The Great War: Ethnic Conflict for Chicago's German-Americans
1987; Oxford University Press; Volume: 2; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/maghis/2.4.46
ISSN1938-2340
Autores Tópico(s)American History and Culture
ResumoChicago's industrial center has always attracted a large number and wide variety of ethnic groups. At the out break of World War I in August, 1914, only 752,111 of Chicago's 2,437,526 people were considered native-born citi zens. Chicago's Germans were the largest foreign group, numbering 399,977, and were among the most prosperous and com fortable of the city's citizens (Holli 262). In spite of their numbers and achievements, Chicago's German-Americans would meet conflict and hostility and be pressured to compromise and reevaluate their place in Chicago during the time of the war. When German Chicagoans learned of the outbreak of the Great War there was an obvious initial reaction. A pro-German fervor swept the German pockets of the Northside, known as the nordseite because of the expansive German neigh borhoods. Here the streets resembled those in the Fatherland with bands play ing German songs and the colors of Germany decorating storefronts. There seemed to be no doubt that Kaiser Wilhelm would prove German superiority to the rest of the world. Two thousand German-American men signed up to join the fight on the side of the Kaiser (264). In the beginning, American public opinion was neutral in regard to this war in Europe, but time and events replaced that opinion with sympathy toward the allies. German papers like the Abendpost wrote articles protesting the biased news coverage and demanded that more be written sympathizing with Germany (Hofmeister 62). To counter balance the pro-Allied press, The Fatherland, a nationally distributed German paper printed in both languages, advocated the German cause. It was published in America, but secretly funded by the German government, as was discovered fifteen years after the war (Holli May 86). Powerful Chicago men, including Oscar Mayer and Charles Wacker, circulated a petition declaring that loyalty to the United States in no way prevented sympathy to the people of Germany (Holli 265). The greatest fear of the vocal Chicago Germans was that President Wilson would enter the war on the side of Britain. While showing their love for Germany in speeches, rallies, and donations to the German Red Cross, six thousand German Chicagoans attended a patriotic meeting at the Coliseum on July 4, 1916, to pledge unconditional loyalty to the United States (Hofmeister 67). At the same time Germans partici pated in this kind of patriotic expres sion, they remained active and suppor tive of the National German-American Alliance, an ethnic lodge primarily devoted to keeping German culture alive in America. It was the largest and most important ethnic club in the nation and was politically influential in Chicago (Holli May 86). In these years prior to
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