The Patriotism of German Americans in Minnesota During World War I
                                                     By: Dana Peterson
                                                         April 2004
According to the 1990 census, German Americans are the largest ethnic group in the United State.  Twenty-three percent of this country's population claim to be of German decedents.
The majority of these German Americans live in the Upper Midwest states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska,  Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
  German Americans celebrate their heritage through a variety of festivals that showcase their unique culture.  Thousands come to festivals such as Oktoberfest or New Ulm Days in Minnesota to participate by dancing to polka music, drinking beer, and eating bratwurst and sauerkraut.   It is hard to imagine what Minnesota would be like today without its strong German culture. Yet many of these common Minnesotan traits were once banned throughout the state during a time when anti-Germanic actions were common in this country.
In 1917, the United States joined in the fight against Germany in the Great War.  Germans Americans, and decedents of Germans, were feared to be German spies and disloyal to America.  They became targets of discrimination, prejudice, and deprived of their constitutional rights for the duration of the war.  Because German American citizens accounted for close to the majority of the state's population, Minnesotans feared an uprising by German loyalists.  An uprising by German Americans could have easily happened in this state, but these citizens chose a different route.  They chose one of loyalty, education, and passive resistance to accusations of
disloyalty. The patriotism of German Americans in Minnesota developed during World War I because of the intense discrimination they encountered.
Being classified as coming from German heritage does not necessarily mean that a person is from Germany. Germany has a long history of states breaking off and then reunifying.  Prussia was the largest and most dominant of the thirty-eight smaller states before reunification in 1871.  One of the goals of Kaiser Wilhelm II was to reunify these separate states again.
  Because of the separation and reunification that had taken place, the people, languages, religions, and cultures have many shared ideas, yet are still differentiated.   For the purpose of this paper, the term German will refer to the Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups definition, which is, all immigrants born in Imperial Germany
Most people who came from this region did speak the German language, however through the separation of countries, new forms of Old High German developed, some examples of these would be Bavarian, Yiddish, and Low German.  The most common form of the language was Hochdeutsch or High German.
  The religions of Germans also varied depending on the region.  The two predominate religions are Catholicism and Lutheranism.  There are other various religions in Germany, some of these include: Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Jewish, and Turners.  Turners are agnostic and believe in promoting physical education and disseminate
rational ideas in order to advance health, happiness, prosperity, and the progress of mankind.
  The Germans brought much of their heritage with them when they came to the United States.  Theybrought cuisine, such as sauerkraut; beverages, such as beer and wines; folk music and dance, for example the polka; and many new ideas and inventions.  Germans were rich with heritage and culture; their emigration to the United States  gave the American people a little feel of Germany.
Germans immigrated to the United States for a variety of reasons.  Like many other immigrants, they came to escape persecution, wars, and famine.  They were farmers, laborers,
scholars, tradesmen, and peasants, all seeking a better life; one that would be full of freedom and a chance to better themselves.  Germans came to America in six distinctive phases.  The first one was during the Colonization period.  Most came to escape religious persecution like the pilgrims who first settled in this country.  The second phase came after the American Revolutionary War was fought with England.  Germans saw this country as a truly free land where they would have rights.  Many of these immigrants were peasants.  The third phase brought the laborers and the gold diggers.  This was during the time when gold was discovered in California and everyone wanted a piece of it. They would later be known as the forty-eighters
The fourth phase was just before World War I began.  Many scholars left Germany since Prussia was beginning to break up, and a new kaiser had taken over with radical ideas.  America was again flooded with German immigrants as soon as World War II had ended.  Many were looking to escape the horror of what the war had revealed about Germany.  The final phase is actually still going on today.
Immigrants from Germany are coming to America to live and learn about this country.
When the immigrants reached America, they had to decide where they were going to settle.  Many stayed close to where they landed and settled in New York or Pennsylvania.
Others headed to the Midwest to look for cheap land and higher wages.  By 1850, over half of Germans had settled in the Midwest.  Many were drawn to Minnesota when the Homestead Act of 1862 was put into place.  Minnesota had a lot to offer Germans.  First, they did not mind the climate or environment since it was similar to Germany's.  Secondly, Minnesota had excellent natural resources for beginning a new life.  For example, it had fertile soil for farming, woods for housing and fuel, and rivers and lakes for water and transportation.  Finally, Minnesota was not involved in the slavery dispute.  Immigrants looked at Minnesota as a peaceful state.
