 Prussia |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of the United States, Berlin | |
TheKingdom of Prussia and theUnited States began diplomatic relations in 1785 following the signing of theTreaty of Amity and Commerce, but formal relations were not established until 1797.[1] Relations would eventually end withWorld War I when the U.S.declared war on Germany.
After the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, The Kingdom of Prussia became therefore one of the first nations to officially recognize the young American Republic after the Revolution. The Treaty was signed to promote free trade and commerce and became a benchmark for subsequent free trade agreements and treaties. In addition, the treaty demanded the unconditionally humane custody for war prisoners, a novelty at the time. The treaty was renewed in 1799 after negotiations with then-United States Ambassador to PrussiaJohn Quincy Adams.[2] While the U.S. did not have a formal mission to Prussia, the construction of thecurrent embassy to Germany began after the appointment of Adams as the ambassador inBerlin which was the capital of Prussia at the time.
On May 1, 1828, both countries signed a Treaty of Commerce and Navigation which revived both the original Treaty of Amity and Commerce and its renewal in 1799.[3] The treaty after German reunification remained intact as the treaty was regarded as binding and its provisions served for adjustments for commercial relations between Germany and the United States. It was until the outbreak ofWorld War I that the treaty came under question and was no longer in continuance.[4]
By the late 1840s through the 1860s, trade between both countries grew rapidly. In 1846, the United States, Prussia, and Bremen, then the main German harbor for the American trade, founded theOcean Steam Navigation Company (OSNC), directed against British maritime supremacy in the North Atlantic. In part, the company was subsidized by Prussia. In 1855, Prussian Secretary of TradeAugust von der Heydt remarked about trade with the U.S. describing "the importance of the United States for us as a market for our products has grown by leaps and bounds from one year to the next, and to such a degree, that the customs duty of that nation is, for our own industrial interests, of greater importance than that of most other states."[5]
After theAustro-Prussian War of 1866, theKingdom of Hanover andDuchy of Nassau, were subsequently merged directly into the Kingdom of Prussia. From this point, Hanover and Nassau had relations with the United States as a part of the Kingdom of Prussia.[6]
From February 22 and March 11, 1902,Prince Henry of Prussia visited the United States arriving atShooters Island,New York City with PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. On February 25, Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht "Meteor III," was christened by Roosevelt's daughterAlice Roosevelt Longworth. Henry then traveled toWashington, D.C. visiting theWhite House for a state dinner,United States Capitol, attending a memorial service to pay respects toWilliam McKinley who wasassassinated in 1901. Henry would then take an extended train trip on a special rail car to the Southern and Western United States with stops atLookout Mountain, and the Lincoln Monument inChicago. Henry returned to the East Coast where he visited thestate capitol inBoston, reviewed cadets atWest Point, New York atUnited States Military Academy, and was the guest of honor at a reception at theUnion League inPhiladelphia. Prince Henry left through New York on the "S.S. Deutschland".[7][8] The visit originally planned to have Henry land in New York, take a train to Washington, D.C., where the Prince would pay his respects to President Roosevelt, visitCincinnati and Chicago, then return to New York viaNiagara Falls.[9]
Relations ended on February 3, 1917, when U.S. PresidentWoodrow Wilson instructedSecretary of StateRobert Lansing to notify the German Ambassador to the United States that all diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the German Empire were severed. On April 6, 1917, Wilson declared war on Imperial Germany.[10]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from"U.S. Relations With Germany".U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg)
