American History

[madupont]

Thanatopsy,  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I didn't see your name on the forum index until I came in today.

[madupont]

Lester Rodney, Early Voice in Fight Against Racism in Sports, Dies at 98


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/sports/24rodney.html


''Lester Rodney, who occupied an unlikely niche in journalism — sports editor of the American Communist Party newspaper The Daily Worker — and used that platform to wage an early battle against baseball’s color barrier, died Sunday in Walnut Creek, Calif. He was 98.

In the 1930s and early ’40s, Mr. Rodney, a grandson of Jewish immigrants from Europe, became an outspoken voice among sportswriters, apart from the black press, in condemning racial discrimination in professional sports.

Running a six-day-a-week Daily Worker sports section that he introduced in 1936, more than a decade before Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier, Mr. Rodney pressured the baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and the major league club owners to end baseball’s racial barrier.''



Now, that was a TRUE journalist.

I never really followed baseball; it was something the boys played on my grandparents farm when I was growing up. Or, at least my uncles did, so I would imagine that my cousins followed suit.  The uncles as young men played on summer nights after chores in Waterloo, Iowa (the place that became known for the first scandal of a meat packing company raid of underage migrant workers that a nun found in the church while the elderly Luxembourg priest was absent. She realized they were taking "sanctuary", got on the phone and told the priest to come home from his conference.  Being a Luxembourger, he did what you always do at a time like this, you march with one of the altar boys swinging incense and you sing appropriately, alternating with saying a litany with responses just like you do on rogation days when praying for rain.

This gets peoples attention, you get news coverage, and your sermons get printed, so that the entire communitiey came to the defense of the underaged.

Anyway not knowing Jackie Robinson,at least not personally, I was still around when Hank Aaron broke the local barrier prior to the sale after which the team became known as the Atlanta Braves .  I remember it well because I and Mrs. Aaron sat at a card table with two others at the toney Women's Club of Wauwatosa(that was about 1953, and these were also the ladies of the Welcome Wagon so of course she was invited as their guest for luncheon and to play Bridge).  We played Canasta.

She is still alive and "clubbing" down in Washington,D.C.   I bet she plays Bridge, now!   I can't remember the last time that I "played' cards of any kind.  (I just read them.)

[madupont]

Dianne,

No, I don't think you have dates straight.

If you grandmother was born before Geronimo died, then she was assuredly NOT born a generation later.

That's the silliest statement out of you,yet.  They were contemporaries.

Technically, you and I are
"contemporaries" but, any observer would have cause to doubt it, not exactly that you act like any younger family members but you get the point.

[weezo]

Well, Dianne, you still have not dug yourself out of this hole. If she was born a generation later, she would not be a contemporary. If she was born when he was an old man living in Georgia, she was not a comtemporary. Now, how about give us a truthful story for a change. You lies and fantasies get old.

[weezo]

For the true history afficianados herein, here is a seldom mentioned fact in history question.

Who wrote the FIRST Declaration of Independence for the American Colonies?  It was approved by the Continental Congress a few months before the one written by Thomas Jefferson. If you have a copy of Ellis' American Creation around, you can find the answer in there.

[madupont]

Dianne,

No, I don't think you have dates straight.

If you grandmother was born before Geronimo died, then she was assuredly NOT born a generation later.

That's the silliest statement out of you,yet.  They were contemporaries.

Technically, you and I are
"contemporaries" but, any observer would have cause to doubt it, not exactly that you act like any younger family members but you get the point.

[/quote]
               

Well, Dianne, you still have not dug yourself out of this hole. If she was born a generation later, she would not be a contemporary. If she was born when he was an old man living in Georgia, she was not a comtemporary. Now, how about give us a truthful story for a change. You lies and fantasies get old.

Well, Dianne, you still have not dug yourself out of this hole. If she was born a generation later, she would not be a contemporary. If she was born when he was an old man living in Georgia, she was not a comtemporary. Now, how about give us a truthful story for a change. You lies and fantasies get old.

   

They were obviously born in the same generation

Incidentally, when will you grow up,?  You ought to get yourself an education. Then you teach.

I don't plan to hang around and wait. I'm leaving for Taos as soon as I can  prepare and if the desert weather doesn't turn bad before I ride out.

[madupont]

Today's Dose by Zelda from Claysville, Pennsylvania 


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The Good Journey

by Micaela Gilchrist


Zelda's Comments:
"I have to say this is probably the best book I've read on 19th century America. The writing is so vivid and rich you see the prairie stretch out in front of you. It has an ability to be read over and over again and each time make you notice new things."


Publisher Comments
Inspired by actual letters, The Good Journey breathes life into history with a richly imagined chronicle of twenty tumultuous years in the marriage of two American pioneers.
Strong-willed Southern belle Mary Bullitt abandons her life of luxury in Louisville, Kentucky, when she marries General Henry Atkinson and accompanies him to his outpost on the Mississippi. Nothing has prepared her for marriage to this attractive older man -- or for the realities of frontier living. Conditions are primitive, Mary knows virtually nothing about her husband, and the threat of attack from Indians is constant. A rough and resourceful general, Henry is engaged in a long and historic clash with a great Native American leader, and his deeply conflicted feelings about Indians mirror those he and his wife have for each other.

