Poles - Did you know?

There were Poles in Texas before Panna Maria (supposedly the oldest Polish settlement in the US). There were Poles in the failed French colony of Champ D'Asile, near present day Liberty, Texas. Polish veterans of the failed revolt of 1831 joined the Texan army during the Texas Revolution. Several Poles fought under Fannin at Goliad in 1836. A survivor mentions the Texas artillery was commanded by '"all fine-looking Poles". There were Poles in Sam Houston's Army that defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, winning independence for Texas. Frederick Lemsky, was one of the musicians who played "Come to the Bower" as the Texas Army charged the Mexicans at San Jacinto. Felix Wardzinski was present at the capture of General Santa Anna, the Mexican dictator.

Poles - The Labor Force

(One of) the largest immigrant group(s) to respond to industrialization was the Poles. About 2 million of them "fled" Europe for America between 1870 and WWI.

Primarily, the Poles fled to the US to earn money to buy land (and stave off starvation). Originally European Peasants, they were forced to abandon ship when mechanized agriculture took over. Plus, Catholic Poles bred like rabbits, compounding economic pressures with large populations of landless individuals. Who could resist such a temptation as $1 a day?

Many Poles arriving in the US went to big industrial cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. 4/5 of the men worked in coal mines, meatpacking factories, textile/steel mills, oil refineries, and garment-making shops. I'm sure they would have no problem with putting America on rubber tires, helping humans develop wings, and working at movie theaters.

Less money spent on workers' salaries is money saved. So when you get your allowance this week, remember that every penny today came out of a poor Polish workers' salary in the past.

Besides, whatever money the workers were earning was being sent back to relatives in Austria and Russia.

Uh oh! That means less money in the US! TIME TO PANIC!!!

Few Poles wanted to return to Europe after WWI was over and an independent Poland was created (I don't blame them). Instead, they doubled their efforts to integrate into American Society. This resulted in Polish institutions, street names, and the like (where do you think the road name "Pulaski Pike" came from?)

The Domestic Parade of Prejudice & Wilson's Tour and Collapse (1919)

Continuing from where we left off with the Treaty of Versailles, we shall see other groups have to say about it. Plus, we will see what Wilson did to emphasize the League of Nations.

52. Each of the following groups found objections with Wilson's Peace in Paris

a. Isolationists, who wanted no part in foreign entanglements and alliances, wanted nothing to do with the League of Nations.

b. "Hun-Haters" thought that the punishments that were described were not strict enough.

c. Hyphenated Americans, including German-Americans, Italian-Americans, and others found the peace settlements insufficiently favorable to their native lands.

d. Irish Americans, having hard time with the British, voiced their dislike of the League saying that Britain, with all their territories, would have too much influence in the League.

53. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge was to Woodrow Wilson what John Dean was to Richard Nixon. Each despised, loathed, and criticized the other. It seemed far too late for Lodge to defeat the Treaty. What he attempted to do was to amend the Treaty to better suit him and his party so they could take credit for the changes.

54. Wilson's bulky pact was bogged down in the Senate and it wasn't certain if he could get the League to pass through. In order to be certain that it did, Wilson went on a speech-tour around the country to go over the heads of the Senate directly to the sovereign people. The tour had its ups and downs and ended with downs for him. Once he returned home, he became paralyzed by a stroke.

Now, I shall pass the microphone to maria.

Foreign Policy Acts

Foreign Policies between the New Nationalists and he New Freedomists differed greatly.

The Panama Tolls Act, signed by William Taft, exempted American shipping from tolls and taxes, provoking sharp protests from Britain, who needed to use the Canal but were being taxed heavily. This Act was repealed by Wilson in 1914.

In response to the Philippines, Wilson signed off on the Jones Act of 1916, which granted the Philippines the title of "territory". They would eventually be granted independence as well. However, this would happen thirty years later, on 4 July 1946.

Conservation/Land Use Acts - Save the Planet!

Land Conservation was a major concern of Theodore Roosevelt's. He, therefore, took steps to preserving the natural landscape.

The first step was the Desert

Land Act of 1877 (before TR time). This act sold land to any purchaser that could turn an arid backwater into a less-arid backwater in three years.

