Homegrown Nazis In The Land of the Free: The German American Bund in 1930's America

Elvis and Billy Joel played there. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought there. John F. Kennedy had his birthday festivities there. But did you know that over 20,000 American Nazis, shouting "Sieg Heil" and singing Nazi march tunes also congregated there to celebrate George Washington's birthday? "There" is Madison Square Garden, a New York City icon and a symbol of "The American Way." It is just one of the little-known facts you will discover as Eliot takes you through the history of the German American Bund, a homegrown Nazi organization that thrived in the streets of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the Midwest and as far west as California prior to America's entry into World War II.


About the Presenter: Eliot Kopp spent 20 years in Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked in the banking industry and for several law firms. He received his BA in American History in 1984. While in Louisville, Eliot taught an eclectic set of courses at the University of Louisville Free Education Program, including, "The JFK Assassination: An Analysis of the Evidence" and "Anti-Semitism Throughout the Ages." In 1993, Eliot moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he continued working in the banking industry until he decided that it was time to truly make a difference, by entering the teaching profession full-time. He began his teaching career in 2001. He received his MA in History in 2010 from Florida Atlantic University. His thesis is titled, "Fritz Kuhn, 'The American Fuehrer' and the Rise and Fall of the German American Bund." Eliot currently teaches law and speech & debate to middle school students.