Americanization

Resha Caner

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I finished up my classes for the semester a few weeks ago, but I thought it might be interesting to share a few historical tidbits that I found.

I knew German-Americans were under pressure during WWI and WWII, but I didn't realize the extent of it. I knew Lutheran churches started placing American flags in the church to relieve the pressure, but I didn't realize Budweiser changed its label (removed a German eagle and switched the German-language motto to English). That may sound somewhat humorous and a minor thing, but it was prompted by the fact that German-American brewers were brought before Congress as part of an investigation into their loyalty.

And, again, that may seem to be only a "German" thing and not necessarily a "Lutheran" thing, but the KKK executed a plan in Texas to "Americanize" Lutheran churches during that time period. Not only were they forced to stop preaching in German, but were pressured to give up any messages that didn't fit the KKK idea of American Christianity. The pressure was intense enough that German-Americans began moving out of Texas (the second such movement, with the first occurring during the Civil War).

I would like to think the Confessional theology of the LCMS remained intact through all of that, but I do wonder what other peripheral things were affected.
 

Albion

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And similar events occurred in other parts of the country. German language newspapers ceased publication forever, sports clubs that featured gymnastics, etc. that were popular among German-Americans but not the population generally went out of business lest they be seen as some sort of secret societies, and much more in that vein. Cities with names borrowed from older German ones were renamed (the same thing happened with Russian names and references later on).

We think today of German-Americans as typically American, but that wasn't the way it was before the events you speak of. Not that everyone saw them as dangerous or anti-American, but the ethnic identity in such cities as Milwaukee and Cincinnati was as strong as it is with Hispanic neighborhoods in many cities today.
 
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JackRT

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The same sort of thing was happening in Canada. My high school biology teacher was a German born Jesuit priest. During the war he had to report in to the police once a week and could not travel without police permission.
 
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Resha Caner

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We think today of German-Americans as typically American, but that wasn't the way it was before the events you speak of. Not that everyone saw them as dangerous or anti-American, but the ethnic identity in such cities as Milwaukee and Cincinnati was as strong as it is with Hispanic neighborhoods in many cities today.

Right, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee were the big 3. My historical studies are mainly focused in the St. Louis area due to the LCMS and the fact that I'm in a program at Missouri State.

I think some apprehension regarding German immigrants in the U.S. is understandable, and taking some precautions is not totally unreasonable, but it went way beyond what was necessary.

The Midwestern and Texan communities were different than the "Pennsylvania Dutch" communities of the east. German immigrants specifically picked those locations because they were outside the American mainstream at the time. They were naive enough to believe the American rhetoric about freedom, and expected they would be allowed to create independent communities underpinned by their own culture. In their mind, "American culture" was an oxymoron.

Though of an earlier time period (and a different mindset), I also found the development of the legal structure of the Lutheran church in the Pennsylvania colony fascinating. It changed my view of what "church" means in the U.S.
 
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Charlie7399

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Same thing happened here in Brazil. Germans who (because of isolation) knew no language other than their own suddenly had to either speak Portuguese or be arrested, and anything German-related was either "de-germanised" or just simply closed. My school (the oldest in the city) barely escaped the latter by hiring Brazilian staff and doing everything the government told them to. We even had concentration camps for people who didn't manage to assimilate enough.
 
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MarkRohfrietsch

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During WW I in Kitchener (Formerly "New Berlin") the local armories would go on early Church Parade each Sunday. After their Anglican services, they would march into a different Lutheran Church each Sunday, march the men outside at bayonet point then harass, belittle and even assault them. My Grandfather's cousins endured this there. By WW II, things had leveled off.
 
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Resha Caner

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During WW I in Kitchener (Formerly "New Berlin") the local armories would go on early Church Parade each Sunday. After their Anglican services, they would march into a different Lutheran Church each Sunday, march the men outside at bayonet point then harass, belittle and even assault them. My Grandfather's cousins endured this there. By WW II, things had leveled off.

So the name changed. Did anything else change because of the harassment?

There is a possible parallel between this and African-American churches. I can't say the harassment was as extreme or as prolonged for German-Americans, but the abuse endured by African-Americans appears to me to have had a definite impact on their churches, so I wonder if any changes occurred in Lutheran churches.

For example, was the KKK Americanization campaign effective? At least partially?
 
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MarkRohfrietsch

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So the name changed. Did anything else change because of the harassment?

There is a possible parallel between this and African-American churches. I can't say the harassment was as extreme or as prolonged for German-Americans, but the abuse endured by African-Americans appears to me to have had a definite impact on their churches, so I wonder if any changes occurred in Lutheran churches.

For example, was the KKK Americanization campaign effective? At least partially?

British imperialistic patriotism in the context of war; German Language continued; German Liturgy disappeared but German culture remains; Kitchener hosts the second largest Oktoberfest in the world; second only to Munich.

Blacks here in Southern Ontario fared quite well and still do (we were the northern terminus of the "Underground Railway"; Uncle Tom's Cabin). There was a fair bit of segregation of Catholics in some parts of the province, but never "visible minorities". No KKK, but there was a very active Orange Lodge.
 
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Shane R

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There were enclaves that were mostly unaffected: specifically the Dakotas and rural regions of Minnesota, Montana, and Wyoming. My Grandmother - a lifelong North Dakotan, whose family was Lutheran from the time Norway established a state church, often complained about going to the Norwegian liturgy as a child because she never learned the language and was thoroughly bored the whole time. There were churches still serving the German Lutheran Mass into the 90's.
 
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Charlie7399

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Kitchener hosts the second largest Oktoberfest in the world; second only to Munich.

Ahem. I think you'll find that it shares (or disputes) the title of "second largest" with the one in Blumenau, here in Brazil :D
 
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FireDragon76

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I have to say this is a really cool topic and it would be great to find something like a documentary or book on the German-American experience. Quite a few of my grandparents had German-American parents, and I don't know a lot about them. There's not too much left "German" in my family except a few family recipes, and I suspect that's the case for a lot of people in the US with German ancestry.

Most of my German-American ancestors were Brethren, a pietist movement influenced by the Second Great Awakening. I don't know if any were Lutheran.
 
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MarkRohfrietsch

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Interesting also, but in Canada there were areas where shades of pietism had influence on (at that time) LCMS parishes. Some had prohibitions against playing cards (not just gambling) buying lottery tickets, Life Insurance (before Lutheran Life, which was started to counter this) and dancing (non Lutherans called this "Lutheran Legs"); I have even heard it said that Lutherans were not allowed to have sex standing up as it might lead to Dancing.

Some of this pietism persisted into the 1980's. I think the source was close contact with the large number of reformed protestant groups and their influence on both society and politics.

During the 70's in my Chruch, the fellowship club and LWML were not allowed to have Euchre parties in the Chruch basement, so they would meet at one of the members homes. We did, however, have a bowling alley that we set up in sections, and we also had the floor tiled with shuffle-boards and a good stock of chrokinole boards.

No dancing; but there were always dances at St. Patrick's Catholic parish hall a few miles to the north of us. Fair bit of Catholic/Lutheran intermarriage in our area as well.
 
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JM

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