More successful was the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, which authorized the president to set aside public forests as national parks and other reserves. Some 46 million acres of trees were saved from the lumber yard thanks to this Act.

States were granted federal land so that it could be irrigated and settled via the Carey Act of 1894.

The Newlands Act of 1902 authorized Washington to collect money from the sale of public lands in the western states and use the money for the development of irrigation projects.

There was a split among the Progressives about how they viewed the land. There were the ones who wished to save the land so as to use it as a resource for long-term projects (dams, etc.) and there were the ones who wished to save the land because of its beauty (preservationists). In general, the preservationists lost many a fight.

Federal Agencies

The national stage was generally closed to female reformers. However, two wedges were driven into the federal bureaucracy (via the Department of Labor) in the form of two new Bureaus: The Children's Bureau and The Women's Bureau. Both of these gave female activists a place to send forth their grievances from.

Once again, Wilson comes in with another move and scheme to reform the economy. This one is called the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914. It empowered a commission to perform seek and destroy monopolies at the source by rooting out unethical trade practices.

Here is yet another act signed by Wilson, the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal Reserve Board, established by this Act, oversaw a twelve region system of reserves with their own central banks. Furthermore, the board was also empowered to issue Federal Reserve Notes - paper money.

And yet another Act signed by Mr. President Wilson (last on this post, I promise!). This one, the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, made credit available to farmers at low interest rates - a move long demanded by populists.

Amendments to the Constitution

Was an income tax legal? Whether it was or not, Congress made it legal in 1913 with Amendment XVI to the Constitution. This Amendment directly made it legal for the government to tax part of a workers income.

Isn't there an intimacy between corporations and Congress? This is true; the muckrakers uncovered this. Because of the pressures caused by this, Congress passed Amendment XVII, establishing direct election of senators via popular choice rather than by electoral college.

Alcohol is prohibited in the United States! ... or at least it was when Amendment XVIII was in effect. Passed in 1919, the Amendment floored Demon Rum temporarily thanks to pressures caused by antiliquor campaigns, such as the WCTU.

Women? Voting? At the time, that must have been a riotous joke! However, it happens

all the time today. Why is that? In 1920, women's suffrage was granted under Amendment XIX. This includes rights for women to vote.

Workers Rights Acts - Get Back to Work!

Company treatment of its "most valuable assets" have not always been especially good. Sailors, for instance, were treated brutally from the days of cat-o'-nine-tails onward. The La Follette Seamen's Act of 1915 helped solve this issue. It required decent treatment and a living wage on American ships.

If you became disabled in your line of work, that tough. Workers' Compensation did not exist before 1916, before the Workers' Compensation Act. This Act gave assistance to federal civil-service employees when they were disabled from injury or disease.

Anti-Trust Acts - Evil or Just Business?

The trusts were a major problem in both politics and business. By working together, companies gained great money and power at the expense of the consumer and smaller companies. Something had to be done.

An attempt was made in 1890 with the Sherman Anti-trust Act, which flatly forbade any form of trusts, good or bad. The act was full of loopholes and lawyers were clever, making it virtually ineffective. In fact, it was used at the time to curb labor unions.

The Sherman Act finally grew some "teeth" of its own when Congress passed the Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914, which lengthened the list of objectionable business practices. Furthermore, it conferred benefits on labor and legalized strikes and peaceful picketing.

Food Acts - Tasty, but Safe?

European Markets were shutting out American meats because they were found to be tainted. Yuck! Some governments were even threatening to throw out the good meat with the bad meat. What a waste! Furthermore, thanks to Upton Sinclair and "The Jungle", people began to retreat off of American meats. What was the solution?

Congress (again "influenced" by Roosevelt) passed the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, subjecting meat shipping and preparation to federal inspection. While being revolted by certain features of the act, larger packers successfully used this act as an opportunity to drive other smaller competitors out of business.

Another problem was the mislabeling of foods and pharmaceuticals (was that Loratadine or Hydrocodone?). As a companion to the Meat Inspection Act, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed to solve this problem.

Railroad Acts - Conquering the Monster

At the time (early 1900s), the railroad industry was a boom. In fact, money and power was flowing through its slippery talons faster than could be controlled. The Interstate Commerce Commission, designed in 1887 in an attempt to curb the beast, was failing miserably. What could be done to stop the terrible tyrant?

