May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
From 1817-1826, the Foreign Mission School opened in Cornwall Connecticut. Called "the heathen school" by locals, it was founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Its purpose was to educate and train Asians, Hawaiians, and Native Americans to become missionaries and emissaries to their own people, sent back to convert the"heathens" to Christianity and "civilization." John Ridge and Elias Boudinot we're among the Cherokee youths educated there; they would become prominent Cherokee leaders in Georgia leading up to the Trail of Years.
Henry Opukahaia (c. 1792 -1818), last name spelled Obookiah during his lifetime, was one of the first Hawaiians to become a Christian and is credited with starting Hawaiian conversion to Christianity. When he was 10, Henry's family was killed in an inter-island conflict, and he was taken on as a cabin boy by a captain from New Haven, Connecticut. He met Reverend Edwin Wright in 1809, and Wright's brother Timothy, a founder of the ABCFM, took him in and expanded his Christian and secular education, making him the first student of the school. (He had been taught literacy as a cabin boy.) He converted to Christianity in 1815 and immediately set to work on the first Hawaiian grammar book, dictionary, and speller, none of which survives today.
As he was making plans to return to Hawaii to preach, he contracted typhus fever in 1818 and died at about age 26.
The Heathen School by John Demos tells the history of the Foreign Mission School.
Place.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
From 1817-1826, the Foreign Mission School opened in Cornwall Connecticut. Called "the heathen school" by locals, it was founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Its purpose was to educate and train Asians, Hawaiians, and Native Americans to become missionaries and emissaries to their own people, sent back to convert the"heathens" to Christianity and "civilization." John Ridge and Elias Boudinot we're among the Cherokee youths educated there; they would become prominent Cherokee leaders in Georgia leading up to the Trail of Years.
The school was home to approximately 100 young men who were to be trained to be missionaries, preachers, translators, teachers, and health workers in their native communities. The students followed a rigorous schedule: church attendance, prayer, 7 hours of school work, and field work ( growing much of their food). Their studies included astronomy, calculus, theology, geography, chemistry, navigation, surveying, French, Greek, Latin, blacksmithing, and coopering The community of Cornwall was chosen as the site of the school because it was thought to get generous with donations of money, effort, and property.
However, in the mid-1820s, Cornwall's true colors came out when Cherokee students John Ridge and Elias Boudinot courted and wed local white girls. The couples were burned in effigy, threatened, and attacked, and the public outrage caused the school to close. Townspeople burned most of the school's structures.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
From 1817-1826, the Foreign Mission School opened in Cornwall Connecticut. Called "the heathen school" by locals, it was founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Its purpose was to educate and train Asians, Hawaiians, and Native Americans to become missionaries and emissaries to their own people, sent back to convert the"heathens" to Christianity and "civilization." John Ridge and Elias Boudinot we're among the Cherokee youths educated there; they would become prominent Cherokee leaders in Georgia leading up to the Trail of Years.
The school was home to approximately 100 young men who were to be trained to be missionaries, preachers, translators, teachers, and health workers in their native communities. The students followed a rigorous schedule: church attendance, prayer, 7 hours of school work, and field work ( growing much of their food). Their studies included astronomy, calculus, theology, geography, chemistry, navigation, surveying, French, Greek, Latin, blacksmithing, and coopering The community of Cornwall was chosen as the site of the school because it was thought to get generous with donations of money, effort, and property.
However, in the mid-1820s, Cornwall's true colors came out when Cherokee students John Ridge and Elias Boudinot courted and wed local white girls. The couples were burned in effigy, threatened, and attacked, and the public outrage caused the school to close. Townspeople burned most of the school's structures.
Thing..
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
From 1817-1826, the Foreign Mission School opened in Cornwall Connecticut. Called "the heathen school" by locals, it was founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Its purpose was to educate and train Asians, Hawaiians, and Native Americans to become missionaries and emissaries to their own people, sent back to convert the"heathens" to Christianity and "civilization."
Although Henry Opoukahia or Obookiah died of cholera before returning to his native Hawaii as a missionary, he still returned about 175 years later. After petitions from one of his descendants, authorities in Cornwall Connecticut exhumed his remains from his grave there (first picture) and shipped them to a new gravesite in Hawaii in 1993.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
From 1817-1826, the Foreign Mission School opened in Cornwall Connecticut. Called "the heathen school" by locals, it was founded by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Its purpose was to educate and train Asians, Hawaiians, and Native Americans to become missionaries and emissaries to their own people, sent back to convert the"heathens" to Christianity and "civilization."
Although Henry Opoukahia or Obookiah died of cholera before returning to his native Hawaii as a missionary, he still returned about 175 years later. After petitions from one of his descendants, authorities in Cornwall Connecticut exhumed his remains from his grave there (first picture) and shipped them to a new gravesite in Hawaii in 1993.
Person.