Once the immigrants chose to live in Minnesota, they began to settle all over the state.  The occupation they were inclined toward dictated where they decided to settle.  Those who came for higher wages settled up North to work in the lumber mills and mining camps.  Those who came looking for business opportunities settled in the Twin Cities, which presented itself with unlimited entrepreneurial opportunities.  Finally, those who came to work the land settled in central and southern Minnesota because of its fertile soil.
Certain areas quickly became popular with German Americans.  New Ulm area, Ramsey County, and Stearns County are examples .
These areas still remain densely populated with
people of German heritage. Living in areas that had higher concentrations helped keep the German culture alive within the community.  Most schools taught in German, the majority of church services were given in German, and a sense of comradery and security was felt among these people.  They could freely talk about their homeland, politics between the two countries, and continue German practices.  This, however would all change when World War I broke out and the United States entered into the war against Germany in 1917.With the United States now fully engaged in the war, propaganda began to spread across the country rapidly.  It was hard to trust your own neighbor, for fear they were a German spy.  A new witch hunt began, this time focusing on German Americans.  Scholar Robert Nisbet called this crusade,;the most complete thought control ever exercised on Americans;
  Minnesota had its own way of dealing with propaganda and rooting out German supporters, when the state had created the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety (MCPS).  Minnesota was the first state to pass the law in under which the MCPS was established.  This law was passed April 23, 1917, two weeks after the United States declared war on Germany. Minnesota was looked at as a pivotal state because it was one of only two states at the time that had, peculiar resources which are absolutely essential to the country's industrial life under any conditions and the interruption in the production of which in war times would paralyze the nation's arms. This was according to the Commission of Public Safety.
Minnesota was the breadbasket of the United States.  Not only was it rich in food production, it also had the iron mines and the lumber that
was desperately needed for war production .   The MCPS was formed to prevent any tampering with the production of food and mining.  The state saw this to be a public matter.  The Commission was organized of seven men and headed by Governor J.A.A. Burnquist.  They had the power to control anything from food and liquor production to rooting out disloyal citizens.
The Commission did much to Minnesota in a short amount of time. It helped pass prohibition laws, regulated the price of food, and pushed liberty bond sales.  Yet, its primary concern was to root out all disloyal citizens, and this meant concentrating on German-Americans.   Propaganda was everywhere and it lead Americans to believe that Germans were evil and not to be trusted.  The MCPS helped push these ideas by releasing new posters, flyers, and advertisements in newspapers, which led to a near panic of distraught neighbors and concerned citizens.  The MCPS was soon flooded with reports and letters from these people, receiving thousands through the duration of the war.   One letter that was written to the MCPS was a citizen complaining that a post office did not have an American flag displayed.  When questioned, the postman said that he didn't know what to do since he would get harassed by fellow Germans if he did hang it, and harassed by other citizen if he didn't.
Unable to keep up with all of the complaints, the commission organized a private police force.
These men were trained and then sent back to their hometowns.  They were in charge of maintaining the peace
and trying to find German sympathizers. They were known as the commission's private spies.   These spies regularly reported to the commission of their findings.   The commission called upon them to handle smaller matters.  Of course, more spies were placed where the German  American population was higher, such as Stearns County, Ramsey County, the  Minnesota River Valley, and New Ulm.
