99:, issued the Babel Proclamation on May 23, 1918. It stated that Iowa schools must teach their courses in English, public conversations had to be in English, addresses in public were to be given in English, and religious services were to be in English. Harding asserted that allowing languages other than English to be spoken "disturbs the peace and quiet of the community" and would lead to "discord among neighbors and citizens." He maintained that all non-English languages could be used to spread German propaganda. He further argued that the proclamation would "save the lives of American boys overseas by curbing sedition at home." Harding stated that the proclamation should be treated as law, although it was accused of violating the
22:
129:... There can be but one loyalty—to the Stars and Stripes; one nationality—the American—and therefore only one language—the English language." Virtually all ethnic minorities who spoke languages other than English opposed the proclamation to some extent. The proclamation was seriously enforced, and many "patriotic organizations" issued fines to violators. The majority of violators were caught when telephone operators listened to conversations for violations. For instance, in
474:
110:
In response to the mandate, there were several protests, including one led by a priest at St. Wenceslaus
Catholic Church on May 30. Scandinavian speakers were not excluded from the discrimination; one Lutheran pastor wrote to his representative in May 1918 complaining that half his congregation would
161:
People debated the proclamation across the state and more generally what it meant to be "American". Some newspapers called
English "American", as calling it English would suggest that it was "borrowed, and therefore any European tongue would be as legitimate as English." After World War I ended,
37:
on May 23, 1918. It forbade the speaking of any language besides
English in public. The proclamation was controversial, supported by many established English-speaking Iowans and notably opposed by citizens who spoke languages other than English. Harding repealed it on December 4, 1918. The Babel
158:, for advice. Marshall responded that he couldn't "conceive the possibility that the people of any state could be guilty of such an absurdity." However, he advised the Jewish community to avoid publicly going against the proclamation. On June 13 Marshall wrote a letter of protest to Harding.
115:, the language in which he had been preaching for the past 40 years. The next month, Harding stated that "there is no use in anyone wasting his time praying in languages other than English. God is listening only to the English tongue."
575:
English as the
Official Language: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Education Reform of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, Second Session, July 26,
78:
determined that German should not be taught in public schools and took actions to that effect, such as burning German books. Iowa also saw places that had German-related names renamed, such as
Germania being renamed to
548:
608:
500:
83:. Some German-Americans were attacked for speaking their language in public. In 1900 there were 46 German-language newspapers in Iowa; 20 years later there were just 16.
522:
284:
174:
called the Babel
Proclamation "perhaps the most infamous executive order" in Iowa's history. Several articles have cited the proclamation as an early example of
603:
648:
628:
447:
100:
133:, four or five women received fines after they spoke German over the telephone. They ended up paying $ 225, which was donated to the
179:
130:
584:
484:
457:
378:
327:
259:
573:
125:
publicly supported
Harding's decision in a speech given on May 27, saying "America is a nation—not a polyglot boarding house
643:
613:
182:
in 2006 called the proclamation "the most famous" of several "English-only" restrictions passed around the same time.
70:, which had existed before the war, became increasingly mainstream as a result of American intervention. The state of
658:
75:
150:
led opposition, publishing several op-eds against the proclamation.A Jewish leader in Des Moines contacted
175:
155:
653:
343:
138:
146:
633:
400:
317:
638:
63:
59:
39:
118:
However, it was generally popular among
English-speaking, well established Iowans. Former
8:
449:
Linguistic
Discrimination in US Higher Education: Power, Prejudice, Impacts, and Remedies
67:
428:
249:
122:
112:
96:
34:
580:
480:
453:
432:
420:
401:"Becoming '100% American': negotiating ethnic identities through nativist discourse1"
374:
323:
255:
223:
104:
412:
92:
211:
74:
saw a particularly large rise in anti-German sentiment. On
November 23, 1917, the
151:
416:
107:. He argued that the amendment did not apply to languages other than English.
622:
424:
227:
21:
119:
80:
371:
Forging new freedoms: nativism, education, and the Constitution, 1917-1927
55:
43:
141:, 18,000 people eventually faced charges of violating English mandates.
319:
Louis Marshall and the Rise of Jewish Ethnicity in America: A Biography
144:
The proclamation became "the major political issue" in Iowa for 1918.
134:
285:"A century ago, Iowa's 'Babel Proclamation' targeted immigrants"
111:
be unable to understand the service if it were not conducted in
549:"'Babel Proclamation' targeted Iowa immigrants 100 years ago"
369:
Ross, William G. (1994). "The War against German America".
71:
446:
Clements, Gaillynn; Petray, Marnie Jo (March 31, 2021).
162:
Harding repealed the proclamation on December 4, 1918.
579:. U.S. Government Printing Office. 2006. p. 26.
373:. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. p. 45.
254:. Internet Archive. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 182.
137:. Nebraska issued a similar proclamation. Across the
101:First Amendment to the United States Constitution
620:
49:
322:. Syracuse University Press. pp. 330–332.
445:
62:and against Germany, the nation saw a rise in
547:Bauer, Bryce T.; Manatt, Dan (May 22, 2018).
649:United States home front during World War I
546:
629:Anti-German sentiment in the United States
476:Multilingualism: A Very Short Introduction
38:Proclamation marked the peak of a wave of
479:. Oxford University Press. p. 122.
398:
20:
621:
315:
180:United States House of Representatives
542:
540:
472:
316:Silver, Matthew (February 21, 2013).
