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

Matthew Tippens's Turning Germans into Texans investigates how and why German communities in Texas changed from distinct, proud, and vibrant pockets of old world culture to groups of Americans with little connection to their linguistic heritage and family roots. It also gives the reader insight into the nature of "nativist" demands for Americanization (equated with patriotism) and the arguments circling the concept of "hyphenated" citizenship. The key to this issue, as the book's full title indicates, is the United States's experience in World War I and its repercussions throughout the 1920s, especially with the introduction of Prohibition and the second incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan.

Tippens states that despite 20 percect of Americans claiming "full or partial German heritage" (3), Germany's role in the World Wars prevents them waving their ethnic banner in this multicultural age. This is a direct result of the federal government's campaign to mobilize the population in support of the war effort in 1917-18, which turned suspicion of non-English speaking foreigners into anti-German "hysteria." This antagonism became especially acute in Texas, where ruling elites were less entrenched than in the East, where "Anglo" settlement was no older (or even more recent) than non-English speaking Texans, and where there already existed concerns about the loyalties of Hispanics to the United States.

Nineteenth-century Texas welcomed and encouraged German settlers who often arrived through arrangements by transatlantic organizations such as the Adelsverein. These settlers served several purposes: they settled large tracts of often inhospitable land, they were regarded as sturdy, hard-working farmers, and they were white and non-Spanish-speaking. The German immigrants' commitment to retaining their native language, through newspapers, schools, and churches, however, led many Anglos to distrust them. This factor was compounded in the eyes of many "nativists" by the Germans' Catholic or Lutheran affiliations (as opposed to the Baptist faith) and their stalwart condemnation of prohibition. The consumption of beer was, for most German Texans, crucial to their social lives and a basic human right.

As a definable group, Germans had no distinct political affiliations and tended to band together more in social organizations (vereine) such as the Sons of Hermann. When war broke out in Europe in 1914, these organizations and related newspapers most often favored the Central Powers (the German and Austrian Empires), but more out of cultural and familial ties than out of loyalty to the Kaiser. After all, many German immigrants came to the United States to escape Prussian militarism. Nevertheless, they were at odds with the majority of U.S. citizens, and when the United States entered the Great War in 1917, there was no way to take back their past support for the present enemy. Even the litmus tests of buying Liberty Bonds, prominently displaying the Stars and Stripes, or having sons serving in the army did little to alleviate the often violent backlash against those of German birth or ancestry.

After the war German names, the German language, and political association with German American interests became liabilities in the United States. The horrific results of Nazism ensured that this continued throughout the twentieth century. Therefore, many German Texans Anglicized themselves, and their heritage now continues mostly in the form of tourist fests. Matthew Tippins 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. It left this reviewer hoping for a follow-up volume that would go beyond the scope of this work into an investigation of such organizations as the German American Bund in Texas during the 1940s and 1950s.