Anti-German Sentiment
Prior to the United States entering the first world war German-Americans faced plenty of anti-German sentiment; as the American forces headed across the Atlantic the German-Americans the began to be targeted as anti-american. Propagandists took advantage of this turning anything remotely German unpatriotic.
Across America citizens showed their patriotism by boycotting all things German. These German markets, butcher shops and, most importantly, beer gardens began to lose business until the anti-German sentiment became a part of American culture which forced many German-American businesses to close their doors for good.
