Information Resource Center (IRC) Berlin

October 2006
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In addition to information about upcoming programs and webchats, this month's newsletter features:

German-American Day 2006

"Throughout our history, the spirit and hard work of German Americans have been an important part of the cultural fabric of our Nation. On German-American Day, we celebrate German Americans and their many contributions to the character of our country... German-American Day is also an opportunity to recognize the friendship between Germany and the United States. By working together as partners in peace with a mutual commitment to liberty, the United States and Germany can lay the foundation for a more hopeful tomorrow." President George W. Bush, October 2006.

60th Anniversary of the "Speech of Hope"

The state of Baden-Wuerttemberg commemorated the 60th anniversary of the landmark “Restatement of Policy on Germany" or "Speech of Hope" by former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. The speech, held in Stuttgart on September 6, 1946, set the course for U.S. relations with Europe and laid the groundwork for the Marshall Plan.

Hispanic Americans

Hispanics or Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States. Their contributions to American life are recognized by the U.S. government, which designates the period from September 15 to October 15 each year as National Hispanic American Heritage Month. The celebration of America’s Hispanic heritage began on a national scale in 1968 with Public Law 90-498, which authorized an annual Presidential Proclamation making the week of September 15 and 16 Hispanic Heritage Week. The designated week was selected to coincide with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua's Independence Day celebrations on September 15, and Mexico's on September 16.

Columbus Day - October 8, 2006

Columbus Day is the annual U.S. commemoration of the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. Columbus was not the first European to successfully cross the Atlantic. Viking sailors are believed to have established a short-lived settlement in Newfoundland sometime in the 11th Century; and scholars have argued for a number of other possible pre-Columbus landings. Columbus, however, initiated the lasting encounter between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. A number of other nations also celebrate this encounter with annual holidays: Discovery Day in the Bahamas, Hispanic Day in Spain, and Día de la Raza in much of Latin America.

Halloween - "Trick or Treat!"

While not an official holiday, the traditional October 31 Halloween celebration is much beloved by children in the United States, for whom the day is a chance to don costumes — often depicting ghosts, goblins and other "supernatural" creatures — and to collect candy and other treats. Costumed children appear at their neighbors’ doors shouting "Trick or treat!" Halloween has its roots in ancient end-of-harvest festivals, as celebrated, for example, by the ancient Celts and the Romans.

Midterm Elections November 7, 2006

Every two years Americans elect members of the House of Representatives to two-year terms and about one-third of their Senators, who serve six-year terms. The House of Representatives and the Senate make up the U.S. Congress. Presidents are elected to four-year terms. The elections in which Americans vote for their congressional representatives but not for president are known as midterm elections, which this year will be on November 7, 2006. Thirty-six states will also vote for their governors this year. The next presidential election will be in November 2008. Currently the Republicans hold a small majority of seats in both houses of Congress. Because Congress has the power to pass laws and determine how funds are spent, the outcome of the midterm elections could greatly impact U.S. politics and law.