New Ulm became the setting for the MCPS's prime example of German disloyalty.  All  eyes would turn on this small, German town in 1917, and Minnesotans started to believe
everything that the MCPS had warned about Germans was true.  On July 25, 1917, a meeting was held at Turner Park in New Ulm to discuss America's entrance into the Great War and what the draft meant to young men.  The mayor, Louis Frische and County Attorney, Albert Pfaender called for the meeting since so many citizens seemed confused about the draft.   Over eight thousand people came to listen to the speakers and ask questions. Most of these citizen came from the surrounding areas and the majority of them where of German heritage.  The three main speakers were Louis Frische, Albert Pfaender and Dr. Adolph Ackermann, president of Martin Luther College.  They were to speak about the war against Germany and about what obligations American citizens had during war.  Posters were hung around the county announcing a draft protest meeting that night.  Drafted men marched down the street, and a marching band played a series of patriotic tunes.  The meeting began with the Mayor urging all speakers to discuss proper, peaceable, and legal means.  The point of the meeting was to petition Congress to only send volunteers to fight the war and not those who did not want to go.  It was not that Germans did not want to fight because of  political reasons, it was the cultural bond that they shared with Germany that made them not want to go.  To many, this sounded like a peaceful gathering of
concerned citizens, but the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety did not see it as such.  They saw it as a direct act of disloyalty and something had to be done about it.  This was the perfect opportunity for the MCPS to show it's determination.  After a quick investigation, the MCPS recommended that the top three New Ulm officials, Mayor Frische, Attorney Pfaender, and County Auditor Vogel, to be suspended from their offices until the completion of the investigation.  The three were offered a deal if they signed a confession admitting of their wrongdoings, but all refused.  They were suspended and brought to trial.  Vogel and Frische were both found not guilty.  Frische went on to be elected for another term as the Mayor of New Ulm.  Pfaender was found guilty of gross misconduct and disbarred from the State Bar Association.   Finally, Dr. Ackermann was fired from Martin Luther College after twenty-four years of service.
he New Ulm incident proved to be one of the most notorious acts of the MCPS.  From then on, the commission kept a close eye on all of the activities in New Ulm. They sent their secret police to New Ulm to make sure that everything was in order.  The spies took note of everything and sent their findings back to headquarters.  On August 23, 1917, for instance, a report was sent to the MCPS that included who the spy talked to and their feelings on the war.  It also recorded every place Dr. Ackermann went and what he purchased and from whom he purchased it.  It also included a count of how many US flags were in the town.
It was not only the MCPS on the lookout for German sympathizers, it was also Minnesota citizens that began to
worry.  They sent letters to the commission of names and observations they made of their neighbors.  If a person was tried for acts of disloyalty, hate mail from fellow Minnesotans would follow the trial, convicted or not.  Anyone holding any kind of public office was reviewed by the commission and urged to do nothing but patriotic acts, play patriotic songs, and talk about how to be a true patriot to one's country.
The word German became a curse word.  Children began to use it to tease their peers.  Parents of German heritage encouraged their children to lie about their background.  Schools became a target of discrimination.  In 1917, before the United States entered the war, 198 of the 220 Minnesota schools taught the German language as a class.  One hundred of these schools used German throughout the majority of the day.  The Minnesota Commission of Public Safety issued a committee to review all the textbooks used in the classrooms for German propaganda.   Only twenty-two books were deemed ;unobjectionable by the committee.  Those were the only books that the school boards could pick from.  The Commission's motto of  "One Country, One Flag, One People, and One Speech"  seemed to be making headway.
The commission's next step was to outlaw the teaching and usage of the German language and shut down all German schools.  However, Minnesota became one of the few states that did not outlaw any of these.  While neighboring states had public bonfires, burning any book by a German author or any textbook that mentioned Germany in it, the commission allowed the teaching of the German language to remain in schools.  This became a controversy throughout communities.  Concerned citizens sent letters to the commission, publically charging teachers of being German sympathizers, and swarmed the school boards with concerns for their children's
safety.  Many teachers were also put on trial charged with disloyalty.  Most of the charges were, however, dropped.  Teachers and children alike soon joined loyalty leagues such as the Teachers' Patriotic Leagues and Little Citizens League in Minnesota schools.
Although the MCPS never outlawed the usage or teaching of German, it was highly frowned upon.  Many schools stopped for fear of being labeled as German sympathizers.  The usage of the language in public was shunned.  Children of German heritage quickly began to lose a vital part of their heritage.
While German Americans were losing their culture, they and the rest of the country were gaining a new one; it was one of American patriotism.  Wars always bring out pride, patriotism, and nationalism in any country involved, regardless of time or place.  What these three words mean does change, and these changes reflect differently on time and place.  To show patriotism of one's country not only depends on what the definition of the word means in that country, it also depends on individuals.  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of patriotism is,'love for or devotion to one's country.'
This is a very broad definition of the word.  The meanings of the  words"love"and "devotion"can be interpreted by individuals in a variety of ways.  Citizens will take this loose definition and assign different personal meanings behind it.  This was no different when the Great War broke out in Europe.  Webster's Dictionary of 1913 defined patriotism as, "Love of country; devotion to the welfare of one's country; the virtues and actions of a patriot; the passion which inspires one to serve one's country."
