Bob Neymeyer, historian at the Grout Museum District, will speak on the topic "Liberty bonds, yellow paint, & English-only: Anti-German sentiment in Iowa during World War I," The demand for “100% Americanism” was administered by both public and private groups who distrusted the loyalty of these hyphenated Americans. The tactics ranged from intimidation and vandalism to a state law stating English was the only legal language to be used in public. The result was a series of accommodations, some temporary and others permanent, that changed the culture of German-Americans in the state. Neymeyer's lecture accompanies the current exhibit, Answering the Call: The Cedar Valley, Iowa, & World War I, on display until February 14th. Both the exhibit and lecture are free and open to the public.
