American Township is one of the twelve townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Allen County

Allen County, Ohio

Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its population was 106,331 as of the 2010 census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta Combined Statistical Area....

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 15,516 people in the township (exclusive of Lima), 13,599 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the center of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Sugar Creek Township
  Sugar Creek Township, Allen County, Ohio
  Sugar Creek Township is one of the twelve townships of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,330 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - north
• Bath Township
  Bath Township, Allen County, Ohio
  The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it...
  
   - east
• Perry Township
  Perry Township, Allen County, Ohio
  Perry Township is one of the twelve townships of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,620 people in the unincorporated parts of the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southeastern corner
• Shawnee Township
  Shawnee Township, Allen County, Ohio
  Shawnee Township is one of the twelve townships of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 12,220 people in the township, 8,365 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Amanda Township
  Amanda Township, Allen County, Ohio
  Amanda Township is one of the twelve townships of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,913 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Marion Township - north...
  
   - southwest
• Marion Township
  Marion Township, Allen County, Ohio
  Marion Township is one of the twelve townships of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,773 people in the township, 2,872 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest

Two municipalities are located in American Township: the village of Elida

Elida, Ohio

Elida is a village in Allen County, Ohio, United States with a population of 1,917 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Elida is located at ....

 in the northwest, and part of the city of Lima

Lima, Ohio

Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....

, the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Allen County, in the southeast.

Name and history

It is the only American Township statewide.
American Township was named German Township

German Township, Ohio

German Township, Ohio may refer to:*German Township, Auglaize County, Ohio*German Township, Clark County, Ohio*German Township, Fulton County, Ohio*German Township, Harrison County, Ohio*German Township, Montgomery County, Ohio...

 until 1918 when the township's citizens successfully petitioned for the name change. The petition cited Anti-German sentiment

Anti-German sentiment

Anti-German sentiment is defined as an opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, and the German language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.-Russia:...

as the primary reason for the request.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.