Although this definition is narrower than the current definition, it still leaves enough  room for individuals
to mold it into their own terms.  Not only did individuals manipulate the definition, but so did to the government of the United States of America.
Government agencies, such as the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety, began to put specifications on what they considered to be patriotic.  Some of the common specifications included fighting for one's country and how many liberty bonds a citizen purchased from the government to support the cause.  These criteria, along with many others, were used as tests to prove loyalty to the United States of America in this time of war.  Once the United States was fully engaged in the war, the government used Anti-Germanic propaganda to lead American citizens  to believe that German spies were in America and that no person of German heritage could be trusted.  German Americans would have to prove their patriotism and loyalty to their fellow Americans through discriminatory tests during the duration of the Great War.
When German Americans first immigrated to  America, they settled in communities with  high Germanic concentrations.  In these small communities, they felt safe to practice traditions expressing their German culture.  Most immigrants did not lose their heritage when they first came over because they could survive in the United States without having to learn much of the English language or about the government and laws. Because they did not learn about the foundations of this country, it was hard for these immigrants to be truly patriotic citizens.   It was not because of their loyalty to Germany's government that they lacked loyalty to this country.  In fact, many  German Americans in the country when the Great War broke out came here to escape from Germany's government.  They had left after the Revolution of 1848 that failed to bring reform to Germany.  The bond of German Americans to Germany was a cultural and sentimental
one, rather than political.
It was not until World War I that German Americans really had to choose between their cultural heritage, and their new found home.  They were forced to choose one or the other.  If one chose to be an American patriot, they would give up their German identity.  However, if one chose to embrace their German heritage, they would be branded as a German spy.  They could not have both.   Most identified themselves as Americans before they would identify themselves as German.
American citizens all over the United States made sacrifices for the war effort once the United States declared war on Germany in 1917.  Men sacrificed their lives in service to their country, yet this did not exclude them from the discrimination.  Fort Snelling reports several scares of German sympathizers among the soldiers.  Soldiers who were training were taught to, "kill some Germans, exterminate them, wipe them out, and blow them to pieces."  Training to these mottos, it has very hard for soldiers to trust their comrades of German decent.  One reported instance showed officials intercepting mail for a German solider and reading it.  The soldier's commission was withheld and later was requested to leave because of the distrust.
  Women sacrificed clothing and food to make sure their soldiers had enough supplies.  German Americans sacrificed their culture to show their devotion to their country.  Because of the discrimination that they faced, many German Americans kept quiet about their background and where they descended from.  Some changed their last name to sound less German.  The last name of"Schwartz", for
example, was literally translated into the last name of "Black."
This was more simplistic and did not give away heritage; it was American.  Last names were not the only thing that German Americans had to change to not attract attention during the war, they also would sacrifice their strongholds in communities.
St. Paul was home to a large population of German Americans around the turn of the century.  Germans living not only around the St. Paul area, but also throughout the state, prided themselves on the Statue of Germania in front of the Germania Life Insurance Building.  This statue resembled one in Germany that signified the celebration of the German Kingdom.  On April 1, 1917, this statue was removed from the building to signify the anti-Germanic movement that was taking place throughout Minnesota.  The insurance agency also changed it's name to Guardian Life Insurance, to sound less German.  Germans were also hit hard when the German decor in the state capitol's cafeteria was painted over, wiping out over twenty-three Germanic mottos that were in scrawled  upon the ceiling.  Even the name of sauerkraut, a German dish, was changed to "victory cabbage," so that people would eat it without fearing of the German ties it held.
German Americans went along with these changes and put up no fight when they came to tear down the statue or paint over the words.  They did not fight because they loved this country.  Many were born here in the United States; they were second generation immigrants, and only knew of Germany from what they were told about it by parents and elders.  This was their homeland.  Young men of German heritage joined the fight with their fellow citizens and went off
to Europe.  They felt a passion to serve their country in any way they could, even if that meant dying.  Citizens of German heritage showed their patriotism to the United States through their sacrifice of language, pride, and life.
