AMERICAN PATRIOT
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FULLSCREEN SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU! THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT EDWARD HOPPER CAPTURING THE AMERICAN IDENTITY
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AMERICAN PATRIOT UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU!
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6 CAL RIPKEN BASEBALL’S IRON MAN GOES GRASSROOTS
HUDSON RIVER VALLEY AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE
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EDWARD HOPPER CAPTURING THE AMERICAN IDENTITY
BEING NEIGHBORLY
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
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UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU! Few countries can boast of having such a proud national icon as “Uncle Sam.” This tall, stern, white haired man, with a red, white and blue costume, has been the graphic representation of the United States since 1812. But where did he come from? The answer is the stuff of legend and there are
James Montgomery Flagg built on Nast’s work
many theories. But most historians believe that
during World War I. He used the character of
Uncle Sam is modeled after Samuel Wilson, a
Uncle Sam as a World War I recruiter. In this
purveyor of meat for the U.S. Army during the
guise, Uncle Sam first appeared in July 1916
War of 1812. Nicknamed “Uncle Sam,” he
in Leslie’s Weekly, a U.S. literary and news
stamped all his packages with the initials “U.S.”
magazine. The caption below the illustration
The soldiers, themselves, familiar with Sam
read: “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?”
Wilson’s operation and his efforts to make sure
This image came to symbolize Army recruit-
they were properly fed, are said to have joked
ment during World War I and was used again,
that the U.S. stood interchangeably for “Uncle
this time on more than four million posters,
Sam” and the “United States.” Precisely how and
throughout World War II. The posters often read:
why the joke stuck, we will never know for sure.
“I want you for the U.S. Army” with Uncle Sam’s
But Samuel Wilson of Troy, New Yok or a cari-
stern look and finger pointing straight at the
cature of him, came to personify America.
viewer. Legend has it that when Flagg adapted the poster for World War II, he used his own
In the 1860’s and 1870’s, Thomas Nast, the
face as the model for the updated illustration,
famous political cartoonist, further popularized
since he had no money for a real model.
the image of Uncle Sam by giving him a distinguished white beard and the patriotic stars and
In September 1961, the U.S. Congress moved
stripes on his hat. Nast fused elements of two
to endorse Samuel Wilson as “the progenitor
earlier graphic symbols of patriotism, Brother
of America’s national symbol of Uncle Sam.”
Jonathan, depicted as a typical American patriot
Wilson died at age 88 and was buried in Troy,
during the Revolutionary War, and Yankee Doo-
the town that now calls itself “The Home of
dle, a simple but honest Yankee farmer also
Uncle Sam.” After nearly two centuries, Uncle
during the War of Independence. Nast, by the
Sam continues to evoke a strong sense of
way, is also credited with having shaped the
American patriotism, identity, and loyalty.
look of Santa Claus as we think of him today.
HISTORICAL IMAGE OF UNCLE SAM
CAL RIPKEN BASEBALL’S IRON MAN GOES GRASSROOTS
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Cal Ripken is baseball’s all-time Iron Man and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He retired from baseball following the 2001 season after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame after receiving the 3rd highest voting percentage in history and collecting the most votes ever. In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record for
for teams of 11 and 12 year olds from all over
consecutive games played (2,130) and volun-
the world. In 2005, Ripken acquired a second
tarily ended his streak in 1998 after playing
minor league team, the Augusta GA Green-
2,632 consecutive games. Although he finished
Jackets, and in 2006 he opened a new youth
his career at third base, Cal is still best known
baseball complex in Myrtle Beach, SC. Seven
for redefining the position of shortstop. Ripken’s
themed baseball fields also bear the dimensions
name has become synonymous with strength,
and character of historic parks. He has also
character, endurance and integrity. His philos-
written several books that teach young players
ophy of working hard, playing with passion and
about baseball, discipline and responsibility.
enjoying the game has made a tremendous impact on the sport and on fans everywhere. In
Ripken has always placed a strong focus on
1999, Babe Ruth League changed the name
giving back to the community. In 2001 he and
of its largest division — which includes
his family established the Cal Ripken, Sr.
700,000 players aged 5 through12 — to Cal
Foundation, in memory of the family’s patriarch.
Ripken Baseball.
