Poster, Cleveland: Many Peoples One Language
Poster, Cleveland: Many Peoples One Language
- Description
- Waves of non–English–speaking European immigrants flooded the cities of industrial America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Local governments and civic groups sought to encourage immigrants to learn to speak, read, and write English. This 1917 poster from the Americanization Committee of the Cleveland Board of Education was posted in schools in an attempt to reach immigrant parents through their children.
- An appeal to attend free evening English classes appears on this poster in six languages : Italian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Polish, Yiddish, and English. Cleveland's factories, steel mills, port facilities, and assembly plants teemed with the new working–class arrivals from central and eastern Europe. On the eve of the American entry into World War I, nationalistic passions were rising and new immigrants were especially encouraged to "become American" by learning English and preparing for American citizenship.
- The 29" x 43" poster is a J. H. Donahey publication printed by the Artcraft Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- poster
- Date made
- 1917
- referenced
- Cleveland Board of Education
- graphic artist
- Artcraft Company
- maker
- Donahey, James Harrison
- Place Made
- United States: Ohio, Cleveland
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- ink (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 106.4 cm x 70 cm; 41 7/8 in x 27 9/16 in
- ID Number
- 1986.0799.01
- accession number
- 1986.0799
- catalog number
- 1986.0799.01
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
- Cultures & Communities
- Communications
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.