Boy Spies of America

The Boy Spies of America was a children's group organized during World War I.[1] It was one of a dozen of extralegal vigilance organizations [2] dedicated to volunteer spying which arose during that war.[3] Members reinforced a climate of anti-German sentiment and stopped young men on the street, demanding to see their draft cards.[4] The organization did not successfully identify any German spies.[5]

The boy spies of America were volunteer spies, “reinforcing a climate of anti-German sentiment.” It was a children group who volunteered spying which arose during the war. This organization was made for punishing American who spoke out against the war. Soon, they started going after people who spoke negatively about any part of American life. The organization was not successful, not identifying any German spies.[6][7]

Related organizations included the Sedition Slammers, the Terrible Threateners, the American Protective League, and the Knights of Liberty.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "The 'Savage Peace' of 1919", NPR interview with Ann Hagadorn
  2. ↑ http://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/10/07/spies-among-us-wwi-apl
  3. ↑ Hagedorn, Ann (2007). Savage Peace. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 25.
  4. ↑ Conlin, Joseph (2010). The American Past: A Survey of American History, Volume II: Ninth Edition. Boston: Wadsworth.
  5. ↑ Capozzola, Christopher Joseph Nicodemus. Uncle Sam wants you: World War I and the making of the modern American citizen.
  6. ↑ http://askville.amazon.com/contributions-boy-spies-America-World-War/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=69105137[]
  7. ↑ http://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/10/07/spies-among-us-wwi-apl
  8. ↑ Stone, Geoffrey R. (2004). Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 156. [T]he American Protective League quickly enlisted more than 200,000 members. APL members ferreted out disloyalty whenever and wherever they could find it. They reported thousands of individuals to the authorities on the basis of hearsay, gossip, and slander. The leadership of the APL consisted primarily of conservative men of means - bankers, insurance executives, factory owners. Other volunteer organizations were the Knights of Liberty, the Boy Spies of America, the Sedition Slammers, and the Terrible Threateners.

See also


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