May 17, 1954: the US Supreme Court issued the landmark ruling in Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka Kansas, a ruling that overturned 60 years of the "separate but equal" doctrine of Plessy vs Ferguson. In the unanimous decision, the justices agreed with lead NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall that separate was inherently unequal and that it violated the concept of equal protection of citizens laid out in the 14th amendment.
Marshall (1908-1993) had already risen to be one of the top civil rights lawyers that America had ever seen years before the leading the Brown vs Board team, and he had already argued before the Supreme Court numerous times. In the 1940s and 1950s, he traveled around the South taking on cases that had racism at their core. As a result, he and his associates were constantly threatened and harassed.
One of his cases was the case of the Groveland Four, documented in Gilbert King's book, Devil in the Grove. In 1949 Florida, the KKK was powerful, and the Florida citrus industry was booming, relying on Jim Crow, the Klan, fear, and racism to keep its labor force in check. Sheriffs like Lake County's Willis McCall and their deputies were KKK members; they practically had to be to get the job.
When a white 17-year old girl claimed she was raped, four young black men, ages 16-22, were identified as suspects. There is still uncertainty over the question of whether a rape took place, and there was no physical or medical evidence of one. One of the four, Ernest Thomas, fled Lake County, pursued by Sheriff McCall and a posse of 1000 men. When found 200 miles away he was shot over 400 times. The other men were beaten with fists, pipes, and blackjacks. Two confessed to stop the beatings, although there was no evidence. One never confessed, despite the beatings.
Two of the men were shot by Sheriff McCall while being transported. One survived. All four men were finally pardoned in 2019.
May 17, 1954: the US Supreme Court issued the landmark ruling in Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka Kansas, a ruling that overturned 60 years of the "separate but equal" doctrine of Plessy vs Ferguson. In the unanimous decision, the justices agreed with lead NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall that separate was inherently unequal and that it violated the concept of equal protection of citizens laid out in the 14th amendment.
Marshall (1908-1993) had already risen to be one of the top civil rights lawyers that America had ever seen years before the leading the Brown vs Board team, and he had already argued before the Supreme Court numerous times. In the 1940s and 1950s, he traveled around the South taking on cases that had racism at their core. As a result, he and his associates were constantly threatened and harassed.
One of his cases was the case of the Groveland Four, documented in Gilbert King's book, Devil in the Grove. In 1949 Florida, the KKK was powerful, and the Florida citrus industry was booming, relying on Jim Crow, the Klan, fear, and racism to keep its labor force in check. Sheriffs like Lake County's Willis McCall and their deputies were KKK members; they practically had to be to get the job.
When a white 17-year old girl claimed she was raped, four young black men, ages 16-22, were identified as suspects. There is still uncertainty over the question of whether a rape took place, and there was no physical or medical evidence of one. One of the four, Ernest Thomas, fled Lake County, pursued by Sheriff McCall and a posse of 1000 men. When found 200 miles away he was shot over 400 times. The other men were beaten with fists, pipes, and blackjacks. Two confessed to stop the beatings, although there was no evidence. One never confessed, despite the beatings.
Two of the men were shot by Sheriff McCall while being transported. One survived. All four men were finally pardoned in 2019.
Place.
Lake County Florida today is home to the picturesque town of Mount Dora and still home to a few citrus orchards, although those are becoming harder to find statewide. However, it was a very different place in the 20th century. In Mount Dora, for example, black residents near the center of town were encouraged to move to scrub land on the edge of town, and by 1922, a buffer zone was set up, strict lines were drawn, and a black curfew was established. The KKK had a strong presence, with politicians, policemen, businessmen, and newspaper publishers as active members. Blacks, Jews, and Catholics were warned to use their "common sense" and avoid trouble.
In 1949, citrus workers contacted the NAACP to complain of horrible treatment and working conditions, including mandatory seven-day work weeks. Newly elected Sheriff Willis McCall intervened, busting heads of organizers. This was the climate whenever the Groveland Four were accused of rape, and Thurgood Marshall arrived to defend them. Another defender, state NAACP president Harry T. Moore and his wife died when their house was dynamited on Christmas night 1951, making him the first NAACP official to be murdered.
McCall served seven terms as sheriff, finally losing re-election in 1972, days after being acquitted of murdering a mentally disabled black inmate. He often bragged that he had been investigated 49 times, and five governors had tried and failed to remove him from office.
Devil in the Grove is the story of the Groveland Four.
Lake County Florida today is home to the picturesque town of Mount Dora and still home to a few citrus orchards, although those are becoming harder to find statewide. However, it was a very different place in the 20th century. In Mount Dora, for example, black residents near the center of town were encouraged to move to scrub land on the edge of town, and by 1922, a buffer zone was set up, strict lines were drawn, and a black curfew was established. The KKK had a strong presence, with politicians, policemen, businessmen, and newspaper publishers as active members. Blacks, Jews, and Catholics were warned to use their "common sense" and avoid trouble.
