania German Heritage Week" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate encourage participation in State
and local observances celebrating the contributions and history
of the Pennsylvania Germans to this Commonwealth.
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