During World War I, anti-German sentiment in the United States ran to extremes that resulted in many name changes. The town of Berlin, Michigan was renamed Marne (after French soldiers who fought there), and Berlin, Ohio reverted to its original name of Fort Laramie. In Chicago, Lubeck, Frankfort, and Hamburg Streets were renamed Dickens, Charleston, and Shakespeare Streets. In New Orleans, Berlin Street was renamed in honor of General Pershing, head of the American Expeditionary Force. In New York, Brooklyn’s Hamburg Avenue was altered to Wilson Avenue. In the most absurd examples, words of German origin were also temporarily changed. Thus, German measles (rubella) became “liberty measles,” sauerkraut was dubbed “liberty cabbage,” hamburgers were renamed “liberty sandwiches,” and dachshunds were called “liberty pups.” Read more about World War I and U.S. immigrants in On the Shore (see NOVELS).
