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MAY 26, 2010
AMERICA CELEBRATES
MEMORIAL DAY JEFFERSON’S MONTICELLO HOME FEELING THE HEAT OF
CAJUN COOKING
AMERICAN PATRIOT MAY FLOWERS BRING
MEMORIAL DAY
4 8 RISE AND FALL OF THE
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
6 JEFFERSON’S MONTICELLO HOME
10
12
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AMERICAN PATRIOT
FEELING THE HEAT OF
CAJUN COOKING
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14 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
15 THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
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MAY FLOWERS BRING
MEMORIAL DAY 4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Soon after the Civil War ended, in 1868, an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Major General John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30 because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The ceremonies centered on the veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Robert E. Lee. Various officials including President Ulysses S. Grant and General James Garfield presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers, reciting prayers and singing hymns. Nearly 5,000 people participated. Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. Among the earliest were in Columbus MS, Macon and Columbus GA, Richmond VA and Boalsburg PA. (In 1966, Congress declared Waterloo NY the “official birthplace.”) By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies, as they were now called, were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, OK OK and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper Cancel Cancel observance. It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor Browse Browse those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May.
Today, Arlington National Cemetery remains the center of the national observation, since veterans and other distinguished Americans have a special place there. On Memorial Day, the President or Vice President gives a speech and lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead. Many other traditions have grown up around the holiday, including parades down the main streets of cities and towns; the wearing of red poppies which were originally sold to help promote the idea of a Memorial Day; the placement of small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery and on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis; and Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts placing a candle at 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National MiliOK tary Park. In 2000, Congress asked Americans, Cancel wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial BrowseDay to pause in an act of national unity. The Moment does not replace traditional events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom. TAPS PLAYED AT 2009 MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
JEFFERSON’S MONTICELLO HOME 6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Monticello, in Charlottesville VA, was Thomas Jefferson's home for more than half a century. He picked out the site for such a house from his father's estate when he was twenty-one. He named it "Monticello" which is Italian for “Little Mountain.” Jefferson spent four decades designing Monticello,
Throughout the many discomforts and hardships
building it, tearing it apart, redesigning it, and fi-
experienced at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson felt
nally putting it all back together. He loved the
there was a brighter side, in that nothing like Mon-
house and the grounds, and was reputed to know
ticello had ever been built in Colonial America.
the name of every tree planted on its grounds. He
as a minister, he filled crates of furniture and art
“All my wishes end where I hope my days will end, at Monticello.”
and plants for the house. And when Jefferson
— THOMAS JEFFERSON
even used his own kilns to bake the more than half-million bricks he used in the various stages of its construction. When he travelled or served
was President, he would often make the difficult multi-day trip there from Washington DC.
Though beautiful and unique — and definitely worth a visit — it had an economic flaw. It could
Monticello was intended to be a traditional Palladian building,liquidicity but its placement on the top of a
not produce enough money to pay for the countrygentleman lifestyle so accustomed to Jefferson.
remote mountain made the construction difficult.
And though he was said to deplore slavery, he
uidicityStone and timber had to be transported long dis-
did use slaves to keep it all going. He freed a few
tances, and water was always a problem. The house
of the slaves, but by the time of his death the
was forever under construction and uncomfortable,
remaining slaves and the property were offered
OK
OK
OK OKwho died at age OK for sale to pay debts. and Jefferson’s wife, Martha, 33, never lived in it finished. On the other hand,
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Jefferson enjoyed the sense that Monticello was unique among all American homes. Browse
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To celebrate Jefferson’s 250th birthday, the
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation has Browse done Browse Browse Browse assembled various paintings, furniture, natural
The house was filled with things invented by the
specimens, and scientific instruments he originally
restless and creative Jefferson, including an obelisk
collected. The foundation has also done yeoman’s
clock that he designed; the dumbwaiter; a poly-
work restoring the house and its grounds.
graph machine that made exact copies of letters; Venetian blinds for his greenhouses; a moldboard for a plow; and his achromatic telescope. He also spent many hours writing thousands of letters and building a library of seven thousand books.
CLICK HERE FOR A MAP OF MONTICELLO VISIT MONTICELLO
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
The most dangerous animals in the forest don’t live there.
ONLY YOU CAN PR E VE N T W I L D FIRE S. w w w. s m o k e y b e a r. c o m
8 AMERICAN PATRIOT
RISE AND FALL OF THE
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT The American temperance movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries was an organized effort to moderate or even prohibit the drinking of alcohol. Widespread drunkenness was seen by many as social and economic disaster — not to mention a moral sin and a gateway to criminal behavior — and the movement's ranks were mostly led by women seeking more stability for families. As early as the 1820s, temperance activities
ratification of the 18th Amendment to the
arose in Europe in response to the spread of
U.S. Constitution. The 1919 amendment pro-
powerful distilled beverages. Early associations
hibited the manufacture, distribution and sale
first appeared in the U.S. in 1808 and 1813
of alcohol.
in NY and MA, respectively, and then by the thousands in the 1830s. American groups,
The energy soon petered out. It became clear
often affiliated with international counterparts,
that Prohibition was deeply unpopular, and led
included the Order of the Good Templars, the
to crime, black markets, and corruption. The
Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and the
underground “speakeasy” and the private still
Anti-Saloon League. These groups became large
replaced the saloon, and the law became un-
and outspoken, and used their political power
enforceable. Repeal came in 1933 with pas-
to shift the direction of the movement from
sage of the Twenty-First Amendment, over the
moral suasion to government control of alcohol.
protests of a still-powerful temperance lobby.