In 1949, citrus workers contacted the NAACP to complain of horrible treatment and working conditions, including mandatory seven-day work weeks. Newly elected Sheriff Willis McCall intervened, busting heads of organizers. This was the climate whenever the Groveland Four were accused of rape, and Thurgood Marshall arrived to defend them. Another defender, state NAACP president Harry T. Moore and his wife died when their house was dynamited on Christmas night 1951, making him the first NAACP official to be murdered.
McCall served seven terms as sheriff, finally losing re-election in 1972, days after being acquitted of murdering a mentally disabled black inmate. He often bragged that he had been investigated 49 times, and five governors had tried and failed to remove him from office.
Devil in the Grove is the story of the Groveland Four.
Thing.
The setting for Devil in the Grove, Lake County Florida, has been a center of Florida's citrus agribusiness for a century. Citrus growers and packers went to great lengths to set their product apart. Today, vintage citrus packing labels are a major part of Florida's history and Floridania (Florida memorabilia) collecting.
The setting for Devil in the Grove, Lake County Florida, has been a center of Florida's citrus agribusiness for a century. Citrus growers and packers went to great lengths to set their product apart. Today, vintage citrus packing labels are a major part of Florida's history and Floridania (Florida memorabilia) collecting.
Person.
James Michener was a master of historical fiction. He wrote around forty books, mostly historical fiction, lots with one-word place name titles. On average each carefully researched book was near 1000 pages and covered generations, even hundreds or thousands of years.
In 1959, he published Hawaii, to mark the admission if Hawaii as a state. Its story actually begins millions of years ago with the formation of the Hawaiian islands and goes up to the 1950s.
One of his 20th century characters, Hong Kong Kee, was said to have been based on "the Chinese Rockefeller," Chinn Ho (1904-1987). Ho was one of the first successful Asian-Americans to "crack the bamboo curtain" in Hawaii that had previously kept Asians out of business. He started an investment company in 1944 and, from there, became one of the biggest developers in the state. In 1961, he became the first Asian sole owner of a Honolulu newspaper, he was the owner of a Triple-A baseball team, and he was the head of the Honolulu Stock Exchange.
James Michener was a master of historical fiction. He wrote around forty books, mostly historical fiction, lots with one-word place name titles. On average each carefully researched book was near 1000 pages and covered generations, even hundreds or thousands of years.
In 1959, he published Hawaii, to mark the admission if Hawaii as a state. Its story actually begins millions of years ago with the formation of the Hawaiian islands and goes up to the 1950s.
One of his 20th century characters, Hong Kong Kee, was said to have been based on "the Chinese Rockefeller," Chinn Ho (1904-1987). Ho was one of the first successful Asian-Americans to "crack the bamboo curtain" in Hawaii that had previously kept Asians out of business. He started an investment company in 1944 and, from there, became one of the biggest developers in the state. In 1961, he became the first Asian sole owner of a Honolulu newspaper, he was the owner of a Triple-A baseball team, and he was the head of the Honolulu Stock Exchange.
Place.
One of the chapters of James Michener's Hawaii is set in the lepers colony near Kalaupapa, on the island of Molokai. When it was founded in 1866, leprosy, or Hansen's Disease, was little understood. It was erroneously thought to be highly contagious, and it was basically untreatable until the discovery of antibiotics. Patients were quarantined and ostracized.
At its peak, 1,200 people were exiled there. The isolation law remained in effect until 1969, but at this writing, about six to fourteen elderly patients have chosen to continue residing there.
One of the chapters of James Michener's Hawaii is set in the lepers colony near Kalaupapa, on the island of Molokai. When it was founded in 1866, leprosy, or Hansen's Disease, was little understood. It was erroneously thought to be highly contagious, and it was basically untreatable until the discovery of antibiotics. Patients were quarantined and ostracized.
At its peak, 1,200 people were exiled there. The isolation law remained in effect until 1969, but at this writing, about six to fourteen elderly patients have chosen to continue residing there.
Thing.
Simple yet lethal, the traditional Hawaiians' arsenal included clubs with stone heads carved from Kona wood, daggers made from the bills of marlins and swordfish, slashing tools fashioned from sharks' teeth, and barbed spears whose tips were designed to break off after embedding in the target.
James Michener's Hawaii is a historical fiction novel covering millions of years of Hawaiian history.
Simple yet lethal, the traditional Hawaiians' arsenal included clubs with stone heads carved from Kona wood, daggers made from the bills of marlins and swordfish, slashing tools fashioned from sharks' teeth, and barbed spears whose tips were designed to break off after embedding in the target.
James Michener's Hawaii is a historical fiction novel covering millions of years of Hawaiian history.
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Person.
On May 19 1856, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Republican, made a blistering speech titled The Crime Against Kansas on the Senate Floor. It was a response to the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act and the violence that it had precipitated. The Act, sponsored by Stephen Douglas, allowed the people of the two territories to decide whether to be slave or free states. As a result of the act, armed supporters of both sides had streamed into Kansas and begun a mini-civil war, "Bleeding Kansas."