Into the spotlight then stepped President Theodore Roosevelt. With some "motivation", Congress finally passed an effective legislation. The first one was the Elkins Act of 1903, which imposed fines on railroads giving rebates and on shippers accepting them.

Even more successful than the Elkins Act was the Hepburn Act of 1906, restricting free passes. Thanks to this Act, the Interstate Commerce Commission was expanded and given power over express companies, sleeping-car companies, and pipeline

By imposing effective legislations on railroads, Roosevelt had brandished his antitrust stick. He probably went to bed that night with a feeling of a job well done.

The Treaty of Paris and the End of the Revolutionary War

The year was 1782. The British empire was at war. The Minorca island had fallen. The Rock of Gibraltar was set to fall. And in the city of Paris, three American negotiators (John Jay, John Adams, and Ben Franklin) gathered to settle peace terms.

Given particular instructions by Congress, the three set off to Paris. The three representatives chafed at the instructions given to them. They were told not to make any separate peace and to consult with their French allies at all stages of negotiations. The three could tell that the French foreign ministry had an indirect hand in the instructions.

France, on the other hand, had other things

on its mind. Promises were made to Spain that would give them Gibraltar. However, Spain wanted the trans-Allegheny area as well. This put France in a tight spot since America was promised it as well.

France wanted an independent United States, but didn't want to deal with it. So France forged a plan to keep America cooped up east of the Allegheny Mountains. Furthermore, it would be easier to promote French interests and policies in a tiny country than in a larger one. France payed money for its troops and now it wanted it back.

John Jay, the representative from New York, smelled trouble

with the ambitions of Americans and Spaniards. He saw signs that would indicate France would betray them.

So, secretly, he broke the instructions given to them by Congress by telling the British of their troubles.

Britain, hard-pressed with the number of enemies that it faced, quickly came to terms with the Americans to get the Americans out of the alliance. The final peace, known as the Treaty of Paris, came out in 1783.

Through the Treaty of Paris (II), Britain finally recognized the independence of the United States. Furthermore, extremely generous amounts of land were given to them including the Mississippi, the Great Lakes, and Florida. Also (to Canadian disapproval), fisheries in Newfoundland would still be theirs.

Why was all this land given to them? The answer is because Britain didn't want the Americans to succumb to their French allies and would do anything to lure them away from the French. The war cost a lot for the French as well, including money, men, and making promises that it couldn't keep to the Spanish crown. So by ending the conflict, France was relieved to free itself from further debt and embarrassment.

During the mid- 18th century, the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) was in its height.Many battles were occurring between the British and the French/Indian force. And the opposition to the British kept coming out on top.

The French forces, combine

d with many of the Native American forces, devastated the English "lobsters". However, Britain has always been able to bring forth an outstanding leader to politics to lead them through hard times. And in this situation, the British brought forth the great orator and politician, William Pitt, faster than law enforcement bringing riot police to a soccer game.

After being elected to office, Pitt, after realizing that France's vitals in North America were in Canada, made his troops leave the French West Indies, which were slowly weakening British military strength, faster than a cheetah leaving a salad bar.

The first French establishment to be laid to waste was the fortress of Louisbourg. Even though the fortress had been fortified more than Fort Knox's fallout shelter (a complete exaggeration), the Siege of Louisbourg brought it down to its knees. This was the first major British victory in the whole war.

On a roll now, Pitt turned his eyes now toward the next city on his to-crush list, Quebec. For this operation, he required the unique touch of a brilliant British officer. He found James Wolfe. Wolfe, a British officer since the age of 14, had a combination of dash with an exaggerated attention to detail. This unusual combination of traits made his career as an officer more successful than a cheater winning the lottery.

The British, making progress after Louisbourg more slowly than a sloth in a sack-race, could not seem to make their way into Quebec. However, when Wolfe arrived, he executed a daring move, sending a detachment up the side of an unguarded cliff, showing the way for other troops, to get to the outskirts of the city.

On that morning, the two armies faced off on the Plains of Abraham in the Battle of Quebec. The British were led by James Wolfe while the French were led by Marquis de Montcalm. Ironically, the two commanders were both fatally wounded in the battle. However, the British defeated the French and the city surrendered.

