In “Children of the Crucible,” how does Theodore Roosevelt define “Americanism”? What, specifically, must immigrants give up, and what happens if they refuse? How does the wartime context shape the urgency and tone of his argument?
Nativism 1910s-20s Question 4
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The only definitions he ascribes to American is speaking English and supporting the United States in its war efforts during World War 1. Aside from that, the definition he outlines is more of a definition by exclusion. Pacifists, Socialists, any Immigrants that continue any action of their previous heritages are decidedly not American in his eyes and deserve to be deported. Migrants to the U.S. must give up their “predilections and antipathies” in the same way as “Washington and his associates acted”. In that way, he’s acknowledging the “nation of immigrants” idea, by calling to our attentions that Washington and the founding fathers were British expats but is still requiring some immeasurable loyalty to the U.S.A. for immigrants to be valid. The wartime context is the whole driver for a piece of writing like this. When a nation is at war, censorship rises, and here the anti-migrant sentiment is all about censoring. The very first example of the “predilections and antipathies” that Roosevelt states is support for the opposite side in WW1. To me, this is less about migrants specifically but more using migrants as a vehicle for promoting American hegemony, or the “American mould” as Roosevelt puts it. It’s also clearly incentivizing the draft for recent migrants, often using the founding fathers as an example to that end, which is funny in comparison to the two short stories from last class, in which the comparisons of the founding fathers are used for validation of belonging. He’s presenting the draft and war as a whole as means of belonging to America and also using migrant anxiety to promote censorship (and that’s both anxiety of recent migrants about how they are perceived and anxiety of non-recent migrants towards recent migrants.)
In the Children of the Crucible, Theodore Roosevelt defines Americanism mainly as loyalty to the United States, especially during World War l. He argues that immigrants must speak English, support the country, and fully commit to American identity rather than maintaining strong ties to their countries of origin. He seems especially concerned with what he calls “hyphenated Americans”, someone who identifies as both American and part of another nationality or ethnic background”. He believes that they could have divided loyalties.
Roosevelt also makes it clear that immigrants must give up parts of their previous national identities, especially cultural attachments and political loyalties that might conflict with American values. If they refuse to do this, he suggests they cannot truly be considered American and may even be a threat to national unity. His argument makes assimilation seem less like a choice and more like a requirement for belonging.
The wartime context really shapes both his tone and his argument because during World War l there was tons of fear about loyalty and national unity. This helps explain why his writing feels so urgent and strict about what it truly means to be an American. He presents assimilation almost like a patriotic duty, showing how immigration and nationalism became closely connected during wartime.
In “Children of the Crucible,” Roosevelt basically defines “Americanism” as having total loyalty to the United States and nothing else. He says immigrants should come here and “emerge as Americans and as nothing else,” which means they have to fully leave behind any allegiance or connection to their home countries. It’s not just about citizenship, but he makes it about identity. He says that to be American, people must have “renounced completely and without reserve, all” allegiance to their home countries and act only in America’s interest, especially in times of crisis. This also includes giving up things such as their native language and any “predilections and antipathies” toward other nations, since Roosevelt believes Americans should act without regard to their ancestry. If they don’t do this, he says, they don’t deserve to be a part of this country and should be sent out, showing how strict and one-dimensional his idea of being American is.
The context of World War I makes his argument much more intense and urgent. He’s worried about people in the U.S. supporting countries like Germany, and he even calls that kind of behavior “treasonable”. He also calls them “Traitors to America.” He calls out pacifists and labels them as enemies, showing that during wartime, there is basically no tolerance for disagreement. “Americanism” becomes more like a test; if you’re not fully on board with the country and war, you’re seen as a threat.
To Roosevelt, to be an American, one must devote themselves wholly to the United States. While he does not go into great detail about how one would do so, aside from speaking English, he emphasizes a distancing from an immigrant’s country or culture of origin. In a way, this passage suggests that the most important part of being an American is to NOT be in “allegiance to the lands from which they or their forefathers came.” With this in mind, it seems Roosevelt is focused on making a statement on immigration than he is on inciting patriotic actions from his readers. This makes some sense considering the context in which Roosevelt writes from, World War I. During a time of turmoil, having a strong national identity is a crucial to the moral and “buy-in” of the American people. By choosing to portray the people of “Children of the Crucible,” he likely reaches a vast audience considering the waves of immigration during the early 1900s. The context of this piece also helps the reader understand why Roosevelt may have repeatedly mentioned Washington and Lincoln. In calling back two previous wars and leaders of the US that were crucial to the identity of the country, Roosevelt is able to connect positive feelings towards another nation to anti-American, treasonous behavior. Interestingly, Roosevelt seems to lean into action as the passage progresses and claims the “professional pacifists have… proved themselves the evil enemies of their country.” On the simplest level this functions as a call to action, but considering the broader theme of immigration throughout his writing, he seems to encourage some sort of national service in World War I. I am particularly intrigued by his later claim that service against Germany was a “test of loyal Americanism.” This messaging feels prevalent today as well and I am interested by when this idea got its roots in American society.
Roosevelt’s 1917 declaration defines Americanism as basically requiring immigrants to completely leave behind any loyalty to their home countries and become fully, unconditionally American. His idea of a “true American” is someone who has gone through the national “crucible” and come out the other side with no remaining ties to where they or their ancestors came from. What immigrants specifically have to give up is significant. Roosevelt says they must renounce completely and without reserve all allegiance to their homelands, and they can’t let ethnic feelings of any kind influence how they act, even something like an Irish-American’s personal hatred of England. If they refuse, Roosevelt is pretty blunt about the consequences. Anyone who doesn’t act purely as an American is not entitled to any part or lot in our country, and he should be sent out of it. The wartime setting of September 1917 clearly shapes how aggressive this argument gets. With the U.S. having just entered into World War I, Roosevelt is essentially using the melting pot idea as a loyalty test, calling out German-Americans and Irish-Americans by name as potential traitors and demanding the government crack down harshly on anyone he sees as an enemy from within. What’s interesting is that the melting pot was usually framed as this hopeful, welcoming idea, but Roosevelt turns it into more of an ultimatum. Get on board with American Culture and people completely or get out.