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Chapter 5. Nationalism in the Progressive Era

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True Faith and Allegiance
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CHAPTER FIVENationalism in the Progressive EraWhileDewey, Bourne, and Addams reflected facets of a left-leaning traditionof American civic nationalism, Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Croly articu-lated a more mainstream position. Their analysis and rhetoric shaped the con-text of public debate over immigration and citizenship throughout the first twodecades of the twentieth century. Roosevelt and Croly shared with Dewey andBourne the belief that American citizenship was defined by its core civic prin-ciple of individualism. In contrast, they saw the eradication of ethnic identity—and the establishment of a uniform national identity—as the prerequisite foradvancing that principle. Roosevelt worried that a series of economic and po-litical trends—materialism, localism, and globalism—was causing citizens toplace the interests of the nation second and that this would make them inca-pable of self-government at a time when they needed to master significant do-mestic problems and manage America’s growing authority in the world. Inresponse to these trends, he called for a “New Nationalism” that reflected theunique nature of American life and pressed citizens to achieve great things. Inan era dominated by industrialists and political bosses, Roosevelt promotedlarger projects of national solidarity. In his mind, America’s civic freedom de-pended on a distinct national culture inherited from Europe. To ensure thevigor of that culture, the entry of non-whites needed to be limited, and whiteimmigrants had to be Americanized.Roosevelt’s nationalist ideology informed the work of the two primary fed-eral vehicles for Americanization immediately before, during, and after WorldWar I—the Bureau of Naturalization and the Bureau of Education. RichardCampbell, the commissioner of naturalization, and his deputy, Raymond Crist,saw their task as elevating “the most neglected of professions—the professionof self-government.”1At the Bureau of Education, Roosevelt’s disciple FrancesKellor wanted the national government to play a guiding role in incorporatingnewcomers. She saw the bureau as the way for the Americanization movementto achieve its “national goal of consciousness.”2Both bureaus strongly focused on ensuring a shared national sentiment be-tween newcomers and native-born citizens. Rather than emphasizing the adop-tion of an American cultural identity inherited from Europe, these institutionsfocused on the naturalization requirement that new citizens demonstrate an at-tachment to the principles of the Constitution. Initially, they treated immi-grants’ embrace of American civic principles as the measure of their devotion

CHAPTER FIVENationalism in the Progressive EraWhileDewey, Bourne, and Addams reflected facets of a left-leaning traditionof American civic nationalism, Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Croly articu-lated a more mainstream position. Their analysis and rhetoric shaped the con-text of public debate over immigration and citizenship throughout the first twodecades of the twentieth century. Roosevelt and Croly shared with Dewey andBourne the belief that American citizenship was defined by its core civic prin-ciple of individualism. In contrast, they saw the eradication of ethnic identity—and the establishment of a uniform national identity—as the prerequisite foradvancing that principle. Roosevelt worried that a series of economic and po-litical trends—materialism, localism, and globalism—was causing citizens toplace the interests of the nation second and that this would make them inca-pable of self-government at a time when they needed to master significant do-mestic problems and manage America’s growing authority in the world. Inresponse to these trends, he called for a “New Nationalism” that reflected theunique nature of American life and pressed citizens to achieve great things. Inan era dominated by industrialists and political bosses, Roosevelt promotedlarger projects of national solidarity. In his mind, America’s civic freedom de-pended on a distinct national culture inherited from Europe. To ensure thevigor of that culture, the entry of non-whites needed to be limited, and whiteimmigrants had to be Americanized.Roosevelt’s nationalist ideology informed the work of the two primary fed-eral vehicles for Americanization immediately before, during, and after WorldWar I—the Bureau of Naturalization and the Bureau of Education. RichardCampbell, the commissioner of naturalization, and his deputy, Raymond Crist,saw their task as elevating “the most neglected of professions—the professionof self-government.”1At the Bureau of Education, Roosevelt’s disciple FrancesKellor wanted the national government to play a guiding role in incorporatingnewcomers. She saw the bureau as the way for the Americanization movementto achieve its “national goal of consciousness.”2Both bureaus strongly focused on ensuring a shared national sentiment be-tween newcomers and native-born citizens. Rather than emphasizing the adop-tion of an American cultural identity inherited from Europe, these institutionsfocused on the naturalization requirement that new citizens demonstrate an at-tachment to the principles of the Constitution. Initially, they treated immi-grants’ embrace of American civic principles as the measure of their devotion

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 1. Immigration, Citizenship, and the Nation’s Founding 15
  6. Chapter 2. Alienage and Nationalism in the Early Republic 34
  7. Chapter 3. The Free White Clause of 1790 52
  8. Chapter 4. Americanization and Pluralism in the Progressive Era 64
  9. Chapter 5. Nationalism in the Progressive Era 85
  10. Chapter 6. World War I and the Turn to Coercion 107
  11. Chapter 7. Immigration and Citizenship at Century’s End 124
  12. Chapter 8. A New Civic Nationalism 147
  13. Epilogue 171
  14. Notes 185
  15. Index 241
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400826919.85

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 1. Immigration, Citizenship, and the Nation’s Founding 15
  6. Chapter 2. Alienage and Nationalism in the Early Republic 34
  7. Chapter 3. The Free White Clause of 1790 52
  8. Chapter 4. Americanization and Pluralism in the Progressive Era 64
  9. Chapter 5. Nationalism in the Progressive Era 85
  10. Chapter 6. World War I and the Turn to Coercion 107
  11. Chapter 7. Immigration and Citizenship at Century’s End 124
  12. Chapter 8. A New Civic Nationalism 147
  13. Epilogue 171
  14. Notes 185
  15. Index 241
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