▁several ▁years . ▁http :// www . bo yst own . org / About Us / history / Pages / P ast Direct ors . aspx ▁ ▁World ▁War ▁I ▁By ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁World ▁War ▁I , ▁some ▁Americans ▁were ▁concerned ▁about ▁divided ▁lo y alt ies ▁of ▁German ▁imm igr ants ▁and ▁their ▁descend ants . ▁A ▁n ativ ist ▁movement ▁affected ▁O ma ha . ▁The ▁Federal ▁government ▁enfor ced ▁the ▁Ali en ▁and ▁Sed ition ▁Act s ▁against ▁Germ ans ▁national s . ▁ ▁Germ ans ▁who ▁were ▁not ▁American ▁citizens ▁were ▁required ▁to ▁register ▁with ▁the ▁Federal ▁government ▁as ▁" A li en ▁En em ies ". ▁ ▁Although ▁Val entin ▁Peter ▁had ▁earlier ▁been ▁a ▁supp orter ▁of ▁Germany ▁against ▁Great ▁Britain , ▁by ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁the ▁war , ▁the ▁editor ▁of ▁the ▁O ma ha ▁Trib ü ne ▁had ▁become ▁an ▁ar dent ▁supp orter ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States ' ▁invol vement ▁in ▁World ▁War ▁I ▁on ▁the ▁side ▁of ▁Great ▁Britain . ▁ ▁Anti - G erman ▁feelings ▁ran ▁high ▁in ▁Neb r aska ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁war . ▁ ▁A ▁historian ▁noted , ▁" G erman ▁books ▁were ▁destroyed . ▁The ▁legisl ature ▁prohib ited ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁foreign ▁languages ▁on ▁the ▁public ▁streets ▁or ▁on ▁the ▁tele phone ▁and ▁prohib ited ▁schools ▁from ▁using ▁or ▁even ▁teaching ▁foreign ▁languages ▁below ▁the ▁e ighth ▁grade . ▁W art ime ▁patri ots ▁initi ated ▁both ▁official ▁and ▁vig il ante ▁action ▁against