In his speech, Brooks attacked Douglas and the Congress as a whole for their complicity in the violence. He also lambasted the state of South Carolina as the home of some of the most vociferous slavery defenders. He also verbally attacked SC Senator Andrew Butler personally. Brooks said Butler had taken "a mistress....that harlot, slavery," and he mocked Butler's image as a chivalrous southern gentlemen. He even went so far as to ridicule Senator Butler's stroke-caused speech impediment.
The speech set Washington aflame, figuratively, and led to the most egregious act of violence committed on the Senate Floor. During the 1850s, the slavery debate had led to fistfights and Congressmen carrying weapons, but nothing like what happened next. On May 22, Butler's cousin, Representative Preston Brooks, strode into the Senate chamber and had a few words with Sumner who was seated at his desk. Then, he proceeded to strike the Senator with his cane for a full minute and calmly walking away. Sumner suffered head trauma and post-traumatic stress. It would be three years before he was able to return to Congress, and he became one of the Senate's leading voices during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
On May 19 1856, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Republican, made a blistering speech titled The Crime Against Kansas on the Senate Floor. It was a response to the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act and the violence that it had precipitated. The Act, sponsored by Stephen Douglas, allowed the people of the two territories to decide whether to be slave or free states. As a result of the act, armed supporters of both sides had streamed into Kansas and begun a mini-civil war, "Bleeding Kansas."
In his speech, Brooks attacked Douglas and the Congress as a whole for their complicity in the violence. He also lambasted the state of South Carolina as the home of some of the most vociferous slavery defenders. He also verbally attacked SC Senator Andrew Butler personally. Brooks said Butler had taken "a mistress....that harlot, slavery," and he mocked Butler's image as a chivalrous southern gentlemen. He even went so far as to ridicule Senator Butler's stroke-caused speech impediment.
The speech set Washington aflame, figuratively, and led to the most egregious act of violence committed on the Senate Floor. During the 1850s, the slavery debate had led to fistfights and Congressmen carrying weapons, but nothing like what happened next. On May 22, Butler's cousin, Representative Preston Brooks, strode into the Senate chamber and had a few words with Sumner who was seated at his desk. Then, he proceeded to strike the Senator with his cane for a full minute and calmly walking away. Sumner suffered head trauma and post-traumatic stress. It would be three years before he was able to return to Congress, and he became one of the Senate's leading voices during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Place.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, proposed by Stephen Douglas, stipulated that the territories' people would decide the status of slavery in their territory. In Nebraska, slavery wasn't viable, but Kansas happened to border the slave state of Missouri. That made Kansas a literal battleground from 1854 to 1859, called "Bleeding Kansas."
Proponents and opponents of slavery poured into Kansas and poured money and weapons into Kansas. There were pro-slavery and anti-slavery towns, and there were two capitals, and pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces attacked each other's towns, leading to a couple of hundred deaths.
Sen. Charles Sumner made his "Crime Against Kansas" speech on May 19, 1856 which led to his assault on the Senate Floor by Rep. Preston Brooks.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, proposed by Stephen Douglas, stipulated that the territories' people would decide the status of slavery in their territory. In Nebraska, slavery wasn't viable, but Kansas happened to border the slave state of Missouri. That made Kansas a literal battleground from 1854 to 1859, called "Bleeding Kansas."
Proponents and opponents of slavery poured into Kansas and poured money and weapons into Kansas. There were pro-slavery and anti-slavery towns, and there were two capitals, and pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces attacked each other's towns, leading to a couple of hundred deaths.
Sen. Charles Sumner made his "Crime Against Kansas" speech on May 19, 1856 which led to his assault on the Senate Floor by Rep. Preston Brooks.
Thing.
After Rep. Preston Brooks assaulted Sen. Charles Sumner in retaliation for Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas" speech, he walked calmly out of the chamber, while Sumner had to get carried away. Brooks resigned from the Congress on July 15, after a motion to expel him failed. He was tried in a DC court, convicted of assault, and fined $300.
A special election was held to fill his seat in August, and he won easily, also winning in the regular election in November. South Carolinians sent him dozens of canes, some inscribed with phrases like "Good job" and "Hit him again " He died unexpectedly of croup (severe upper respiratory infection) on January 27, 1857, at age 37.
Both men became heroes in their respective sections. Sumner became a martyr among abolitionists, and Brooks was lauded as a southern man defending the honor of his state and his kinsman.
After Rep. Preston Brooks assaulted Sen. Charles Sumner in retaliation for Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas" speech, he walked calmly out of the chamber, while Sumner had to get carried away. Brooks resigned from the Congress on July 15, after a motion to expel him failed. He was tried in a DC court, convicted of assault, and fined $300.
A special election was held to fill his seat in August, and he won easily, also winning in the regular election in November. South Carolinians sent him dozens of canes, some inscribed with phrases like "Good job" and "Hit him again " He died unexpectedly of croup (severe upper respiratory infection) on January 27, 1857, at age 37.
