World War I
From CowTales
World War I, also known as the First World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. Over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war (including the victims of a number of genocides), a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents' technological and industrial sophistication, and the tactical stalemate caused by grueling trench warfare. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. <ref>World War on Wikipedia</ref>
The First World War came to the United States to the consternation of many of its citizens,especially its German Americans. On the home front, government officials required complete adherence to the war effort. This also included religious adherence. The Wisconsin Synod Lutherans, a German-speaking religious group, met tremendous difficulties during the war years. In addition to the crusade against all things German, the synod faced religious persecution because it doctrinally abstained from religiously sanctioning the war aims and programs of the United States. The repression, of the synod came from both patriotic citizens and government agents who typically misunderstood or disdained the religious practices of the synod. The situation created predicaments for German Lutherans as they attempted to serve both God and country.
Contents
The War to End All Germans<ref>The War to End All Germans</ref>
Churches and Pastors
- Rev. Gotthold Thurow of Wisconsin Rapids, WI was arrested around 1918 because he was a suspected spy. This is where Marty and Sharon Cain Baur now serve.
- Rev. H.M. Hendrickson of Gresham, NE. Near Lincoln NE where Paul and Kathryn Baur Scharrer served.
- Rev. J.J. Bizer of Brillion, WI. Terri taught school here and I know people who had parents attending the church at the time.
- Rev. Edgar Guenther East Fork and Globe, AZ. Clara was in Globe AZ in 1916-1917. I'm pretty sure Guenther is mentioned in the Apache mission books written by Gustav Harders. I don't recall if Clara Baur is mentioned by name, although I believe she is referred to
- Rev. Herman Atrops of Zion Luntheran in White, SD.
- Rev. Carl Auerswald of Marinette, WI and Christ Lutheran in Menominee, MI.
- Rev John Gauss of Trinity Lutheran in Jenera , OH.
- We all know Paul Hinderer had WWI problems in SD. I hadn't realized these issues were so wide spread. Every time I re-read anything it takes on new meaning because of other information I have discovered. Maybe that is why this process is so slow and back and forth in nature.
American Protective League
The American Protective League (1917-1919) was an organization of private citizens that worked with Federal law enforcement agencies during the World War I era to identify suspected German sympathizers and to counteract the activities of radicals, anarchists, anti-war activists, and left-wing labor and political organizations. At its zenith the APL claimed 250,000 members in 600 cities.
- Teams of APL members conducted numerous raids and surveillance activities aimed at those who failed to register for the draft and at German immigrants who were suspected of sympathies for German.
The commission deputized militia such as the Home Guard to do their dirty work. They spied on farmers so they "couldn't jeopardize food production", and they kept abreast of any troubles with labor: their 7,000 member armed militia was used as a threat against strikers. Minnesota not only followed the lead in other states of banning any language but English, demanding loyalty oaths, requiring alien registration of people and land, but it even proposed a state firing squad to shoot those it considered traitors.
Palmer Raids
Minnesota Commission of Public Safety
The Minnesota Commission of Public Safety (MCPS) was a watchdog group created in 1917. Its purpose was to mobilize the state's resources during World War I. During a two-year reign its members enacted policies intended to protect the state from foreign threats. They also used broad political power and a sweeping definition of disloyalty to thwart those who disagreed with them.
It was 88 years ago when this country entered World War I, a conflict far more unpopular than the current war in Iraq. Then, as now, officials worried how the country could protect itself at home, and how many civil liberties should be restricted in the interest of national security. The reaction by Minnesota officials was extreme.
- [http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=11047&context=annals-of-iowa Watchdog of Loyalty: The Minnesota Commision
of Public Safety During World War I] <references/>