By: Daniel Nardini
The second most commonly used language in the U.S. Midwest before 1917 was German. The language was used in so many homes, at work, and even in city hall meetings in so many towns all over. Indiana had many, many German immigrants, and German was the second most used language after English. German immigrants who became proficient in English were employed to translate birth certificates, business contracts, official registers, and even letters that came from Germany. At the same time, public officials had English documentation translated from English to German so that German immigrants could be brought more into the political and social mainstream of America. In fact, the Indiana state constitution was printed in both English and German so that registered voters could vote on it. The whole point of what was happening was to help the German immigrants be a part of the greater society as much as possible. This included using the German language as much as possible.
It was a given at that time that official information was provided in English and German, and no one thought twice about it because just about everybody saw it as necessary to try and encourage German immigrants to “assimilate” into mainstream America. Schools of the time provided instruction in English, and also in German so that the children of German immigrants could assimilate into America. Of course, German traditional festivals and holidays were celebrated in Indiana just like American holidays. Additionally, there were German clubs to keep the traditions alive, German language newspapers, and private German schools where only German was used (although as more Americans of German descent began to become part of the larger society, many of these schools went by the wayside).The process of assimilation made eventually many of the German newspapers, the services in German, and translators unnecessary, and the German language began to decline as the second most used language.
Essentially, there was no xenophobic act to suppress German or anything German until, sadly, World War I. But even if the United States did not enter World War I, the German language would have declined no matter what—it just would not have declined anywhere near as dramatically. This contrasts so starkly with what is happening in Indiana today. The largely Republican-controlled state legislature wants to pass more stringent laws to make English not only the official language but also do away with giving information in any other language or providing information (i.e. Spanish). There can be little doubt that this act is an unconscious act of racism as it is clearly aimed at Latinos—the second largest ethnic group in the state—and against Spanish speakers. What these xenophobes are trying to do is more isolate rather than assimilate Latinos. There is no question that we are seeing racism on a legal scale as well as on a social scale. How very different from how Indiana treated its German immigrants over a century ago.
German: The Second Tongue of Indiana
By: Daniel Nardini
It was a given at that time that official information was provided in English and German, and no one thought twice about it because just about everybody saw it as necessary to try and encourage German immigrants to “assimilate” into mainstream America. Schools of the time provided instruction in English, and also in German so that the children of German immigrants could assimilate into America. Of course, German traditional festivals and holidays were celebrated in Indiana just like American holidays. Additionally, there were German clubs to keep the traditions alive, German language newspapers, and private German schools where only German was used (although as more Americans of German descent began to become part of the larger society, many of these schools went by the wayside).The process of assimilation made eventually many of the German newspapers, the services in German, and translators unnecessary, and the German language began to decline as the second most used language.
Essentially, there was no xenophobic act to suppress German or anything German until, sadly, World War I. But even if the United States did not enter World War I, the German language would have declined no matter what—it just would not have declined anywhere near as dramatically. This contrasts so starkly with what is happening in Indiana today. The largely Republican-controlled state legislature wants to pass more stringent laws to make English not only the official language but also do away with giving information in any other language or providing information (i.e. Spanish). There can be little doubt that this act is an unconscious act of racism as it is clearly aimed at Latinos—the second largest ethnic group in the state—and against Spanish speakers. What these xenophobes are trying to do is more isolate rather than assimilate Latinos. There is no question that we are seeing racism on a legal scale as well as on a social scale. How very different from how Indiana treated its German immigrants over a century ago.