Sunday, April 22, 2018

Today In Wyoming's History: April 22, 1917 Tarred and Feathered

Today In Wyoming's History: April 22

1918  Two men were tarred and feathered for refusing to buy Liberty Bonds in Frontier.  World War One, far more than any other 20th Century American war, saw widespread shunning and hostility towards those who opposed the war.  Actions of this type were not uncommon, but probably more effective yet was the giving of feathers to young men opposed to the war by young women, indicating to them that the women regarded them as cowards.  Statements regarded as sedition were also prosecuted in some states, under state law.  As an added factor to this, two groups of Americans, those of recent German extraction and those of recent Irish extraction entered into this era with a degree of cultural hostility towards the English, which they had to rapidly overcome given the spirit of the times.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

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