Jaime Lugas, Northeastern University

Forced Assimilation or Friendly Incorporation?: Americanization Efforts 1880–1920

The turn of the twentieth century was characterized by the arrival of an unprecedented amount of immigrants to the United States.  Between 1880 and 1920, millions of people arrived in the United States, especially “new” immigrants from eastern and Mediterranean Europe.  This paper explores the deliberate efforts to mold a diverse population of immigrants into “real Americans” through formal Americanization and assimilation programs.  This encompasses education programs, recreational activities, and the creation of organizations to promote the “American way of life.”  This paper emphasizes the methods employed during the Americanization movement around the turn of the 20^th century as well as various interpretations of the validity and effectiveness of these programs presented in subsequent analysis by historians.  By exploring the various policies and programs along with historians’ interpretations of these efforts, one can determine that the issue of American identity during this time period was, and continues to be, complex and controversial.  As revealed by a survey of the historical scholarship, Americanization and assimilation can be considered from a variety of perspectives, demonstrating the importance of various groups in the assimilation process (an example being the debate about whether Americanization was a top-down or bottom-up process).  The period between 1880 and 1920 was a critical time of deliberate efforts to form a cohesive national identity from an increasingly diverse group of American citizens. These efforts garnered support not only from native-born Americans, but from the immigrants as well.