Both men became heroes in their respective sections. Sumner became a martyr among abolitionists, and Brooks was lauded as a southern man defending the honor of his state and his kinsman.
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Person.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Many Filipinos have immigrated to the US, especially after the US took control of the Philippines from Spain in 1898. In our Image is an excellent history of the US-Philippines complicated relationship.
Emilio Aguinaldo is the George Washington of the Philippines, but more controversial. Born in 1869 to a well to do family of government administrators in the Spanish territory of the Philippines. He followed his father into government service. In 1895, he joined a secret organization aimed at independence for the Philippines. In 1897, a provisional Filipino government was formed, and Aguinaldo was named President. When the US invaded the Philippines at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Aguinaldo led 18,000 Filipino troops in support against the Spanish.
The first Philippine Republic was officially declared in January 21, 1899. The US did not recognize the Republic and established its own military government, prompting the start of the second war for Filipino independence, this time from the US. Aguinaldo was captured in 1901 and forced to surrender, but others continued the fight for a few years. In 1935, a presidential election was held, and Aguinaldo lost to Manuel Quezon because voters remembered his surrender to the Americans. When Japan invaded the Philippines in 1941, Aguinaldo collaborated, entrusting that the Japanese would free the islands of American rule. After the war, he was convicted of treason and collaboration, but, in 1948, President Roxas granted amnesty to all Filipino collaborators. Aguinaldo died in 1964, at age 94. Today, his legacy in the Philippines omits his Japanese collaboration and focuses on his fight against the Spanish.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Many Filipinos have immigrated to the US, especially after the US took control of the Philippines from Spain in 1898. In our Image is an excellent history of the US-Philippines complicated relationship.
Emilio Aguinaldo is the George Washington of the Philippines, but more controversial. Born in 1869 to a well to do family of government administrators in the Spanish territory of the Philippines. He followed his father into government service. In 1895, he joined a secret organization aimed at independence for the Philippines. In 1897, a provisional Filipino government was formed, and Aguinaldo was named President. When the US invaded the Philippines at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Aguinaldo led 18,000 Filipino troops in support against the Spanish.
The first Philippine Republic was officially declared in January 21, 1899. The US did not recognize the Republic and established its own military government, prompting the start of the second war for Filipino independence, this time from the US. Aguinaldo was captured in 1901 and forced to surrender, but others continued the fight for a few years. In 1935, a presidential election was held, and Aguinaldo lost to Manuel Quezon because voters remembered his surrender to the Americans. When Japan invaded the Philippines in 1941, Aguinaldo collaborated, entrusting that the Japanese would free the islands of American rule. After the war, he was convicted of treason and collaboration, but, in 1948, President Roxas granted amnesty to all Filipino collaborators. Aguinaldo died in 1964, at age 94. Today, his legacy in the Philippines omits his Japanese collaboration and focuses on his fight against the Spanish.
Place.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Many Filipinos have immigrated to the US, especially after the US took control of the Philippines from Spain in 1898. In our Image is an excellent history of the US-Philippines complicated relationship.
The Philippine-American War or Filipino-American War began officially on February 4, 1899 when the US reneged on promises of supporting an independent Philippines and announced annexation instead. It was declared over by the US in July 1902.
It was America's first real tropical jungle war experience, and its first war against a guerilla insurgency. There were 4,000 to 6,000 American deaths, many from illness. Filipino deaths are even harder to enumerate, with maybe 12,000 fighters killed. However, it is estimated that between 200,000 and one million civilians died, many from famine. American troops did commit atrocities, killing civilians, burning villages, and holding civilians in concentration camps where many died.
May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Many Filipinos have immigrated to the US, especially after the US took control of the Philippines from Spain in 1898. In our Image is an excellent history of the US-Philippines complicated relationship.
The Philippine-American War or Filipino-American War began officially on February 4, 1899 when the US reneged on promises of supporting an independent Philippines and announced annexation instead. It was declared over by the US in July 1902.
It was America's first real tropical jungle war experience, and its first war against a guerilla insurgency. There were 4,000 to 6,000 American deaths, many from illness. Filipino deaths are even harder to enumerate, with maybe 12,000 fighters killed. However, it is estimated that between 200,000 and one million civilians died, many from famine. American troops did commit atrocities, killing civilians, burning villages, and holding civilians in concentration camps where many died.
Thing.
The American Anti-Imperialist League was founded in 1898 in opposition to the US annexation of the Philippines and later opposed the 1899-1902 Filipino-American War. Members argued that an imperialist America abandoned classical American ideals of self-government and non-intervention. News of atrocities committed by American troops against Filipino civilians hardened members' resolve.