The Treaty of Paris finally put an end to the French and Indian War. Through this agreement, the British took what was left of Canada, leaving behind a French population smaller than an amoeba with dwarfism. The Indians also lost their biggest weapon through this treaty, the ability to make Europeans fight each other for their gain or amusement.

The Great Awakening: contributions to the separation of Church and State

The Great Awakening was an extremely large religious movement in American history. At this time (the early eighteenth century), many of the American churches were sagging under the effects of liberal ideas, such as free will, rather than predestiny, determined a man's eternal fate. To counter this, Jonathan Edwards, a preacher from Northampton, MA, proclaimed and affirmed the need for complete dependence on God's grace rather than good works. This started off a domino effect that led to the Great Awakening. In the end, the Great Awakening even contributed to the separation of church and state.

The GA contributed to the separation through the work of one itinerant English parson, George Whitefield. Whitefield had the amazing gift of speech that enthralled every individual who listened to his sermons. Through his speech, people began to have personalized religious experiences unique to themselves. Because of this, people began to view religion as something to be protected by the meddling of bureaucracy. With the protection from politics, the separation was beginning to occur.

Thanks to Jonathan Edwards, the revitalization of religion began through the GA. Thanks to George Whitefield, parishioners began having individual experiences. And thanks to the uniqueness of experiences, religion began to be protected from politics, causing the separation of Church and State.

Song 15

This song is called We Didn't Start the Fire.

The song talks about the many things, good and bad times (JFK, Ho Chi Minh, etc.), that have occurred since the beginning of Billy Joel's life. The meaning of the song lies in the fact that many people like to blame hardships other people. Particularly, the younger generations have been blamed for the hard times faced by older generations. This song is in response to those claims saying that "We (being the young) didn't start the fire (meaning cause the hard times)".

Song 14

This song is called The Hands that Built America.

The song talks of how far we have come, from the rolling plains to the factories, from the mountains to the skyscrapers. However, it also teaches us an important lesson to always remember. It teaches us that we did not build this nation by ourselves. Rather, other peoples had their input on the nation. From the English to the Africans, from the French to the Germans, from the Muslims to the Hindus, from the Sioux to the Japanese, everyone helped build America to the nation that it is today. Many people have forgotten that fact in today's society, but it is important to remember that we are a nation of and built by many other nations.

Song 13

This song is called The Times The Are A-Changin'

This song explains to me that even though many don't attempt it, times are changing all around the world. Technology is getting better; products are getting cheaper; people are getting older;etc. The moral of the song is that if you are too old to do something, don't attempt to help or you will just block the path. In America's past, one used to look forward to their parents for assistance and advice, but now the young are becoming more capable and society is teaching them to be more self-sustaining than before. Times are changing, no ifs, ors, or buts.

Song 12

This song is called Youngstown.

The setting is the 1970s in a city called Youngstown, which provided factories to make cannonballs for the Union army. Youngstown, apparently, is still in production of weaponry to assist in the fighting in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. After a tour in Vietnam, the narrator came home to work in this place; however, Vietnam showed him enough death and destruction for the rest of his life. The history of America has been very bloody and the song makes the point that war is not the way to go to make peace. I happen to agree with this statement. America should focus on diplomatic efforts to make longstanding solutions rather than bomb the population into submission for a short-term cease-fire.

Song 11

This song is called A Change is Gonna Come

The song talks of a man who was born by a river in a tent. He has been moving from place to place. He has had a hard life getting to where he is right now. However, he is looking forward for a time when things will be different and life will be easier for him. Once again, many hard times have occurred in the history of America; particularly, the life that the Pilgrims had when they arrived in the New World and the time that the African slaves had on the plantations. However, they looked forward to a time when things would be different. The Pilgrims were looking forward to a time of economic success and religious freedom. The African slaves were looking forward to a time when they would be free and accepted in society.

Song 10

This song is called Strange Fruit.

The sound of the song has the feeling of the early to mid 1920s. The song mentions strange fruit hanging from the trees with "blood on the leaves" in the south. It also mentions "burning flesh". My guess is that this song is referring to the time of a killing of an African American in the south (strange fruit), most likely by hanging or lynching (hanging from the trees). Without going on much further, I will say that this song absolutely disgusts me in how they view African Americans at the time.