Beat Back The Hun

I’ve tried my whole life to understand Grandma’s perfectionism. She had a deep seated need to control her entire world. What happened to her that caused those dark moods? There were times when we sat at the Steinway, and I was having trouble with a particular piece, she was so loving and gentle. Then other times, on those dark days, she would turn on me. I knew it must have had something to do with her German ancestry. But, she never told me the stories of what it was like to grow up during World War I as a German American. It must have been horrible.

During World War I, German Americans were often accused of being too sympathetic to Germany. Former president Theodore Roosevelt denounced “hyphenated Americanism”, insisting that dual loyalties were impossible in wartime. A small minority came out for Germany, or ridiculed the British (as did H. L. Mencken). Similarly, Harvard psychology professor Hugo Münsterberg dropped his efforts to mediate between America and Germany, and threw his efforts behind the German cause.

The Justice Department attempted to prepare a list of all German aliens, counting approximately 480,000 of them, more than 4,000 of whom were imprisoned in 1917-18. The allegations included spying for Germany, or endorsing the German war effort. Thousands were forced to buy war bonds to show their loyalty. The Red Cross barred individuals with German last names from joining in fear of sabotage. One person was killed by a mob; in Collinsville, Illinois, German-born Robert Prager was dragged from jail as a suspected spy and lynched.

When the United States entered the war in 1917, some German Americans were looked upon with suspicion and attacked regarding their loyalty. Some aliens were convicted and imprisoned on charges of sedition, for refusing to swear allegiance to the United States war effort.