In the tradition of Willa Cather and Edna Ferber, Micaela Gilchrist has crafted an exciting novel that is at once a love story and an action-packed depiction of the struggle for the West.



Review
Yvonne CrittendenThe Toronto Sun Like that very good Civil War novel Cold Mountain...[The Good Journey] tells a historical story through the eyes of a memorable character. An absorbing and moving read.


Review
"Like that very good Civil War novel Cold Mountain...[The Good Journey] tells a historical story through the eyes of a memorable character. An absorbing and moving read." Yvonne Crittenden, The Toronto Sun


Review
Janet Wallach (Author of Desert Queen): Micaela Gilchrist is an extraordinary writer. She breathes life into every person and place and puts the reader smack in the middle of history. Bravo!


Review
Melinda BargreenThe Seattle Times Meticulously researched and remarkably strong.


About the Author
Micaela Gilchrist is a lawyer who lives in Evergreen, Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains, with her husband and son. She is writing a sequel to The Good Journey.


Reading Group Guide
A Scribner Paperback Fiction
Reading Group Guide


The Good Journey
Discussion Points

1. In the prologue, Mary finds a note in the General's pocket, written by the General to an anonymous person. Whom do you believe was meant to receive this note?

2. Mary Bullitt and Henry Atkinson were married for sixteen years. In your opinion, was this a happy marriage? Why or why not? In your opinion, would Mary have been better off as an unmarried woman in Louisville? Did she sacrifice too much in this union?

3. The Black Hawk War was a small event in the scope of U.S. history. Given that this scenario with Native Americans seemed to be on instant replay countless times throughout the nineteenth century, is there anything we can learn from the Battle at Bad Axe?

4. Mary Bullitt publicly defended her husband, General Henry Atkinson, against his adversaries. But privately, she admitted that her husband was a difficult man to know. Even the General's closest friends in St. Louis murmured that he was inscrutable. What did you think of the General?

5. Why did William Clark (as evidenced by his callous treatment of York, a key member of the Corps of Discovery), Mary Bullitt Atkinson and General Henry Atkinson profess sympathy for Native Americans, yet seem utterly unmoved by the plight of enslaved African-Americans?

6. Black Hawk left the Sauk people the night before U.S. troops came upon them at Bad Axe. Should Black Hawk have stayed with the 150 members of his tribe on the river bottom until the end? Or do you believe his leaving in the night was a compassionate act, that he was deflecting vengeance away from the tribe by departing?

7. Do you believe Bright Sun's decision to follow Black Hawk was a wise one? If you had been in her position, what would you have done? Do you believe her decision would have been different if she had known the truth about Black Hawk and General Atkinson's history with Nicomi?

8. Did you feel that Mary's mother, Mrs. Diana Gwathmey Bullitt, was a prudent advisor, or did she misguide her daughter? If you were Mrs. Bullitt, would you have advised Mary to leave the General?

9. What motivated General Henry Atkinson's refusal to divulge secrets from his past to his wife? Do you believe that communication between husband and wife within the bounds of nineteenth-century marriage was much different than it is today?

10. General Henry Atkinson and Mary Bullitt Atkinson had three children, all of whom predeceased their parents. Do you believe that nineteeth-century parents maintained greater emotional distance from their children because of high infant mortality rates?

http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/history/bad_axe/ 

This is the actual history(rather than a fictional account) and geographic placement in my familiarly experienced landscape. It took place before our European families arrived in this area "a generation later". Settlers were actively sought out in Europe and given passage to be brought into this territory, the land then sold to them to homestead which would disband the affiliated tribes.

[weezo]

Dianne,

No, I don't think you have dates straight.

If you grandmother was born before Geronimo died, then she was assuredly NOT born a generation later.

That's the silliest statement out of you,yet.  They were contemporaries.

Technically, you and I are
"contemporaries" but, any observer would have cause to doubt it, not exactly that you act like any younger family members but you get the point.

Well, Dianne, you still have not dug yourself out of this hole. If she was born a generation later, she would not be a contemporary. If she was born when he was an old man living in Georgia, she was not a comtemporary. Now, how about give us a truthful story for a change. You lies and fantasies get old.
They were obviously born in the same generation

Incidentally, when will you grow up,?  You ought to get yourself an education. Then you teach.

I don't plan to hang around and wait. I'm leaving for Taos as soon as I can  prepare and if the desert weather doesn't turn bad before I ride out.

If they were born in the same generation, your lady would have been born in the early 19th century, yet you told us that Geronimo was dead a generation before she was born. The  only thing that is obvious is that you don't know what you are talking about!

