[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S2722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING THE HERMANN MONUMENT

 Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor today 
to recognize the numerous contributions that millions German-Americans 
have made to the United States, and introduce a resolution to designate 
the Hermann Monument in New Ulm, Minnesota, a national monument.
  German-Americans have been an integral part of American history, 
shaping our artistic, cultural, military and political foundations. 
Friedrich Muhlenbert, the first Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, baseball great Babe Ruth, and artist Oscar Hammerstein 
are just three out of millions of German-Americans who have contributed 
to the creation of a diverse American culture. Today, German-Americans 
compose nearly 25% of the American population, making them the largest 
ethnic group in the United States. Despite this vast number of German-
Americans and the significant impact they have had on all facets of 
American life, unfortunately there is no nationally recognized symbol 
honoring German-Americans.
  The Hermann Monument provides us with an opportunity as a nation to 
recognize the contributions of German-Americans, past and present. The 
monument is a unique copper statue of Hermann the Cheruscan, created in 
1889 as a tribute to the struggle and triumph of German immigrants who 
came to the United States. The Hermann monument has become a symbol of 
unity and endurance to all American-Germans. It appropriately stands 
tall over New Ulm, Minnesota, a city where nearly 75 percent of the 
population is of German heritage.
  Designating the Hermann Monument as a National German American 
Monument will re-enforce the important contributions that millions of 
German-Americans have made to our nation. It is with this goal that I 
introduce this resolution, and urge my colleagues to support 
it.

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