The Value of Holidays in World War I America
World War I affected what people valued, which in turn impacted American celebrations of the Fourth of July and Christmas. These two holidays became patriotic ways to demonstrate unswerving loyalty to the U.S. government, with charitable pursuits, parties, and even meals altered due to the need for victory. These holidays impacted the war in turn by bolstering morale on the homefront and overseas, and strengthening Americans’ emotional connection to the war. Surprisingly, the Fourth of July became an international holiday which emphasized the United States’ historical ties to France, and the shared values between the United States and Great Britain. However, many Black Americans were disillusioned by the idea that the war was “for democracy,” when they themselves were discriminated against so severely at home and within the armed forces. Instead of celebrating the Fourth and its fraught history, many celebrated Emancipation Day instead, a smaller patriotic holiday commemorating the end of slavery. Christmas had long been considered a secular, as well as religious, holiday, but wartime made it patriotic. Celebrations became a vehicle to raise morale for soldiers, as the Red Cross worked tirelessly to provide homesick soldiers with gifts and parties. It was a way to prove loyalty on the homefront, with gifts becoming a litmus test to prove that one would not waste money that could be used to win the war. Conversely, some Jewish Americans were frustrated by the idea of a “secular” Christmas, as this amplified the Christian dominance of the U.S. religious landscape. But, refusing to celebrate a “patriotic” holiday was risky due to the heightened patriotic fervor. Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah were not given equal prominence to Christmas by the United States government, even though a patriotic and religious holiday was clearly possible. Nonetheless, Jewish American communities altered their celebrations of the Jewish New Year to highlight their loyalty and commitment to victory. Overall, the preferred method of celebrating two key holidays in WWI imposed a system of values on the diverse American population, values that left out significant portions of that population with demands of uniformity.
Holidays, Christmas, Fourth of July, Emancipation Day, Rosh Hashanah, Pluralism, Military History, United States History
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