Uncle Sam's Little Soldiers Patriotism, Mobilization, and the Americanization of Children, 1914–1918
Book contents
- Uncle Sam’s Little Soldiers
- Reviews
- Uncle Sam’s Little Soldiers
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Note on Text
- Introduction
- 1 But Right or Wrong, My Country: Loyalty
- 2 Building the Bodies, Lifting the Nation: Survival
- 3 Schooling Children: Altruism
- 4 Soldiers of the Soil: Subsistence
- 5 Americanization as a War Measure: Assimilation
- Epilogue A War to Unite Us All
- Appendices: Songs and Poems
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Americanization as a War Measure: Assimilation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 April 2026
Book contents
- Uncle Sam’s Little Soldiers
- Reviews
- Uncle Sam’s Little Soldiers
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Note on Text
- Introduction
- 1 But Right or Wrong, My Country: Loyalty
- 2 Building the Bodies, Lifting the Nation: Survival
- 3 Schooling Children: Altruism
- 4 Soldiers of the Soil: Subsistence
- 5 Americanization as a War Measure: Assimilation
- Epilogue A War to Unite Us All
- Appendices: Songs and Poems
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
A national conference on Americanization in April 1918 evidenced how social and political concerns mattered in wartime. Many regarded the global war as an unhoped-for opportunity to patch up the American nation and bring together the various ethnic groups living in the United States. Across the United States, ethnic enclaves existed and hyphenated Americans oscillated between pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes and being loyal to their homelands. Assimilationists seized the opportunity to foster American ideals in children. They consistently rallied politicians in their crusade against the hyphen and eventually defeated progressive integrationalists.
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- Uncle Sam's Little SoldiersPatriotism, Mobilization, and the Americanization of Children, 1914–1918, pp. 168 - 208Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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