Before World War I German Americans where considered "Fully Integrated" they where used as a succes story of the american system. They where one of the only immigrant group to achive high respect and where perceived as hard working, Industrious and Efficient. At this time german was the second most spoken language in the US. The Midwest was dominated by German culture which coexisted with American culture. German Newspapers and societies thrived, the societies included but where not limited to, Shooting,Politcal,Religious,Litterary,Musical and other societies dedicated to German culture and ancestry. This would soon change however as the coming war would have drastic effects on the German American people.
When War Broke out in 1914 German American reaction varied. Hundreds of Germans went to the German Embassy and enlisted in the German Military while many other collected funds for relief efforts, while others felt sentiment for the "fatherland" (Deutchland) they belived that they where Americans first and Germans second. They wished to stay out of the war. this however would not save them from the american perception.
After the Sinking of the Lusitania Americans began to view Germans as "Babarians" and named them Huns (which ironically the Kaiser started by telling his troops to be as "Strong as the Huns") This sentiment boiled over when America formally declared war. Immidiately Anti German Propoganda began circulating. German Churches were painted Yellow, German School made children sign a contract swearing to speak no foreign language whatsoever and many Germans where dragged up at night and forced to Kiss the American Flag and pledge loyalty to the cause of "Freedom". The Hatred grew until in April 1918 a German American was Lynched publically. This outraged most americans but the courts found them not guilty stating "They where supporting the War effort"
The Effects. The United States at the Time was not "Culturally Diverse" In the modern sense. But the German culture did make the US more colorfull and support the idea of acceptance and toleration. Throught Proganda and mass campaings and Lynchings German as alanguage almost completly dissapeared. German culture vanished and the Indentity of millions was stripped away.
I cannot effectively claim that this was the equivalent of Interment camps or indian re-education schools, I can say all of these only damaged the US and served as a dark reminder of all the evils we have done in the sake of freedom. I belive this is an example which is less known which makes it more interesting to study and can serve as a reminder on how we sacrifce freedoms during times of war. This is still a modern issue, look at Patriot Act, what is terryfying is we are beggining to grow used to this goverment involment for the sake of "Security". If this happend to one of the largest ethnic groups it can happen to anyone.
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| German Ancestry 1850-1910 |
Reading about the problem German immigrants had in America during WW1 was really interesting. Specifically, you said that some Germans in the US enlisted in the german military. It seems odd that the US government would allow this to happen in, while they had large amounts of anti german propaganda.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting seeing the transition of the German opinion degrade as the war went on. I like your connection between the hate towards Germans and the Patriot Act which targeted the Muslims. The Patriot Act was created as a way to prevent terrorism by granting more freedom to obtain intelligence of terrorists, generally Muslims. The government continued to demand this act was necessary to prevent terrorism, after the nation witnessed the horror of 9/11. This bill was used mainly to spy on Muslims, without any leads, simply because they believed they were terrorists. It's scary that the singling out of one group which happened nearly a century years ago happened so recently.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html
https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/administrative-law/effects-of-the-patriot-act-administrative-law-essay.php
I think it's interesting that you also mentioned the effect of the war on diversity and German culture. Additionally, the fact that government didn't convict the people who lynched a German American shows how much the government was willing to sacrifice to support for the war, to the point where anything is justified as long as it's for the "war effort."
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, as I found the topic very interesting. I liked how you contrasted the varied responses of German Americans to World War I and the German stereotypes during the time. American culture was very different back then, and racism was acceptable and widespread. I also liked how you compared the historical discrimination against German Americans to the current discrimination against Muslims.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post and found it sad that we could be so degrading during these times of war. It is often said that during times of great struggle we see both the best and worst of people and I think that this applies greatly in the US. Here we see some of the worst were the US government restricted free speech, attacked German Americans personally and their culture, and many other things as well. This seems to happen a lot throughout history. I remember doing a report on the internment camps for Japanese in WW2. People were forced from their homes and taken to places that they did not know. Even when the war was over, they were rarely accepted back into their areas and many would face adversity for years to come. Nowadays there is a lot of discrimination towards Muslims due to fear of terrorism that does not represent the majority of their population. I just find it sad to see things like this happen so often in the US where we consider ourselves a melting pot of many peoples and cultures.
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