American History

The United States has experienced a massive wave of immigrants coming from Europe since the 19th century and this went on to the middle of the 20th century following the end of the First World War.  Most of them emigrated to escape the poor economic conditions of their mother land or seek freedom in America owing to the oppressive regimes.  These immigrants would naturally form their own enclaves in parts of American cities where the feeling of community still exists among them while others dared to strike out on their own and emulate the pioneers of the west had done to find their niche in America.

When the First World War broke out, mass emigration from Europe continued.  The United States continued to take in immigrants coming from the belligerent nations such as Italy, England, France and Russia (Allies) as well as those from Germany, and Austria-Hungary (Central Powers) and this was one of the reasons why it assumed an isolationist stance as it wanted to avoid any political entanglements in what appeared to be a wholly European affair and this was extended to the newly-arrived immigrants.   The United States could not afford to be seen accommodating one ethnic group while excluding the other.  Not only would this go against their democratic ideals but it would send a political message that they were siding with one coalition albeit not participating actively.  This all changed when the United States entered the war in 1917 following unrestricted German attacks on Allied shipping which also carried American passengers and the discovery of a German conspiracy to get Mexico go to war against the United States.  It was here that immigration decreased.  Suspected  enemy aliens  from Germany and Austria-Hungary were detained on Ellis Island, an immigrant processing center for those coming from Europe.  A year later, these enemy aliens would be relocated to other detention facilities within the United States as the military took over the facility.  Further arrivals were halted on the boats and docks as inspections were carried out there.

Within the United States, there was brewing resentment against Germans and this was also directed at Americans of German descent and newly-arrived immigrants as well.  Some did profess support or loyalty to Germany.  One such example was Hugo Munsterberg, a professor from Harvard University.  He tried so hard to keep ties between and Germany and America strong but in the end he chose to be a German first and supported the cause of the Fatherland.  This was also apparent in other American cities as well as several others were allegedly spying or supporting the German war effort.

There had been widespread persecution and discrimination as the result of the backlash of Germanys aggression.  The Red Cross barred people with German-sounding names from joining fearing sabotage, as well as a spate of lynchings and assaults on German-Americans.  There was also a widespread campaign to erase all traces of German heritage in America such as the renaming of streets or towns making allusions to Germany and removing all German-authored books in libraries.  But there were other German-Americans who professed their loyalty to their new country.  This manifestation ranged from buying war bonds to Americanizing their names such as  Schmidt  to  Smith  or  Schneider  to  Snyder  as a gesture of loyalty to America.

It was a different story among Americans of Italian descent.  As members of an  allied  nation, they were spared from the persecution of German-Americans.  They too answered the call to arms, including the new immigrants who were eager to show their loyalty to their new country.  Most initially planned to return to Italy once they have made a name for themselves.  Unfortunately, the war altered their plans and they eventually put up roots in America.  One such individual was Fiorello LaGuardia who was an army officer who went on to become the Mayor of New York City during the 1930s.  Polish-Americans were fiercely patriotic and freedom-loving people.

Despite taking a different citizenship, they still had cultural ties with Poland and were eager to see America join the fight on the side of the Russians when they learned Tsar Nicholas II was willing to grant Poland independence.  They were so fiercely patriotic that most of them wanted to form their own military outfit even though several of them did enlist in the United States Army.  The United States government refused but the French offered to enlist them.  They became known as the  Blue Army.

Among the African-Americans, the war was an opportunity to assert their pride and loyalty and the hopes that they would be treated as equals in a society where most people looked down on them.  Like in previous military campaigns, they answered the call to arms and they were so numerous that the quotas were quickly filled and many had to be turned back.  But this was only the Army as the other service branches forbade them to enlist in their ranks though the Navy took them in as mess attendants.  They were ill-treated within the ranks and it was through the persistent efforts of the  National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People (NAACP) that reforms were carried out.   Nevertheless, these colored units served with distinction throughout the war and they even won the admiration of the French not only for their valor as several of them won the French Legion of Honor, Frances highest military decoration but for their musical talents as well like the 803rd  Pioneer Infantry Band.

In conclusion, German-Americans and African-Americans took the brunt of the resentment and hatred during the First World War, especially the latter.  Like those Americans of Polish and Italian descent, a lot of them, still professed their loyalty to the United States in the face of the mistrust and by the time the war was over, they had distinguished themselves and proven their worth to be considered Americans.