From about 1890 to 1918, the United States embarked on a quest to increase the worldwide prestige of the United States. The United States expanded its territories, adding Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico with the victory over Spain in the War of 1898. Imperialists who supported this expansion often used an unique brand of Social Darwinism, referred to as American Exceptionalism, to justify these acquisitions. This heightened American patriotism and American perceptions regarding race and loyalties, which, in turn, led to fears of conflicting German American loyalties during World War 1. German Americans were specifically singled out because German Americans had particularly close ties to their mother country and German Americans
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The close ties that German Americans felt to their German heritage singled out this ethnic group as the target for racist sentiments. The advertisement in Fatherland proved that German Americans were quite patriotic and supported their country of origin openly, even when the United States was at war with their country of origin, because the existence of a specialized journal specifically for German Americans meant that many immigrants thought it worthwhile to keep a strong connection to Germany through the reading of current political news. It is interesting to note that Fatherland felt safe enough to openly advertise pro-German songs in 1915, because this proves that German Americans did not immediately fall under scrutiny when World War 1 started. This initial acceptance of German patriotism might prove that anti-German American sentiment was a product of the war, and not …show more content…
The sign in a Chicago park reflected the fear that many Americans harbored during this time, and these fears were undoubtedly enflamed by government propaganda produced by the Committee on Public Information. The person who made this sign was likely reacting to the demonization of German Americans that was common in government propaganda, and this sign acts as yet another form of propaganda. The sign reinforced government propaganda because the placement in a public space meant that Americans were almost always in the presence of some form of propaganda, which probably had a subliminal effect on their fears regarding German Americans and Americans’ patriotism for the war effort. Gerard’s radio address also put forth the idea that Americans were either patriots or the enemy, which perpetuated the “us versus them” mentality of the war. This idea implies that anyone with conflicting loyalties was the enemy, which negatively impacted Americans with “hyphenated” identities. It is important to note, that as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, Gerard was in a public government role and, consequently, had much more influence than someone without government ties. Therefore, Gerard’s address should be considered as very influential on the American public’s opinion
The close ties that German Americans felt to their German heritage singled out this ethnic group as the target for racist sentiments. The advertisement in Fatherland proved that German Americans were quite patriotic and supported their country of origin openly, even when the United States was at war with their country of origin, because the existence of a specialized journal specifically for German Americans meant that many immigrants thought it worthwhile to keep a strong connection to Germany through the reading of current political news. It is interesting to note that Fatherland felt safe enough to openly advertise pro-German songs in 1915, because this proves that German Americans did not immediately fall under scrutiny when World War 1 started. This initial acceptance of German patriotism might prove that anti-German American sentiment was a product of the war, and not …show more content…
The sign in a Chicago park reflected the fear that many Americans harbored during this time, and these fears were undoubtedly enflamed by government propaganda produced by the Committee on Public Information. The person who made this sign was likely reacting to the demonization of German Americans that was common in government propaganda, and this sign acts as yet another form of propaganda. The sign reinforced government propaganda because the placement in a public space meant that Americans were almost always in the presence of some form of propaganda, which probably had a subliminal effect on their fears regarding German Americans and Americans’ patriotism for the war effort. Gerard’s radio address also put forth the idea that Americans were either patriots or the enemy, which perpetuated the “us versus them” mentality of the war. This idea implies that anyone with conflicting loyalties was the enemy, which negatively impacted Americans with “hyphenated” identities. It is important to note, that as the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, Gerard was in a public government role and, consequently, had much more influence than someone without government ties. Therefore, Gerard’s address should be considered as very influential on the American public’s opinion