 Prussia |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of the United States, Berlin | |
The Kingdom of Prussia and the United States began diplomatic relations in 1785 following the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. But formal relations were not established until 1797. [1] Relations would eventually end with World 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 Prussia John Quincy Adams. [2] While the U.S. did not have a formal mission to Prussia, the construction of the current embassy to Germany began after the appointment of Adams as the ambassador in Berlin 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 of World 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 the Ocean 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 Trade August 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 the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Kingdom of Hanover and Duchy 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 at Shooters Island, New York City with President Theodore Roosevelt. On February 25, Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht "Meteor III," was christened by Roosevelt's daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Henry then traveled to Washington, D.C. visiting the White House for a state dinner, United States Capitol, attending a memorial service to pay respects to William McKinley who was assassinated in 1901. Henry would then take an extended train trip on a special rail car to the Southern and Western United States with stops at Lookout Mountain, and the Lincoln Monument in Chicago. Henry returned to the East Coast where he visited the state capitol in Boston, reviewed cadets at West Point, New York at United States Military Academy, and was the guest of honor at a reception at the Union League in Philadelphia. 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, visit Cincinnati and Chicago, then return to New York via Niagara Falls. [9]
Relations ended on February 3, 1917, when U.S. President Woodrow Wilson instructed Secretary of State Robert 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]
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Participants were representatives of all European powers and other stakeholders. The Congress was chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich, and was held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815.
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as Deutscher Krieg, Deutscher Bruderkrieg and by a variety of other names, was fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, with each also being aided by various allies within the German Confederation. Prussia had also allied with the Kingdom of Italy, linking this conflict to the Third Independence War of Italian unification. The Austro-Prussian War was part of the wider rivalry between Austria and Prussia, and resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states.
The Kingdom of Prussia constituted the German state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. It was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1866 and was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918. Although it took its name from the region called Prussia, it was based in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Its capital was Berlin.
George V was the last king of Hanover, reigning from 18 November 1851 to 20 September 1866. The only child of King Ernest Augustus and Queen Frederica, he succeeded his father in 1851. George's reign was ended by the Austro-Prussian War, after which Prussia annexed Hanover.
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the Kingdom of Prussia and the United States of America was a treaty negotiated by Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein, Prussian Prime Minister, and Thomas Jefferson, United States Ambassador to France, and signed by Frederick the Great and George Washington. The treaty officially established commercial relations between the Kingdom of Prussia and the United States of America and was the first one signed by a European power with the United States after the American Revolutionary War. The Kingdom of Prussia became therefore one of the first nations to officially recognize the young American Republic after the Revolution. The first nation to recognize the US was Sweden, who during the Revolution signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
The German Emperors after 1873 had a variety of titles and coats of arms, which in various compositions became the officially used titles and coats of arms. The title and coat of arms were last fixed in 1873, but the titles did not necessarily mean that the area was really dominated, and sometimes even several princes bore the same title.
The Grand Duchy of Baden and the United States began relations in 1832 going through expansion in 1868 when the Duchy joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Kingdom of Bavaria and the United States began relations in 1833 going through expansion in 1868 when the Duchy joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg and the United States began relations in 1848 with mutual recognition but both countries never established formal relations. Relations continued in 1867 when the Duchy joined the North German Confederation. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Kingdom of Hanover and the United States began relations with mutual recognition in 1830 but never formulated diplomatic ties. All ties came to an abrupt halt when Hanover was defeated during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and subsequently merged directly into the Kingdom of Prussia. From this point, Hanover had relations with the United States as a part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
Relations between the Free Cities of Bremen, Lübeck, and Hamburg and the United States date back to 1790s when Hamburg became the first of the republics to recognized the U.S. on June 17, 1790. Bremen followed suit on March 28, 1794. Diplomatic relations were formally established in October 1853 when the U.S. received Rudolph Schleiden as Minister Resident of the Hanseatic Legation in Washington, D.C. Relations ended in 1868 as the republics joined North German Confederation.
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and the United States began relations in 1829 with mutual recognition going through expansion in 1868 when the Duchy joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the United States mutually recognized each other in 1816, but formal relations were never established. Relations continued when the Duchy joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the United States mutually recognized each other in 1853, but never formally established diplomatic relations. Relations continued when the Duchy joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Duchy of Nassau and the United States' mutual recognition occurred in 1846 when the two states signed a convention to abolish emigration taxes. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Duchy of Nassau fought on the side of Austria. On the losing side, the Duchy of Nassau was annexed to Prussia on October 3, 1866, ceased to be an independent sovereign state ending relations.
After the Austro-Prussian War the North German Confederation was established in 1866 with the United States recognizing the Confederation in 1867. Formal diplomatic relations were never established. Four years later the Confederation later merged with the German Empire where relations continued.
The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg and the United States began mutual recognition in 1829 but never established formal relations. Relations continued when the Duchy joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe and the United States mutually recognized each other in 1845, but never formally established diplomatic relations. Relations continued when the Principality joined the North German Confederation in 1867 then joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Kingdom of Württemberg and the United States began relations in 1825 when both countries mutually recognized each other. Relations continued when Württemberg joined the German Empire in 1871. Relations would eventually end with World War I when the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Tokugawa Shogunate (1861) opened diplomatic relations and trade between the two countries. This would come in a series of unequal treaties imposed on the Tokugawa Shogunate in its later stages.
This article incorporates public domain material from "U.S. Relations With Germany". U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets . United States Department of State.
