Most patriotism in WWI was not coerced. It might have
been encouraged by the government's propaganda efforts, but it was not coerced.
However, there were some incidents of people being coerced to at least act in ways that
were outwardly patriotic.
Perhaps the most coercive tactics
were aimed at selling war bonds. Loaning money to the government was seen as a way of
showing one's patriotism while giving financial support for the government's war
efforts. People were severely pressured to buy these bonds. In other words, they were
coereced into acting patriotically. As one textbook (The American
Pageant 11th Edition, p. 730) tells us, German-Americans might have their
houses defaced with paint if they did not buy bonds. At least one person was threatened
with being hung if he did not buy a bond.
One can also say
that many immigrants were coerced into giving up their native cultures so as to appear
more American. My maternal grandfather was of German ancestry, born in 1911. His
parents spoke German to one another before the war, but then stopped during the war and
never started again because they did not want to seem
unAmerican.
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