President. on October 6. 1683. 13 German Mennonite families arrived at Philadelphia after a long and dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the vessel. Concord. Escaping religious persecution. these courageous individuals risked their lives to find a better existence in America. Three hundred years later. we celebrate this humble beginning of the first organized settlement of German immigrants in our land. President Reagan. with the authorization of the 97th Congress. designated 1983 as the "Tricentennial Anniversary Year of German Settlement in America." In addition to recognizing those early German pioneers. this designation is also an appropriate affirmation of the vital relationship which exists between the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. One of the primary purposes of the tricenten-
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immigrants