Prominent members of the League included writers, activists, politicians, and business tycoons: Mark Twain, Jane Addams, Andrew Carnegie, Grover Cleveland, John Dewey, Samuel Gompers, Henry James, William James, William Jennings Bryan, and Edgar Lee Masters. However, it seemed that they lost the public opinion battle, and the League dissolved in 1920.
The American Anti-Imperialist League was founded in 1898 in opposition to the US annexation of the Philippines and later opposed the 1899-1902 Filipino-American War. Members argued that an imperialist America abandoned classical American ideals of self-government and non-intervention. News of atrocities committed by American troops against Filipino civilians hardened members' resolve.
Prominent members of the League included writers, activists, politicians, and business tycoons: Mark Twain, Jane Addams, Andrew Carnegie, Grover Cleveland, John Dewey, Samuel Gompers, Henry James, William James, William Jennings Bryan, and Edgar Lee Masters. However, it seemed that they lost the public opinion battle, and the League dissolved in 1920.
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Today we're probably headed to a Floridania Fest, a swap meet, sale, and celebration of Florida's vintage kitschy tourist souvenir trade, and it led me to discover this book which I just ordered: At the Dawn of Tourism in Florida. Author John Foster argues that the first wave of Tourism did not begin with railroad barons in the 1880s, but with former abolitionist writers immediately after the Civil War.
The grande dame of the movement was of course Harriet Beecher Stowe. In 1867, Stowe chose to make her winter home in Mandarin, in Duval County. She was extremely active in church activities and in a Freedmen's Bureau school in Mandarin, and oranges from her groves were shipped north.
She wrote numerous stories about her Florida life that were published in northern magazines and newspapers, and they are considered a major factor in encouraging Florida tourism.
Today we're probably headed to a Floridania Fest, a swap meet, sale, and celebration of Florida's vintage kitschy tourist souvenir trade, and it led me to discover this book which I just ordered: At the Dawn of Tourism in Florida. Author John Foster argues that the first wave of Tourism did not begin with railroad barons in the 1880s, but with former abolitionist writers immediately after the Civil War.
The grande dame of the movement was of course Harriet Beecher Stowe. In 1867, Stowe chose to make her winter home in Mandarin, in Duval County. She was extremely active in church activities and in a Freedmen's Bureau school in Mandarin, and oranges from her groves were shipped north.
She wrote numerous stories about her Florida life that were published in northern magazines and newspapers, and they are considered a major factor in encouraging Florida tourism.
Place.
So what drew tourists to the wilds of Florida in the late 1800s? The wilds. They traveled to see the natural beauty, pretty much unsettled and unspoiled, growing rare on the east coast even then. They saw photos and postcards of swamps, beaches, forests, and primeval creatures. They heard about healing waters, hit springs, cold springs, mineral springs --- if you had an ailment, there was someplace in Florida that you could soak to make it better.
Florida also opened new vistas for game hunters and fishermen. Even in the 1800s, history and archaeology fans could find Spanish sites and Indian mounds to explore, and they could even visit Seminole villages. And of course, there are the citrus groves.
I'm looking forward to reading At the Dawn of Tourism, about the beginning of Florida's tourist industry.
So what drew tourists to the wilds of Florida in the late 1800s? The wilds. They traveled to see the natural beauty, pretty much unsettled and unspoiled, growing rare on the east coast even then. They saw photos and postcards of swamps, beaches, forests, and primeval creatures. They heard about healing waters, hit springs, cold springs, mineral springs --- if you had an ailment, there was someplace in Florida that you could soak to make it better.
Florida also opened new vistas for game hunters and fishermen. Even in the 1800s, history and archaeology fans could find Spanish sites and Indian mounds to explore, and they could even visit Seminole villages. And of course, there are the citrus groves.
I'm looking forward to reading At the Dawn of Tourism, about the beginning of Florida's tourist industry.
Thing.
I'm not sure if live animal souvenirs are discussed in the book At the Dawn of Tourism of Florida, but it was definitely a thing, at least into the 1970s. Little Johnny or Susie could pitch a fit at a roadside stand, and Mom and Dad would buy a live baby alligator, turtle, tortoise, or even a monkey to take home to New Jersey. And they were available through comic book ads as well. One of the really disgusting aspects of Florida tourism.
I'm not sure if live animal souvenirs are discussed in the book At the Dawn of Tourism of Florida, but it was definitely a thing, at least into the 1970s. Little Johnny or Susie could pitch a fit at a roadside stand, and Mom and Dad would buy a live baby alligator, turtle, tortoise, or even a monkey to take home to New Jersey. And they were available through comic book ads as well. One of the really disgusting aspects of Florida tourism.
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Persons.
2022, and comedy is under attack. Cancel culture and even physical attack. But then, when has comedy NOT been under attack? Authority doesn't like comedy. It's human nature. Authority figures have thin skins, and they know that comedy has a unique way of reaching people and that great comedy is great because audiences see the truth at its core.
Yesterday, we saw a terrific one man play, written by and starring Ronnie Marmo, " I'm Not a Comedian... I'm Lenny Bruce."