394:
392:
390:
368:
311:
309:
307:
305:
279:
277:
275:
273:
271:
247:
243:
241:
239:
237:
209:
205:
203:
201:
199:
197:
195:
13:
537:
523:"Revocation of Babel Proclamation"
350:. University of Iowa. May 31, 1918
348:German Iowa and the Global Midwest
14:
670:
597:
387:
302:
268:
234:
192:
131:Le Claire Township, Scott County
566:
515:
493:
501:"Babel Proclamation, May 1918"
466:
439:
362:
336:
86:
76:Iowa State Council for Defense
54:As America became involved in
33:was issued by Iowa's Governor
1:
210:Derr, Nancy (April 1, 2004).
185:
50:Rise in anti-German sentiment
614:Divided by a common language
154:, then the president of the
7:
399:Gavrilos, Dina (May 2010).
16:Proclamation issued in Iowa
10:
675:
405:Critical Discourse Studies
170:A 2018 op-ed published in
644:Linguistic discrimination
417:10.1080/17405901003675398
216:Iowa Heritage Illustrated
165:
156:American Jewish Committee
212:"The Babel Proclamation"
176:anti-immigrant sentiment
139:Midwestern United States
473:Maher, John C. (2017).
172:The Des Moines Register
147:The Des Moines Register
248:Alan, Axelrod (2009).
26:
25:The Babel Proclamation
659:English-only movement
251:Selling the Great War
64:anti-German sentiment
40:anti-German sentiment
24:
344:"CJM Gronlid letter"
553:Des Moines Register
178:. A hearing in the
103:, which guarantees
58:on the side of the
123:Theodore Roosevelt
97:William L. Harding
35:William L. Harding
31:Babel Proclamation
27:
586:978-0-16-077252-8
486:978-0-19-872499-5
459:978-1-00-031775-6
380:978-0-8032-3900-5
329:978-0-8156-1000-7
261:978-0-230-60503-9
105:freedom of speech
666:
591:
590:
570:
564:
563:
561:
559:
544:
535:
534:
532:
530:
519:
513:
512:
510:
508:
497:
491:
490:
470:
464:
463:
443:
437:
436:
396:
385:
384:
366:
360:
359:
357:
355:
340:
334:
333:
313:
300:
299:
297:
295:
281:
266:
265:
245:
232:
231:
207:
128:
93:Governor of Iowa
674:
673:
669:
668:
667:
665:
664:
663:
654:May 1918 events
619:
618:
600:
595:
594:
587:
572:
571:
567:
557:
555:
545:
538:
528:
526:
521:
520:
516:
506:
504:
499:
498:
494:
487:
471:
467:
460:
444:
440:
397:
388:
381:
367:
363:
353:
351:
342:
341:
337:
330:
314:
303:
293:
291:
283:
282:
269:
262:
246:
235:
208:
193:
188:
168:
126:
89:
52:
42:in Iowa during
17:
12:
11:
5:
672:
662:
661:
656:
651:
646:
641:
636:
631:
617:
616:
611:
606:
599:
598:External links
596:
593:
592:
585:
565:
536:
514:
492:
485:
465:
458:
438:
386:
379:
361:
335:
328:
301:
267:
260:
233:
190:
189:
187:
184:
167:
164:
152:Louis Marshall
88:
85:
51:
48:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
671:
660:
657:
655:
652:
650:
647:
645:
642:
640:
637:
635:
634:Proclamations
632:
630:
627:
626:
624:
615:
612:
610:
607:
605:
602:
601:
588:
582:
578:
577:
569:
554:
550:
543:
541:
524:
518:
502:
496:
488:
482:
478:
477:
469:
461:
455:
452:. Routledge.
451:
450:
442:
434:
430:
426:
422:
418:
414:
411:(2): 95–112.
410:
406:
402:
395:
393:
391:
382:
376:
372:
365:
349:
345:
339:
331:
325:
321:
320:
312:
310:
308:
306:
290:
286:
280:
278:
276:
274:
272:
263:
257:
253:
252:
244:
242:
240:
238:
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
206:
204:
202:
200:
198:
196:
191:
183:
181:
177:
173:
163:
159:
157:
153:
149:
148:
142:
140:
136:
132:
124:
121:
116:
114:
108:
106:
102:
98:
94:
84:
82:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
47:
45:
41:
36:
32:
23:
19:
639:1918 in Iowa
609:Proclamation
574:
568:
556:. Retrieved
552:
527:. Retrieved
517:
505:. Retrieved
495:
475:
468:
448:
441:
408:
404:
370:
364:
352:. Retrieved
347:
338:
318:
292:. Retrieved
288:
250:
219:
215:
171:
169:
160:
145:
143:
120:US President
117:
109:
90:
53:
30:
28:
18:
529:October 26,
507:October 26,
289:The Gazette
87:Description
56:World War I
44:World War I
623:Categories
604:Revocation
186:References
433:143022330
425:1740-5904
354:March 15,
228:0031-0360
135:Red Cross
113:Norwegian
558:March 3,
294:March 3,
68:Nativism
583:
525:. Iowa
503:. Iowa
483:
456:
431:
423:
377:
326:
258:
226:
166:Legacy
127:
81:Lakota
60:Allies
429:S2CID
222:(2).
581:ISBN
576:2006
560:2021
531:2019
509:2019
481:ISBN
454:ISBN
421:ISSN
375:ISBN
356:2021
324:ISBN
296:2021
256:ISBN
224:ISSN
91:The
72:Iowa
29:The
413:doi
625::
551:.
539:^
427:.
419:.
407:.
403:.
389:^
346:.
304:^
287:.
270:^
236:^
220:85
218:.
214:.
194:^
95:,
66:.
46:.
589:.
562:.
533:.
511:.
489:.
462:.
435:.
415::
409:7
383:.
358:.
332:.
298:.
264:.
230:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.