The fear (for some) in 1916 was the rise of German-Americans as a voting block, and other immigrant groups who were known as the "hyphens" after the hyphens between their original nationality and the word "Americans."
The Hyphen Vote Was Practically a Myth
The fear (for some) in 1916 was the rise of German-Americans as a voting block, and other immigrant groups who were known as the "hyphens" after the hyphens between their original nationality and the word "Americans."