Posted on 10/18/2017 9:20:01 AM PDT by Jewbacca
A fascinating collection of photos have resurfaced showing the hardships faced by German-Americans at the brutal height of the First World War. As Europe was ravaged by fighting, German immigrants in the US suffered harassment, internment, lynchings - and even the humiliation of being tarred and feathered.
Although a little-remembered part of history today, America was wracked by the fear and paranoia that swept from coast to coast during the Great War.
The United States declared war on Germany in April 1917 and helped lead the Allies to victory. But before that, many Americans were terrified of the German threat growing on the other side of the world.
This collection of pictures reveals the full extent of war hysteria and open hostility towards all things German that erupted across the nation.
Before the war broke out, America had welcomed German immigrants and regarded them highly. German was the second most widely spoken language in the country and there were over 100 million first and second-generation German-Americans living in the United States, with many of them involved in the thousands of German organizations across the country.
The United States embraced them and the German language became an established part of the high school curriculum.
But when the war broke out and Germany became the enemy of the Allies abroad, the American government began calling on its people to reject their German-American neighbors.
President Woodrow Wilson declared that German-Americans were to be treated as 'alien-enemies' and that they should reject their German identity if they were to be accepted in US society.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Russia lost the worst - they surrendered to the losers and ended up with communism. Austria Hungary lost second worst - they lost about 3/4ths of their country and were stuck with reparations that crippled their economy until 1939. Germany came third worst - they lost their overseas colonies and wound up with the Polish corridor running through their country. Reparations and political upheaval collapsed the economy and ultimately lead to the Nazis.
The US didn't come off that bad by comparison - all we lost was a lot of good men and a measure of our freedom due to the expansion of the power of the central government, something that happens every time we go to war.
The Germans, during WWII, generally followed the Geneva Convention in handling of American, British, Canadian and French prisoners of war. Unless they were Jewish. Not so much if the prisoners were Russians.
I’m probably late to the party with this, but the entire population of the US was 103 million in 1917, so I doubt the German-American population was 100 million...
My great grandfather came from germany in the 1880s to Kingston NY. He worked as a maritime engineer on tugboats on the Hudson. He was in that town until he died in the 30s.
Many germans in that town at that time. Church there had german bibles.
No one sent to camps or deported as far as I know so I don’t think the bad news was as ubiquitous as the article indicates.
He did, however, ensure my grandfather enlisted because he was concerned folks would question their loyalty.
He went over in naval reserves as an officer since he was a maritime engineer as well. Only in it for a a month or two since they didn’t call him up until near the end.
Yeah, the Brit papers are real big into pushing 100 year old Hun false flag operations.
Fey!
“Anti-German sentiment was very strong. The city of Berlin, Ontario changed its name to Kitchener in 1916.”
Ive heard that there were even German shepherd dogs shot.
I might add that the technique the Reich used by publishing ads in the NYT is akin to what Islamic terrorists do today—advertise their intent and carry it out no matter how reprehensible or abominable and no matter how many international agreements it violates (the latter has social media at its disposal to foment that).
Not to mention, the Ottoman Empire (Islamic Caliphate) was a major member of the Central Powers.
Cincinnati was, and is, a huge German city. They changed many street names and neighborhood names during WWI. My family members were harassed because of our German Surname.
Bismarck said that. The man whom the capital of North Dakota is named for.
The population of the US in 1920 was 106 million. So the author is an idiot, or was counting fingers rather than noses.
Also, no offense meant towards your grandfather, but the Ottoman Empire (Caliphate) was a major ally of Germany in the Central Powers. Had the Allies not brought that Islamic empire to an end, then it’s possible that the State of Israel might not have come into existence, with the region remaining under the name “Southern Syria”. It’s also notable that the Islamic terrorists of today use Caliphate revanchism as a major component of its incitement against Israel.
I believe that was said by a smarter man than the Kaiser...
Not so much if the prisoners were Russians. ..................... I don’t think Russia was a signatory, besides, Stalin didn’t give a crap. He let his own son die. The Germans used Russian POWs as farm helpers and recruited many to serve on the western front. In the end the non communist Russians were sold out at Yalta. We technically wrote their death warrants when we could have made them part of Patton’s Russian invasion. God forbid we did anything to cure Russia of Stalin, with all the support he had in our Government at the time. If he was alive today there still would be major support for ole Uncle Joe.
I don’t doubt it. G-d had a plan. He always does.
Regarding my grandfather, my grand father was a proud Germany and career German military officer — until 1936 or so. It was very difficult for him to think badly of a country he loved so much.
I got a different spin from my French-Jewish grandparents and Polish/German Jewish grandmother. No love lost there.
Plenty has been released. There was an active network:
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/22/us/1941-cables-boasted-of-japanese-american-spying.html
None of the Volga-German members of my family tree got sent to camps after they came to the USA circa 1915.
Seems they fared MUCH better than those who stayed behind and were sent to Siberia and Kazakhstan during the Bolchevik exercises in ethnic cleansing.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Volga-Germans+gulags+bolshevik
How do you explain that?
Germans and their offspring in the Upper Midwest (Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc) didn’t suffer much as they tended to be a majority most places.
The article discussed how many had minimal problems.
Did you not read it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.