The Foundation helps teach life lessons through baseball to disadvantaged youth from all over
Now Ripken is using the platform that baseball
the country and gives them a life-changing ex-
has provided him to help grow the game he
perience. Ripken’s role as an ambassador for
loves at the grassroots level. This phase of his
the game he loves was taken to a new level in
life started with construction of a one-of-a-kind
August of 2007 when he was named American
baseball complex in his hometown of Aberdeen,
Public diplomacy envoy by the U.S. State Depart-
MD. The project consists of Ripken Stadium,
ment. In this role, he has travelled worldwide
a 6,000-seat minor league ballpark home to
teaching baseball to children and represent-
the Class A Aberdeen IronBirds. Adjacent is the
ing the best the United States has to offer.
Ripken youth Baseball Academy with several league ballparks. The Academy is also the per-
CHECK OUT A WEBSITE WHERE CAL RIPKEN TEACHES YOUTH PLAYERS TO PLAY
manent home of the Cal Ripken World Series
“THE RIPKEN WAY”
youth-sized fields modeled after famous big
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
HOW TO
LIVE UNITED: JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE.
FIND YOUR VOICE. GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%.
GIVE 110%. GIVE AN HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. THINK OF WE BEFORE ME. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND
INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL.
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
LIVE UNITED
™
Want to make a difference? Help create opportunities for everyone in your community. United Way is creating real, lasting change where you live, by focusing on the building blocks of a better life– education, income and health. That’s what it means to Live United. For more, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG.
HUDSON RIVER VALLEY AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE While other rivers, like the mighty Mississippi, may be more famous, the Hudson is historically one of the nation’s most important. Flowing from the Adirondacks in upstate New York all the way to the mouth of the Atlantic at New York City, the Hudson River has played a vital role in the creation of the country. Home of the first Dutch settlers to New York, used strategically by George Washington during the War of Independence, the River and its eight surrounding counties collectively known as the Hudson River Valley, quickly became the center of political and cultural life during the 17th and 18th centuries. And then the Erie Canal brought yet another boom in the 19th century, making it a major industrial center as well as the home of the Hudson River School, a seminal group of American Romantic painters who worked in the mid-19th century. It is not an exaggeration to say that much of American industry, art, literature, and politics were born here. Visitors will surely be taken with the rich history of America’s early years and the sheer beauty.
HERE ARE JUST A HANDFUL OF THE MUST-SEE SIGHTS. FDR’S HOME-SPRINGWOOD The birth and burial place of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Springwood was the center of his life and career. The estate, which can be toured, often served as the unofficial White House during the presidential years, and now includes his official Presidential museum and library.
The Vanderbilt Mansion This National Historic Site, located in Hyde Park, is a premier example of the country palaces built by wealthy industrialists during the Gilded Age.
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HUGUENOT STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT Located in the town of New Paltz, Huguenot Street is the oldest continuously inhabited street in America. Several stone houses, which can be seen at the historic site, were built in the early 18th century by Huguenot settlers fleeing discrimination and religious persecution in France and Belgium.
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS In this modest stone Dutch farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River in Newburgh is where General George Washington established his final Field Command Headquarters, the longest-serving headquarters of the General during the American Revolution. WEST POINT Now the site of America’s most famous military school, West Point was also one of the most important staging areas in the American Revolution and is the longest continuous occupied military post in the U.S. Regular tours of the campus are available; it sits 50 miles north of New York City on the western bank of the Hudson. SHAKER MUSEUM & LIBRARY A religion born in the Hudson Valley, the whole range of objects used daily by the Shakers in their pleasures and labors are on view at this museum. The institution is celebrating its 60th season by presenting an array of public programs at Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, a national historic landmark site. SEE MAPS AND PHOTOS OF THE HUDSON VALLEY
Washington Irving’s Home America’s first successful fiction author, Irving lived in this cozy and intimately beautiful home. Called Sunnyside, it is located on 10 acres alongside the river in Tarrytown. He is best known for his short stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle.