OK are still house- OK This had the effect of changing anti-alcohol Among OK the most notable figures hold names: Susan B. Anthony, Frances E.
activities back primarily to private and com-
Willard, Carry Nation. Many were simultane-
munity groups —
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Alcoholics Anonymous,
Browse Browse movements churches, medical doctors — and out of the ouslyBrowse involved in other Progressive as well, such as abolition, women’s suffrage,
hands of the government. At the same time,
and civil service reform. There was also a streak
heavy government regulation and taxation of
of nativism in the movement, i.e., immigrants
alcohol use and sales remains as a legacy of
were often seen as the target of control.
the Temperance movement.
The Temperance movement won many local
A CLASSIC PHOTO FROM THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
and statewide victories, and then peaked with AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
CHICAGO’S SILVER AND JEWELRY TRADITION
10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The Kalo Shop is considered by many to have been the most important American hand wrought silversmith. The organization produced the widest range of classic handmade jewelry, holloware and flatware for nearly seven decades, and was a critical influence in the Arts & Crafts movement. It also sparked a high profile arts industry in the Chicago area as its influence rippled out from the little town of Park Ridge IL. Perhaps the most famous legacy is Kalo jewelry, produced in a wide range of styles, from necklaces that were pure Art Nouveau objects to Prairie-influenced geometric pins to Deco items often in the Scandinavian taste. The most common Kalo jewelry: “puffy” pins, slightly convex oval forms of cherries, flowers, pineapples, or arrangements of leaves and vines. At times, these were ornamented with semiprecious stones such as amethysts, pearls, lapis, bloodstones, moonstones, and citrines. The soul of the Kalo Shop was the Kalo Arts Crafts Community. This “school within a workshop” was founded in 1900 by Chicago art entrepreneur and Kalo Shop owner Clara Pauline Barck Welles. An industrial artist colony, the facility trained men and women artisans while producing hand wrought sterling silver, metal ware, jewelry and craft items that were sold in the Kalo Shop. Grant Wood, best known for his painting “American Gothic,” lived in Park Ridge and was among the great artists and craftspeople employed by The Kalo Shop. Many former Kalo silversmiths and jewelers started their own companies with the blessing of Welles. This, in turn, led to the founding of a full-fledged, profitable art industry in the
Chicago area. Indeed, these startups turned Chicago into the leader in silver and jewelry making during the American Arts & Crafts movement. These included dozens of the best known companies in the world of Arts & Crafts silver today, all tracing their roots back to the Kalo community. In 2006, the Kalo Foundation was formed as a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rich artistic legacy of Chicago and the Midwest through education, advocacy, and preservation, as well as promoting Arts & Crafts as a part of modern life. The Foundation sponsors seminars, exhibits, tours, publications and special events to increase awareness Kalo jewelry. AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
FEELING THE HEAT OF
CAJUN COOKING
12 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Cajun food comes from the deepest Southern parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Cajun flavor is spicy and rich. Since Cajun people are so close to the Gulf of Mexico, seafood is a big item in their dishes. Favorites are crawfish, catfish, crabs, and oysters, all plentiful and easily available. As a food that had its roots among a poor and rural population, it makes use of rice as a staple to “stretch” the quantity. Cajun spices always consist of three items: bell peppers, onions and celery. In addition to this “holy trinity,” cayenne pepper and garlic often make an appearance. Cajuns are fond of spices, and these are applied generously. Another characteristic of Cajun cooking is simplicity. Again, the poor farmers and fishermen found it practical to make “one pot meals” of soups and stews. One of the traditional favorite Cajun pastimes is an old- fashioned crawfish boil. Before the
were forced from their homes after Britain
demanded they pledge allegiance to the liquidicity great feast of the boiled crawfish, potatoes, Crown and renounce their Catholic religion. onions and corn, youngsters make a mad dash for the crawfish tub poking the live
Under this cruel displacement policy —
crawfish with sticks while other family
known as the Great Derangement — roughly
members participate in crawfish races.
20,000 French-speaking inhabitants Cancel fled
OK
Ca
to south Louisiana, then under control of Generally speaking, Cajun food — like its
Browse Spain. They settled along the bayous and
upscale and more citified sibling, Creole
developed their own traditions, a unique ac-
cooking — is based on French cuisine with
cent, and a signature spicy hot cuisine.
a New World twist that includes influences
Today, Cajuns number more than 750,000.
from the Caribbean and the Spanish. The French influence arises from the origin of the Cajuns, French Canadians (or Acadians) who
MAKING A CRAWFISH PIE ON GATEWAY TO CAJUN COOKING
AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
Br
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones who need the advice.” — BILL COSBY POPULAR ACTOR, COMEDIAN, PRODUCER, EDUCATOR AND CULTURAL COMMENTATOR
14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1883. After 14 years and two dozen deaths, the Brooklyn Bridge is completed. Dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world,” the magnificent suspension bridge connects two of America’s largest cities, New York and Brooklyn, for the first time. John Roebling designed the bridge and his son Washington Roebling supervised its completion. In 1898, the two cities merged into a Greater New York.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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