Leonard Schneider (1925-1966), Lenny Bruce, was one of America's greatest stand-up comedians and social commentators. He told truths on stage that got him arrested and tried repeatedly for obscenity, violations of local "blue laws" that forbade the use of words, even though the words were spoken in private clubs to adults who had paid to be there. Bruce became the standard-bearer for free speech, and he was harassed for it his entire career, before dying tragically of an overdose.
Much of Bruce's comedy dealt with his mother, an entertainer herself. Sally Marr (1906-1997) was a dancer, burlesque performer, actress, and stand-up comedian herself. However, her greatest talent may have been talent spotting. Not only did she support and encourage her son (who acknowledged using bits of her act when he started), but she discovered comics such as Pat Morita, Sam Kinison, and Cheech and Chong.
How to Talk Dirty and Influence People is Lenny Bruce's autobiography.
2022, and comedy is under attack. Cancel culture and even physical attack. But then, when has comedy NOT been under attack? Authority doesn't like comedy. It's human nature. Authority figures have thin skins, and they know that comedy has a unique way of reaching people and that great comedy is great because audiences see the truth at its core.
Yesterday, we saw a terrific one man play, written by and starring Ronnie Marmo, " I'm Not a Comedian... I'm Lenny Bruce."
Leonard Schneider (1925-1966), Lenny Bruce, was one of America's greatest stand-up comedians and social commentators. He told truths on stage that got him arrested and tried repeatedly for obscenity, violations of local "blue laws" that forbade the use of words, even though the words were spoken in private clubs to adults who had paid to be there. Bruce became the standard-bearer for free speech, and he was harassed for it his entire career, before dying tragically of an overdose.
Much of Bruce's comedy dealt with his mother, an entertainer herself. Sally Marr (1906-1997) was a dancer, burlesque performer, actress, and stand-up comedian herself. However, her greatest talent may have been talent spotting. Not only did she support and encourage her son (who acknowledged using bits of her act when he started), but she discovered comics such as Pat Morita, Sam Kinison, and Cheech and Chong.
How to Talk Dirty and Influence People is Lenny Bruce's autobiography.
Place.
On October 4, 1961, Lenny Bruce's first arrest for obscenity was made at The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. The Jazz Workshop was the premier night club for the San Francisco jazz set. A number of leading jazz musicians recorded live albums there.
Bruce was acquitted after this arrest, but it put him on the national radar. Following this arrest, undercover and uniformed policemen started regularly attending his shows in cities across the country, taking notes of what he said, and making arrests.
On October 4, 1961, Lenny Bruce's first arrest for obscenity was made at The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. The Jazz Workshop was the premier night club for the San Francisco jazz set. A number of leading jazz musicians recorded live albums there.
Bruce was acquitted after this arrest, but it put him on the national radar. Following this arrest, undercover and uniformed policemen started regularly attending his shows in cities across the country, taking notes of what he said, and making arrests.
Things.
Many locales had anti-profanity/obscenity laws during the 1950s and beyond. (However, based on my visits to Boston and New York, and being around Bostonians and New Yorkers in Florida, I'm guessing they're not much of a thing in those locales anymore )
Profanity and profanity laws still make news occasionally, even leading to Supreme Court cases once in a while. Generally, courts have relaxed profanity guidelines except when "fighting words" or incitement to violence are involved. In many places, anti-profanity laws have either been repealed or are not stringently enforced.
In 2020, Virginia legislators repealed their profanity law. State lawmakers also voted to repeal the law against fornication, defined as "voluntary sexual intercourse by an unmarried person." But they voted to keep the ban on spitting in public.
Meanwhile, it's still illegal to curse in public in Mississippi where it could cost you $100 or 30 days in jail. And according to a Georgia law, using "obscene and vulgar or profane language" is considered disorderly conduct, but only if you're in the presence of someone under the age of 14..
Many locales had anti-profanity/obscenity laws during the 1950s and beyond. (However, based on my visits to Boston and New York, and being around Bostonians and New Yorkers in Florida, I'm guessing they're not much of a thing in those locales anymore )
Profanity and profanity laws still make news occasionally, even leading to Supreme Court cases once in a while. Generally, courts have relaxed profanity guidelines except when "fighting words" or incitement to violence are involved. In many places, anti-profanity laws have either been repealed or are not stringently enforced.
In 2020, Virginia legislators repealed their profanity law. State lawmakers also voted to repeal the law against fornication, defined as "voluntary sexual intercourse by an unmarried person." But they voted to keep the ban on spitting in public.
Meanwhile, it's still illegal to curse in public in Mississippi where it could cost you $100 or 30 days in jail. And according to a Georgia law, using "obscene and vulgar or profane language" is considered disorderly conduct, but only if you're in the presence of someone under the age of 14..
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Person.
On May 23,:1969, Israel announced that its secret intelligence organization, Mossad, had captured Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Eichmann was the Nazi Gestapo officer personally in charge of carrying out Hitler's Final Solution, the extermination of European Jews. After the war, he had escaped to Argentina.
