The Americanization movement welcomed immigrants between 1895 and 1924. Few people know about the Americanization movement today, but it swept the nation to a level comparable to the abolition movement, prohibition, women’s suffrage, and the Great Awakenings. In 1918, two branches of the federal government carried out Americanization programs. One had more than 100 employees, inspected the activities of 50,000 local organizations working with foreign populations, and coordinated tactics with at least 15,000. Industries and presidents participated in this effort. The Americanization movement provides a model of the traditional bodybuilder that we should all be familiar with.
Frances Kellor led the Americanization movement in all its phases. Raised by a single mother, she endured poverty in the booming small town of Coldwater Michigan. After dropping out of school to help her mother as a laundress, she accidentally shot herself in the hand. Two wealthy sisters adopted her and the rest, as they say, is history. She started writing for the local newspaper, attended church debates, studied, and ended up being the third lawyer to graduate from Cornell. In her long career, she wrote widely, led countless organizations, and took a leading role in the presidential campaigns of Teddy Roosevelt and Charles Evans Hughes. Her rags to her rich history made her the perfect person to lead the movement.
Kellor tried to Americanize both Americans and immigrants. Instead of blaming immigrants for their poverty, he scolded Americans for not giving them opportunities. To this end, he pushed for better living and working conditions and nearly started our Adult Education system. Americans who insulted immigrants divided us. The bosses who exploited their workers created anti-American radicals. The wave of strikes, domestic terrorism and the Russian revolution convinced her that employers should treat immigrant employees fairly. Of immigrants, she expected a love of America to manifest itself in attempts to learn English, pass naturalization tests, and generally celebrate their new nation. She pushed American customs, values, and standards of cleanliness. America had to provide opportunities and immigrants had to accept them. Therefore, Kellor used both progressive and nationalist tactics in seeking unity.
Upon learning of the Americanization movement today, many people shudder. Multiculturalists recoil from the idea of ​​coordinating any favorable attitude toward our nation and culture. Multiculturalists might be surprised to learn that immigrants themselves designed much of the content of the Americanization movement. When Kellor began working on Americanization, he lived on New York’s immigrant-filled Lower East Side. There, immigrant organizations such as the Educational Alliance had used the term “Americanization” and lobbied for it as early as 1895. Immigrants lobbied their school boards to keep teachers with accents out of classrooms. They established adult English classes and conducted popular lecture series on American history. Many immigrants, believe it or not, loved America and wanted to do everything they could to become “real Americans.” As someone who had, Kellor intimately understood that providing the opportunity to escape poverty endeared people to our nation.
Bodybuilders might be surprised by the amount of multiculturalism this movement employed. One of the biggest events organized by the Americanization movement was “Americanization Day.” Every July 4th, parades of Americans came out to celebrate new immigrants who had passed their naturalization tests. In 1918, 70,000 immigrants marched on New York to show their pride in their adopted country. And while many American flags were flown, participants wore outfits and presented gifts from their home countries. The motto of the Kellor organization that sponsored the event read: “Many Peoples, One Nation.” Kellor consistently fought against immigration restriction. As a nationalist lesbian progressive bodybuilder, she never stopped fighting regressive forces in any culture. But she didn’t equate being a good American with uniformity.
Scholars today hold Americanization in low regard. Many would note that during World War I the Kellor group changed their motto to “America First.” They ran shows to show immigrants how Americans lived and dressed and promoted a very positive image of America. One wonders if these academics would make us ignore the culture and promote a negative attitude towards our nation. Bodybuilders, on the other hand, might find Kellor too accepting of immigrant cultures. Both might scoff at his support of German immigrants forced out of coastal areas by the War Department during World War I. But from Kellor’s perspective, this policy prevented resentment and fostered security. No one need blindly embrace the tactics of the Americanization movement, but getting to know our bodybuilding forebears can give us all a more nuanced understanding of our traditions and political choices.