I know you are not fond of reading, but will tell you anyway, that if you want to learn more about Geronimo, you may want to read Forrest Carter's "Watch For Me on the Mountain". It is a accurate portrayal of Gernomo by someone who did not fear him.

[weezo]

Dianne,

You are right, that you are I are contemporaries, as we are both alive at the same  time. We are NOT of the same generation - you are a generation ahead of me. You could have saved a lot of your troubles in your original misstatement had you stated the year when your relative was born and would could have all compared it to Geronimo's dates.

No, go take you trip to the desert and be gone with you.

I visited my neighbor this afternoon and her brother and his family was visiting bringing the Internet. The laptop had all the latest bells and whistles, and they set it up so Bertha could see and talk to her brother in Chicago. The two siblings, about a half a generation older than you, had the Internet made real to them today. Honesty is a hallmark in their family. They don't run off at the mouth trying to make themselves more than they are. You, of course, would probably look down your nose at these children of a dirt farmer in rural Virginia. But, they have a reputation for honesty that eludes you.

[madupont]

back to Perlstein a mo ...

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_1960s_refracted

nnyhav
Here's a sample of Stanley Crouch as cultural critic.
http://www.theroot.com/views/greatest-white-bitch-all

[MrUtley]

For the true history afficianados herein, here is a seldom mentioned fact in history question.

Who wrote the FIRST Declaration of Independence for the American Colonies?  It was approved by the Continental Congress a few months before the one written by Thomas Jefferson. If you have a copy of Ellis' American Creation around, you can find the answer in there.

WTF do you know about history, nazi-apologist?

[weezo]

For the true history afficianados herein, here is a seldom mentioned fact in history question.

Who wrote the FIRST Declaration of Independence for the American Colonies?  It was approved by the Continental Congress a few months before the one written by Thomas Jefferson. If you have a copy of Ellis' American Creation around, you can find the answer in there.

WTF do you know about history, nazi-apologist?

I gather you don't know the answer and are too lazy to look it up. You make yourself a shadow of a teacher, growling at anyone who something you don't know.

As for  calling me a nazi-apologist, please find one message in which I spoke approvingly and admiringly about the nazi. I have questioned the lack of a determination to survive which seemed to be present in some/many of the victims. I said nothing about the Nazis.

[madupont]

Of course, that belief that you repeatedly bring up, is reason in and of itself which would identify you with the Nazis who considered Jews untermensch somehow too far gone to have the Will to survive(which you go even further and describe as:seeming to be absent in some or many of the "victims").

You don't seem to be interested to go far enough to explain why they were "victims"?

Almost exactly the same attitudes were present in America toward slaves purchased from Africa and then bred to replenish the lives lost under horrifying work and living conditions. The only value assigned was in what they would bring on the auction block.

Whether or not the Third Reich asserted that the Jews had indeed been slaves in the Roman era (as well as the Babylonian or Persian captivity and colonization, we can not contend as a fact because I am not aware the hypothesis has been raised as a matter of fact that in Germanic Law (pre-Nazi) those with Roman origins and of Roman descent had precedent over other Germans and therefore might have inherent attitudes about second class or underclass position in society to the extent that someone so defined would of course be the likely candidate for slavery.  Oddly enough (not at all), the Jews came with the Romans in the conquest of Gaul.

[madupont]

Ps. This mode of thinking was very much popular in the United States during the 1920s, and had been inclusive anti-semitism along with bias against Non-Americans in general (particulary if their origins were in more Southern regions of Europe; not to mention Asian origins going back to the previous century). This attitude one might say cross-pollinated with political dislike for ideological differences, which led to the deportation of "radicals" on two counts as being Jewish with extremist positions which they were imputed as having brought with them from their homelands in Eastern Europe which had experienced the Revolution.

These connections haven't much changed in contemporary American. When confuted by the revelation of the fact, that wow, somebody of another race is actually in the leadership position of power for the administration of your government, you will get the sudden outcry that politically that person is a socialist.  For months we have seen it carried to the extreme of making the implication obvious by large sized posters usable at rallies of the very person himself in all his socialism  and Adolph Hitler's "cookie-duster".  It's a projection of animosity toward a validly elected executive of government implying that he is dangerously antagonistic to "white folks"; such as his mother and grandmother, we've all noticed. Except for Mr. Beck, of course. I think that the latter knows by now but it is kind of embarrassing to say the least so that is exactly what he does.

The third place Republican woman, who suffered a cut-back over the course of the last year plus some campaign months you could throw in for the count, is making up for lost territory by claiming the incipient Muslim in office will be able to come to the aid of disadvantaged Christian right-wingers in the onslaught of terrorists from abroad (where else) because he has a specialized madrassa education.

[weezo]

Seems to me that if you are going to label someone, the clear meaning of the label should be apparent, not hidden under unrelated inuendoes. Otherwise, it constitutes mere name-calling which is a clear invitation to throw some name calling your way. But, what are we to expect from someone who was a nude model for art students.