In 1975, Isser Harel (picture #1), the head of Mossad in 1960, wrote The House on Garibaldi Street, the true story of Eichmann's discovery and arrest. After Eichmann's discovery, Harel went to Argentina to take personal command of the operation. Eichmann was kidnapped off the street and flown to Israel. There, he was tried for genocide, convicted, and executed in 1962.
On May 23,:1969, Israel announced that its secret intelligence organization, Mossad, had captured Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Eichmann was the Nazi Gestapo officer personally in charge of carrying out Hitler's Final Solution, the extermination of European Jews. After the war, he had escaped to Argentina.
In 1975, Isser Harel (picture #1), the head of Mossad in 1960, wrote The House on Garibaldi Street, the true story of Eichmann's discovery and arrest. After Eichmann's discovery, Harel went to Argentina to take personal command of the operation. Eichmann was kidnapped off the street and flown to Israel. There, he was tried for genocide, convicted, and executed in 1962.
Place.
The Madagascar Plan. When Hitler came to power in 1933, many Jews in Germany saw their future and started making plans to get out of the country. Hitler even supported, to a point, the idea of facilitating their emigration. Unfortunately, however, almost no other country volunteered to allow more Jewish immigrants. Even the US and the UK refused to raise their quotas significantly. Unless you were a Sigmund Freud or Albert Einstein, a scientist or an artist of some sort, you were out of luck. Hitler could, and did, say to the world, "Look, you don't want them either, you hypocrites."
In the late 1930s, Hitler had another idea,candy he put Adolf Eichmann in charge of the planning: Jewish reservations (inspired by US Indian reservations), one in a corner of Poland and one being the island of Madagascar, owned by the French. Eichmann investigated and drew up plans to settle 1 million Jews a year over four years to Madagascar, which would become a police state ruled by the SS. The hope was that many would die through attrition. The plans were dropped in 1942, when Eichmann changed gears and officially put the Final Solution into action. Extermination instead of emigration.
The most shocking thing about the Madagascar Plan might be that it was not an original idea of the Nazis. In 1937, the government's of France and Poland actively investigated the possibility of moving Poland's Jews to Madagascar; they determined that the island wouldn't hold enough Jews to be feasible. Hitler and Eichmann revived the plan in 1940.
Read The House on Garibaldi Street for the story of Eichmann's arrest and trial.
The Madagascar Plan. When Hitler came to power in 1933, many Jews in Germany saw their future and started making plans to get out of the country. Hitler even supported, to a point, the idea of facilitating their emigration. Unfortunately, however, almost no other country volunteered to allow more Jewish immigrants. Even the US and the UK refused to raise their quotas significantly. Unless you were a Sigmund Freud or Albert Einstein, a scientist or an artist of some sort, you were out of luck. Hitler could, and did, say to the world, "Look, you don't want them either, you hypocrites."
In the late 1930s, Hitler had another idea,candy he put Adolf Eichmann in charge of the planning: Jewish reservations (inspired by US Indian reservations), one in a corner of Poland and one being the island of Madagascar, owned by the French. Eichmann investigated and drew up plans to settle 1 million Jews a year over four years to Madagascar, which would become a police state ruled by the SS. The hope was that many would die through attrition. The plans were dropped in 1942, when Eichmann changed gears and officially put the Final Solution into action. Extermination instead of emigration.
The most shocking thing about the Madagascar Plan might be that it was not an original idea of the Nazis. In 1937, the government's of France and Poland actively investigated the possibility of moving Poland's Jews to Madagascar; they determined that the island wouldn't hold enough Jews to be feasible. Hitler and Eichmann revived the plan in 1940.
Read The House on Garibaldi Street for the story of Eichmann's arrest and trial.
Thing.
In 2019, just before the pandemic, a special exhibit called Operation Finale ( the code name for the arrest of Eichmann) traveled the US, hosted by various Holocaust museums. We happened to catch it at the Florida Holocaust Museum.
The "finale" of the Operation Finale exhibit was a particularly effective piece of exhibit-craft. Visitors could sit at benches and watch the Eichmann trial in an immersive experience. Straight ahead was the defendant's dock, with Eichmann inside. To the visitors' right and left were projections of witnesses giving testimony and spectators. It was a very powerful and moving way to end the exhibit.
In 2019, just before the pandemic, a special exhibit called Operation Finale ( the code name for the arrest of Eichmann) traveled the US, hosted by various Holocaust museums. We happened to catch it at the Florida Holocaust Museum.
The "finale" of the Operation Finale exhibit was a particularly effective piece of exhibit-craft. Visitors could sit at benches and watch the Eichmann trial in an immersive experience. Straight ahead was the defendant's dock, with Eichmann inside. To the visitors' right and left were projections of witnesses giving testimony and spectators. It was a very powerful and moving way to end the exhibit.
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