Turning Germans into Texans: World War I and the Assimilation and Survival of German Culture in Texas, 1900-1930 - Softcover

Tippens, Matthew D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0984357203 ISBN 13: 9780984357208

Publisher: Kleingarten Press, 2010

Synopsis

Here is the first full-scale discussion of the impact of World War I on ethnic Germans in Texas. Germans were among the first settlers to Texas, and contributed greatly to the growth of the state in the fields of business, religion, music, agriculture, ranching, and cultural activities. Despite such accomplishments, German Texans became the targets of an anti-German hysteria during World War I. In the lead up to America's entry into the war, German Texans were subjected to intense scrutiny. After the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, the response to German-Texan activities lost all sense of proportion to the danger. Simply being German or using the German language aroused suspicion. In the state, people tarred and feathered, beat, and whipped German Texans. Based on extensive archival research, author Matthew D. Tippens details how the attackers intended to turn Germans into Texans using whatever means necessary. Following the war, the strive for "100% Americanism" by groups such as Ku Klux Klan continued the assault. Despite the years of attacks, by 1930, German-Texan culture, though not unscathed, proved that it had survived the war and would continue for several more decades.

About this title

About the Author

Matthew D. Tippens is a historian and writer specializing in the field of German-American immigration and ethnicity. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Texas Tech University.

Review

"Dr. Tippens pinpoints World War I as the turning point for German culture in Texas and America.  Tippens points out that, despite the pressures of World War I, German culture might have gone underground, but it didn't disappear altogether." --The Journal of the German-Texan Heritage Society

"Matthew Tippens has done an admirable job in demonstrating how this situation came to pass. His book is both a readable and engaging study of European immigration to Texas." --Southwestern Historical Quarterly

"'Turning Germans into Texans' offers a good, easily accessible narrative of German Texans in the early twentieth century" and "a solid description of the reaction of white Texans to German Texans during World War I by offering details on the violence and tensions." --Yearbook of German-American Studies

Edition details

• Publisher: Kleingarten Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0984357203
• ISBN 13: 9780984357208
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 270