Progressive Era, WWII, Roaring Twenties
Timeline
Trigger Words
Title: "Get the Rope"
Link: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/1/ Summary: In this document, a man describes the horrifying situation he found himself in one October morning. A mob of angry American citizens attempted to force him into signing a bond document. The man refused and the mob proceeded to physically attack him, tying a rope around his neck and putting him to his knees. Two of the man's acquaintances came forward and stopped the group of people from lynching him. They took the man to his house and spoke to him privately about getting the document signed. The man promised to meet with a man named Keller later that day but never showed up. Thankfully, the angry mob did not come to bother him again. Significance: The narrator, John Deml, is of German descent and is living in Outamagie, Wisconsin as a farmer. He is the man that recounts his dilemma of October 22, 1918. John Deml gave this statement to make all Americans realize the extent of their anti-German ideology. The anti-German attitudes have turned to violence in their growing paranoia. At this point in time, America is at war with Germany (WWI) and many Americans at the home front have harbored anger towards one of the largest immigration groups: the Germans. Nativists turned to hate crimes such as lynching because they felt as though no German can be trusted and the tension became more apparent as the war progressed and a German man by the name of Robert Prager became the first murdered at the hands of anti-German groups. John Deml is very informative in his statement and just wants to have his story of a near-death experience told to help stop the hate crimes. Stefania C Title: We Had to Be So Careful Link: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/3 Summary: Frank Brocke, a German American recalls the struggles he and his family went through during WWl. He recalls most German Americans during the time keeping a low profile to avoid the resentment and he recalls the way some Americans became outraged and scared when they heard his parents speaking in German. However, he does state that the anger and hatred toward German Americans was not as bad as the hatred that many Japanese-Americans recieved during WWl. Significance: The significance of this primary source is that it shows how many Americans feared the Geraman-Americans during WWl. Thanks to propoganda, the only enemy the average American knew at the time was a German, so the fear and hatred they had towards Germans also transferred to German Americans. Furthermore, we are shown how many German-Americans attempted to keep a low profile out of fear of being abused. This primary source also shows the powerful effect propoganda had over the American people. Lastly, despite the fact that they were both foreigners, the Japanese-Americans dealt with much more hatred because they were not white. Garry Turner |
Title: "The Unknown Soldier"Link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/unknown.htm
Summary: To those family's that have recieved news of their loved one is killed in action or missing in action is absolutely heart wrenching. The military partnered up with the US government came up with the American know Unknown Soldier in Arlington cemetery, all from the first world war. along with this four bodies were never distinguished, and were brought from four different cemetery's and were then put into a single casket which would soon be brought to Washington DC and be guarded through time. Significance: the story revolves around how the Arlington cemetery has got it memorable changing of the guard of the casket of the four enigmatic bodies with. the families never knowing of what happened to their loved ones many more believing hoping...soon this resembled not only an honorary subject for the first world war but also represented the fact of the soldier buried withing, showing and representing the "unknown soldier who gave their life for the war". Kinon C. |