German Americans also showed their patriotism through acts of citizenship.  When the United States declared war in 1917, it needed, not only the support of Americans, but also
contributions from citizens as well.   Liberty bonds were the government's way of borrowing money from American citizens to sponsor the war effort.  Bond drives took place in every city, town, and community in America.  The more one bought, the more patriotic one was.  One of the main purposes of loyalty leagues was to make sure that everyone was buying bonds.  These leagues would organize parades, drives, and speeches to get the word out for the need of money.  They would put up posters and send out letters to buy one, two, three bonds to support the country.  German American citizens were targeted to buy these bonds.  One letter to a New Ulm resident asked for a purchase of a third liberty loan and specified that, ";it will get the money from those who ought to furnish it... those who are truly loyal... will respond cheerfully to this and every other demand that is made upon them."
German Americans felt an obligation to show that they were loyal to this country.  One way of doing that was to purchase as many war bonds
as possible.  Not only did this show the government that they were loyal, it also showed their
neighbors.  That was where the majority of the harassment came from.  Although Germans  were worried of the eyes of the MCPS, they were even more leery of their neighbors.  When the
anti-Germanic movement began during World War I, many German business owners lost their businesses or were forced out due to boycotts.  Americans refused to buy anything that was made or touched my a German. Neighbors would burn farms, splash yellow paint on doors or barns, and even tar and feather those who they believed were German sympathizers.
One case of tar and feathering went to the Minnesota Supreme Court.  John Meints, of Luverne, Minnesota sued his neighbors who tarred and feathered him because they believed he was a German sympathizer.  Meints won his case and the neighbors were ordered to pay for damages, but Meints would be forever scarred by their actions.
Although the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety had many reports of Germans not displaying the flag, these were rare occurrences.  German Americans tried not to bring attention to themselves, they wanted to show their neighbors whose side they were on.  The flag was a national symbol of patriotism.  German flags were replaced by American ones.  The flag was also used as a device of humiliation for some German citizens.  The MCPS's secret police would make them kneel down and kiss the flag to prove where their patriotism lied.  This was something that was unique to German American citizens during the war; no other American citizens were forced to do this.
By purchasing war bonds and publically displaying the American flag, German Americans showed patriotism.  They wanted to prove that they were like all other American
citizen, devoted patriots.
When German Americans were living in their small German communities, they became involved in local politics.  The majority of them saw the community as an extension of their family.  What was good for their family, was good for their community.  They were involved with local city councils, school boards, and community events.  The majority of citizens of German heritage voted Democratic before the war.  However, it was not until the war that many of them really learned what American politics was about.  World War I forced German Americans to not only break out of their small, safe communities, it also forced them to get involved in the American system.  By becoming active and learning about  the foundation upon which America
was built, they would become patriots.
These citizens had to learn about the constitution, unalienable rights, and state laws, because those were what they were being denied.  German newspapers were threatened to be shut down for printing German propaganda.  This was a direct conflict of the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.  Editors of these papers in Minnesota fought for their rights to print German newspapers and most won.  Only four of the state's nineteen German newspapers were shut down.  This was a big contrast to many other states who banned all German publications.
Even when the New Ulm leaders were put on trial for disloyalty, they claimed they did no wrong doing.  Even the speech made by Professor Ackermann stated,"I stand tonight on my Constitutional rights as an American citizen in addressing this audience." The point of that meeting, according to the speakers, was not to organize citizens of German heritage to band
against the government, but merely to exercise their rights as citizens and to inform others about their rights.
At no other time in American history did German American citizens display their constitutional rights, as much as they did during World War I.  These citizens, perhaps more than citizens from other nationalities, wanted to know and participate in  their rights as American citizens during this time so that they could express their thoughts.   By using the principles upon which this country was founded, German Americans became active and engaging citizens of this country and truly learned what being an American was about: the right to express yourself.
From April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918 a person could not go a day in the United
States without hearing the words, "patriotism"; or "Germans".  These words were almost parallel to the meanings of good and evil in the minds of Americans.  It was incomprehensible that the two words could be put together to form a person.  No one had ever heard of a patriotic German in America.  Today it is hard to go a day without hearing a word that has been adopted from Germans in Minnesota.  The German culture came close to becoming extinct in America because of the intense discrimination these citizens were put through.  Not only did they manage to save their heritage, they also came out from this war as better, more patriotic citizens.
Bibliography
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