Last year protestors disrupted the German festival Oktoberfest in St. Charles County to bring attention to issues of social justice and the acquittal of former police officer Jason Stokely for the murder of Anthony Lamar Smith. This was the eighth protest since the verdict in the St. Louis region, with interesting contrasts and ironies with the history of Germans in Missouri before and after the Civil War.
St. Charles was the first capital of Missouri and the home of Judge Arnold Krekel, a well-known German abolitionist who fought for the emancipation of slavery in the State as well as for voting rights and equal access to education. If he had been alive last year he would likely have joined the protestors on Main Street in his hometown.
Many Germans came to America in the early and mid-1800s as a result of the oppression that existed in Europe and their hopes that they could find freedom and purchase land of their own. The numerous highly educated Germans came with well-debated ideas of what democracy should look like in practice. They were disgusted by the existence of slavery in America and found it to be a complete contradiction.
Prominent German activists, such as Henry Boenstein and Franz Sigel, came to Missouri as a result of earlier immigration by such liberal Germans as Arnold Krekel, Friedrich Munch, Eduard Muhl and Carl Strehly. Educated and accustomed to presenting their case, these men passionately argued against slavery, mobilizing other German immigrants in Missouri through their German-language newspapers. They also fought vigorously in the Union Army and willingly worked side by side with the “Colored Infantry.” When these German Union soldiers marched through the streets of St. Louis, they were spat upon and called derogatory names by the nativists who were pro-slavery.
Not all Germans in Missouri agreed fully agreed with the German abolitionists. Some Germans were caught in the middle, especially the farmers who needed workers in rural Missouri. Though they did not agree with slavery, they saw no way to work around the fact that they needed workers. As a result, some German farmers compromised their principles looking more to the practical side of surviving in an untamed and difficult frontier life.
There was also a sense of insecurity on the part of some Germans about their own position as immigrants. They wanted to become citizens, and many of the nativists who were also pro-slavery wanted to prevent the Germans from becoming citizens too soon. Their slogan was “America is for Americans!” Some were reluctant to take a public stand against slavery, fearing it would affect their citizenship. Sound familiar?
Hermann, Missouri became ground zero for the abolition of slavery in Missouri. As Sydney Norton of Saint Louis University points out, this small town becoming the center of gravity for anti-slavery mobilization was “an unusual phenomenon since Missouri had entered into the Union as a slave state and there was little vocal opposition among the Anglo-American population.”
In 1852 Arnold Krekel founded the St. Charles Demokrat, a liberal newspaper that brought Germans together with a sense of unity and became a prominent voice for antislavery. When the Civil War started, it was the leadership of Judge Krekel that mobilized Germans as “the St. Charles Home Guard” blocking Confederate soldiers from a takeover of the region north of the Missouri River.
Judge Krekel remained steadfast in his support of political and social equality for African Americans. In 1865 it was Krekel who presided on the Missouri Constitutional Convention signing into law the freeing of all slaves. Against much opposition, he petitioned that the word “white” be removed from the constitution. When the 56th U.S. Colored Infantry asserted that blacks had the right to full political citizenship, Krekel supported their petition. It is noteworthy that Krekel was on the founding Board of Directors of the Lincoln Institute (now Lincoln University).
In 1863 Augustus Boernstein, son of the famous Henry Boernstein, sold his father’s well-known German newspaper to join the U.S. Colored Troops!
The contributions of German immigrants to St. Louis and Missouri are enormous. We have schools, streets, churches and many businesses that contributed over time to the cultural and social fabric of our region. If statues are removed to erase the horrible memories of the Confederacy, then perhaps we might consider replacing them with statues that remind us of the moral courage of people like Judge Arnold Krekel who believed in equality and social justice that was color-blind and was not afraid to bring that message to his own community with passion and conviction.
No doubt there were people of German descent participating in the protests in St. Charles on Octoberfest, and there were those wishing that the protests had never come to St. Charles. That’s America! Knowing about Judge Krekel and other German abolitionists enriches our understanding of how diverse leaders have fought for our democracy. It is important to acknowledge the history of contributions of different cultural groups to our community and the complexity that comes with fighting for social justice. These were not perfect men, but their contributions mattered for African Americans.
Cecilia Nadal is the executive director of Gitana Productions, an arts and education company that provides global healing through music, dance and drama in the St. Louis community.
On February 23, 2019 Gitana Productions will bring together the two largest ethnic groups in St. Louis, Germans and African Americans, to discuss our shared experiences in the past and hopes for the future. Visit gitana-inc.org for updates.
