Sharon Kennedy: Madison Square Gardens Nazi rally
Much like today, the Nazi Party of 1938 was alive and well in the United States. Party members got together and attended a rally at Madison Square Gardens that numbered over 20,000. I had never heard of such an event and am continually baffled by my ignorance of history. The only thing I remember from American History 101 is that fences changed the West. I don’t know whether the past was taught as a clump of meaningless dates or I was busy eyeing up a handsome classmate and didn’t listen to lectures, but whatever the reasons, I missed a whole lot of interesting stuff.
Although I did read books, I’m learning much more about U.S. history thanks to a slew of fascinating online documentaries. Many events received only a short paragraph or a footnote in our textbooks. The Nazi rally was probably ignored by writers of history and their publishers who didn’t want it mentioned. Such juicy material was kept from the eyes of students whether in high school or college, but ignoring parts of our unsavory past doesn’t make them less real.
I think it’s better to acknowledge sordid events than pretend they never happened. Even those of us who know very little about history, should be aware there’s not much new today that didn’t occur at some point in the past. Perhaps we were shocked when we saw swastika armbands on Americans marching in Charlottesville in 2017. We didn’t know their anger had been simmering for decades and when given a presidential green light, Nazis emerged proud and defiant. Free speech gave them the right to chant, “You will not replace us” followed by “Blood and soil” and “Sieg heil” which translated means “Hail victory.”
I’m writing this a week prior to Independence Day so I don’t know what slogans were chanted yesterday or what banners were carried, if any. Perhaps White Supremacists
organized parades, held fireworks and enjoyed family picnics just like “normal” Americans. One thing I do know is the flirtation with Nazism remains alive and is flourishing in communities from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The movement has emerged from a hiding place and is gaining traction and admiration.
Why? Why is something so vile appealing to so many individuals regardless of age? Are people disillusioned and feel their voices are not being heard? Do they want to overthrow our form of government and the lobbyists who control it? Are angry men and women jumping on the bandwagon because they think they’ve found an outlet for their rage and radical views? Are whack jobs like Majority Taylor Green and Matt Gaetz the new poster children for their movement? Have we really stooped so low that we’re willing to listen to and follow behind the crazies in Congress?
According to a 2019 article by Sara Kate Kramer, “The 1938 rally was sponsored by the German-American Bund, an organization with headquarters in Manhattan and thousands of members across the United States. In the 1930s, the Bund was one of several organizations in the U.S. that were openly supportive of Hitler and the rise of fascism in Europe. They had parades, bookstores and summer camps for youth. Their vision for America was a cocktail of white supremacy, fascist ideology and American patriotism.”
Swap bookstores and summer camps for websites and Twitter and we have what’s happening today. Then check out a seven-minute chilling newscast of “When Nazis Took Manhattan” on NPR’s Code Switch. You’ll find not much has changed in 85 years.
— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at authorsharonkennedy.com. Kennedy's new book, "View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories," is available from her or Amazon.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sharon Kennedy: Madison Square Gardens Nazi rally