Olana State Historic Site Also known as the Frederic E. Church House and located in the town of Greenport, is an architectural masterpiece built by Church, one of the most renowned American artists of the Hudson River School. The gardens are equally spectacular as is the smattering of Hudson River School paintings on display. AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
EDWARD HOPPER CAPTURING THE AMERICAN IDENTITY 10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Capturing the American Identity has been an elusive goal for American artists both past and present, through the countless trends and cultural shifts of a growing society. Edward Hopper, painting simple landscapes, sometimes inhabited, sometimes not, is said to be among the artists who truly understood who Americans are and the nature of where Americans live. Hopper is best known for his masterpiece “Nighthawks,” a brooding and beautiful scene of a diner, its patrons, and the city night that surrounds it. He was intent on showing the imposing scale, stillness, and sincerity of a modern country rapidly changed from frontier to metropolis. He traveled and painted, from the coastal areas of New England to the dense enclaves of New York City, and later outward to the west. He neatly summed up his intentions: “What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house.” He was a humble and stoic artist, his style would remain the unchanged despite the tumult of the modern art movement and the rejection of aesthetic beauty by the art elite. Hopper saw success as a painter, albeit later in life. Since his painting did not generate much attention or income until he was well into his forties, he made his living as a commercial artist. He traveled to Paris and was uninspired, although there he “learned to see.” On the obsession towards French artists and culture shown by his contemporaries: “After all, we are not French and never can be, and any attempt to be so is to deny our inheritance and to try to impose upon ourselves a character that can be nothing but a veneer upon the surface.” Hopper was born in Nyack, New York to parents of comfortable means. He showed a flair for drawing and painting, enrolling in the New York Institute
of Art and Design. Compromising with his strict Baptist parents, he agreed to pursue commercial art. He would have some success as a commercial designer and printmaker, but his goal was to evolve as an artist. The road was difficult in those early years, and a discouraged and depressed Hopper would go months without painting. It wasn’t until the mid-1920’s, when Hopper met his wife, that his style really began to emerge. He focused on his love of the unique and eclectic nature of American architecture. His paintings of Cape Cod, studies of weathered Yankee homes, lighthouses and rugged landscapes bathed in coastal light, were his watershed works. Emboldened by these successes, he came to New York City in the late 1930s and 1940s, where he took on the urban landscape. He would paint solitude, silence, moments — such as New York Movie, Girlie Show, Hotel Lobby, Morning in a City and Nighthawks — which brought him acclaim and wealth, and made him the pre-eminent realist painter in American art history. With his wife vigorously promoting his career, Hopper continued painting until late in life, passing away in 1967. His influence on how Americans see themselves and the American landscape is incalculable, and his work continues to sell out exhibitions around the world.
WATCH A SLIDESHOW OF HOPPER’S GREATEST PAINTINGS
AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
WAYS TO HELP NEIGHBORS WHO MIGHT BE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY (WITHOUT INSULTING THEM)
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BEING NEIGHBORLY Times are tough. You only have to pick up your local newspaper or listen to your local news to know this. When times are tough, many of us are hit with financial problems. Some of the people who have been hit with financial problems can be our neighbors. Then we want to help. But what can we do to help our neighbors who having financial difficulties, without insulting them? Ask them over to your house for a meal or a barbecue once in a while. This will save them money from cooking and will give you a chance to visit with them. They may need the distraction. On the same note, you could occasionally take over some desserts or your favorite dish for your neighbors to enjoy, as well. Volunteer to baby-sit for them once in a while. This will save them on babysitting money or daycare. Has your neighbor lost his/her job? Keep an ear out and if you hear something that you know he/she has the qualifications to fill, don't hesitate. Tell your neighbor right away. Send your neighbor a gift card through the mail. You don't have to put a return address on it. Just write from someone who cares.
Does your neighbor need a resume typed or copied? If you have a good computer system and the skills, volunteer to do this for him/her or help him/her with the task. Provide the paper for free. Finally, be honest. Tell your neighbor that you appreciate him/her. Tell him/her that you are glad that he/she is your neighbor and friend. Then tell him/her that if he/she has any problems, you will be there for him/her. You will try to help, even if it is just to listen and that you will not judge. Tell him/her that we all our human. We are living in tough times and we all should help one another, when we can. Then be patient and silent and see if you get a response.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security. — BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
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THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1964. THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT President Lyndon B. Johnson receives the Warren Commission report investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which had occurred in Dallas in 1963. Named after its leader, Chief Justice Earl Warren, the commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone in carrying out the assassination. To this day, conspiracy theorists continue to claim that the Warren Commission was wrong or participated in a government cover up of the crime. AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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