Existing comment:
Enthusiastic Americanism
About 500,000 of the AEF's enlisted soldiers were recent immigrants from 46 different nations; 100,000 did not speak English. Beyond basic concerns regarding literacy and language, officials remained wary of their political loyalties. Americanization courses sought to imbue troops with a sense of nationalism or as Captain Flemming noted in this communication with the White House, "enthusiastic militant Americanism." Though the army initially embraced a "100% Americanism," the military eventually adopted an approach that allowed for the retention of cultural traditions. |