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One hundred years ago this week, World War I veterans gathered in St. Louis to promote “100 percent Americanism.” This was the first domestic gathering of the American Legion, which quickly grew into the largest and most influential veterans’ organization in the country. This was where the American Legion officially adopted its name. The group’s call for “100 percent Americanism” helped launch a period of intense xenophobia and anti-immigrant policies in interwar America. It is a legacy that continues to affect our political landscape today. The Legion blamed immigrants for undermining American democracy and contributing to social upheaval. At the Caucus in St. Louis, they urged Congress to pass a law to deport “alien slackers” who were unequipped for assimilation. “There is no place in America for such a creature,” the Legion wrote in its newsletter. “He is worse than a parasite; he is a menace.” An unmistakable line of continuity runs from “100 percent Americanism” to “Make America Great Again,” and from the St. Louis Caucus to a chief executive who has trouble remembering that he serves all of the nation. What connects the two is the implication, sometimes the outright assertion, that some of us are more American than others. https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/columnists/the-st-louis-roots-of-make-america-great-again/article_ef533f16-4584-5dfd-a84d-697f71e7d0cd.html _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
