America had an eventful year in 1919. World War I hadjust finished, prohibition was ratified to the Constitution, women’s suffrage movement was in its final stages, and bombs were being mailed by anarchists to several important American citizens. Lots of positive changes were taking place and Americans had a great outlook on the future of the country, On this particular day in history, as reported by the New York. Tribune, January 12, 1919, several notable events in both hemispheres captivated readers and kept them informed on current events. Outside of the unique advertisements and photographs captured by journalists, three important events of the day stood out above the rest: the downfall of the Spartacus League and leader Karl Liebknecht in Germany, Secretary Lane’s banquet to promote Americanization of immigrants and a technological breakthrough of World War I disclosed to the American public.
With the recent conclusion to World War I just a month earlier, there was some instability in Europe, Germany in particular. On January 11, 1919, the Spartacus league, a Marxist organization led by revolutionary Karl Liebknecht, fought with government forces in north Berlin for control over an army depot. Karl Liebknecht was reported to have died in the gun fight after the Spartacides lost the engagement. The Spartacus league had been fighting with German forces for some time; they opposed Germany’s involvement in the war and controlled towns along the Rhine River. Allied forces refused to intervene in the situation as no Americans died in the attack. Upper class Germans began fleeing to Munich from Berlin to escape the violence. The increasing stability in the German government after the revolutionaries were defeated on this day was beneficial to America and its allies’ interests US. Secretary of the Interior Franklin K, Lane hosted a large banquet to discuss his ideas for Americanization of Immigrants.
His campaign was looking to cover an increase in wages, improving living conditions, teaching the English language, and providing economic justice for immigrants. Lane announced seven million Americans over the age of ten were illiterate, the majority being immigrants, “Men were drafted into the army who could not understand orders. Our man power is deficient because our education is deficient.” Americans were becoming more concerned with the illiteracy and poor education standards of immigrants, Secretary Lane explained how together we are strong, “Americanization must reach well beyond illiterates and foreign groups if it is to be effective. It must bring every American to a realization of his melting-pot duty.” Since America is a society of immigrants at its core, Lane was promoting the idea that a solid education was necessary to give immigrants the greatest chance of success in their new environment.
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There were a couple moments during the dinner where the guests stood to applaud and gave positive reactions to Secretary Lane‘s presentation. Much of America’s involvement in World War I was centered on naval warfare against enemy German U-Boats. A recently disclosed technological breakthrough was published in the January 12‘” edition ofThe New York Tribune. The navy had developed tools to intercept radio waves under water and underground efficiently. In the past, the best way to intercept these signals was with complex and expensive air stations which caught the signal worse than the new, cheaper alternative. This technology was one of the first uses of wireless signal interception and helped pave the way in the understanding of effective communication systems, Government officials declared this technology as, “one of the war’s greatest scientific advancest.”
The personal ads in the newspaper showed a plethora of opportunities for those looking for work, some bound by race. Ads with the text, “Boy to run errands; good chance at advancement. WHITE. 542 Fifth Ave” and, “CHAUFFEUR — young man, Colored” These ads show how people were discriminated against based on the color of their skin as far reaching as New York. Racism was deeply ingrained in the culture before the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60‘s, so even though African Americans fought alongside white Americans in World War 1, they were treated no different than before the wart Blatant discrimination in the personal ads section does not seem out of place for the racial attitude of the time. The classifieds section was also split for men and women Men were offered jobs in carpentry, accountants, sheet metal workers, and salesmen, Women had the choices of waiting tables, modeling, housework, and cooking. Gender roles were clearly defined throughout the job listings.
American men and women shared restrictions on what the American society of 1919 deemed appropriate work for a given gender: During the world wars, women worked in similar conditions men work and it was proven that they could do the job correctly, but the changes did not last after World War. Throughout the newspaper, many large product advertisements dominated pages. Local stores offered January sales on clothing, towels, and bedding three of the most frequent items being advertised There were some more unique items which are no longer seen in modern newspapers such as Sterling pianos, wooden clocks, and phonographs among the sales. Newspapers were the best way to spread information among the general public before radios became commonplace, Advertisements were usually located next to attention grabbing drawings of the product being promoted Competition was fierce among businesses purchasing space for their ads.
In the January 12, 1919 paper, an entire page was devoted to an image of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had died six days earlier on January 6, 1919. Also included in the back, were pictures of Americans who had died in World War I along with captions explaining which city they were from and the unit they belonged to in their respective military branch. Memorials of soldiers killed in action gave readers a close look at the men who sacrificed their lives and reminded them of the realities of war. The subjects in the following pictures were revolutionaries in Russia and Germany The mood then brightened up with photographs of entertainers on Broadway, an actress starring in an upcoming silent film, and beautiful architecture from around the world In a time before televisions in every home, pictures of world events gave a perspective that words alone could not match.
The New York Tribune, 12 January, 1919, covered the events of the day on the U15 and European fronts The culmination of the Spartacus League in Germany increased stability in the region. An outline of goals in the Americanization of immigrants was presented to thousands and focused on education to increase the strength and growth of our nation. New technology was disclosed to the public that was developed for use in World War I, technology that would have lasting impact for decades to come. Personal advertisements often contained racism and sexism that was deeply rooted in early American culture. Products not commonly advertised through modern newspapers such as pianos, clocks, and phonographs were marketed against one another around walls of text, fighting for the attention of the reader. At the back of the paper, pages laden with photographs of fallen soldiers, entertainers on stage, and a recently deceased President Theodore Roosevelt, In the echoes of World War 1, America began its transition into the roaring twenties.
