AMERICAN PATRIOT
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SAM HOUSTON AND THE FOUNDING OF TEXAS
NASCAR RISES FROM RURAL AND OUTLAW ROOTS
FIRST VISIT BY POPE TO THE U.S.
AMERICAN PATRIOT THE LONE STAR
SAM HOUSTON
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6 NASCAR
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RISES FROM RURAL AND OUTLAW ROOTS
JAZZ A NATIONAL TREASURE
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AMERICAN PATRIOT
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THE U.S. MERCHANT MARINE
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14 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
15 THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
THE LONE STAR
SAM HOUSTON 4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Sam Houston was a tall Texan; legend has it that he stood an imposing 6 feet 6 inches. But it is not his size, but his accomplishments, by which we remember him: Houston was a colorful leader of Texas independence, the first President of the Republic of Texas, the namesake of the city of Houston, and the only person to serve as Governor of two states. Although he spent his early life in Virginia and
At that point, Houston decided to leave country
Tennessee, Houston was always searching for
and move to Texas, which was still a Mexican ter-
greater horizons. Sam was raised by his widowed
ritory. He practiced law and became a militant
mother, but ran away after realizing he wanted
advocate for the Americanization of Texas.
more from life than to become the sales clerk his mother wanted him to be. At the age of 19, he
Always a natural leader, by 1835, Houston became
became enamored of the Cherokee tribe, lived
commanding officer of the rebel Texas army. At
with them briefly in the hills of Tennessee, and
San Jacinto in 1836, Houston led the troops to
throughout his life he remained a friend to, and
a rout of the Mexican army — it took just eighteen
advocate for, the tribe.
minutes to defeat Santa Ana and capture more than 1,000 Mexican soldiers.
During the War of 1812, Sam Houston enlisted in the army to fight the British. Houston was wounded
When independence for Texas came, Houston
twice; the second time was a severe wound in
served as the President of the new republic from
the arm while serving under Andrew Jackson. He
1836 until 1838 and, then again, from 1841 until
became a close ally of the future President, who
1844. He sought annexation with the U.S., as
commended him for his coolness and courage.
well as peace with Mexico and the Indian tribes.
They remained friends despite their deep-seated
Annexation was achieved soon after his second
disagreement on how to treat Native Americans;
term ended. Houston was immediately elected as
Houston was respectful, Jackson vindictive.
one of the two initial Texan Senators.
After the war, Houston studied and practiced law in
As the Civil War loomed, Houston worked hard to
Tennessee. He served as the Attorney General for
keep Texas from seceding with the Confederacy.
the Nashville area and then was elected as Gov-
After retiring from his Senate office, he became
ernor. After his wife left him in a painful and high-
Governor of Texas, but was deposed when Texas
profile separation, Houston moved to Arkansas,
joined the Confederacy and he refused to take an
represented the Cherokee in their dealings with
oath of loyalty to the South. On the other hand,
the Federal government, and vice versa. Once
he also refused President Lincoln’s offer of troops
again, he became embroiled in scandal when, in
to keep the state from seceding. Houston died in 1832, he beat a Congressman with hisCHECK cane andOUTHuntsville THE FAIR’S WEBSITE TX in 1863. His tombstone reads: “A FOR VISITOR INFORMATION was censured by Congress. pure patriot. A faithful friend. A loyal citizen…” A REENACTMENT OF THE BATTLE AT SAN JACINTO
NASCAR RISES FROM RURAL AND OUTLAW ROOTS
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It’s been quite a ride for NASCAR, a once loosely-knit racing circuit of ex-bootleggers and good old boys which over time has grown to boast 75 million fans, internationally broadcast races, and billions in sponsorships and revenues. Topping the NFL in viewers, NASCAR has become more than the Sunday afternoon obsession of the rural south. The last decade has seen NASCAR win the enthusiasm of fans from New England to the Sun Belt, building tracks and fan bases among Americans of all stripes. The uniquely American sport has its roots in Prohibition and the mountains of Appalachia. This was not a time for Sunday drivers. The windy mountain roads were the domain of small, fast cars full of illicit liquor; the drivers wanted a payday and the thrill of a police chase. Rum-runners would modify their cars, making them faster and better handling. The trade migrated south with the end of prohibition, as Southerners remained a big market for illegal moonshine. And the men who “ran shine” were eager for car bragging rights. By the mid-1930’s, Daytona FL became the place for these early races. In 1936, it became the home to the first “Stock Car” race. Drivers from the whiskey and moonshine circuits would show off their hard-won talents in a legitimate event. Milt Marion won that first race, with fifth place going to a man named Bill France, who would found NASCAR twelve years later. The desire to bring order to the sport made the creation of NASCAR a foundational imperative. The formal organization was born in a Florida hotel, its first point system written on a bar napkin. The first official race took place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1949.
The sport has steadily gained national popularity. The 1970’s saw the first major corporate sponsor, cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds. The racing circuit became known as the Winston Cup, and the sport entered the “modern era.” Corporations of all types soon realized the branding power of sponsoring a driver. Tracks in unlikely places followed. Joining classic southern raceways like Darlington, Charlotte, Talladega, Martinsville, and Dover were tracks in New Hampshire, Arizona, California and Chicago. The additions, reflecting demographic shifts in the population and the desire to mainstream the sport, resulted in growth throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s. A distinct culture has evolved at NASCAR tracks, a blend of RV enthusiasts, family-first parents and country folk looking for a good party. NASCAR fans are proud and protective of their sport, and identify with the teams, drivers, and culture of racing. The sport continues to gain a more diverse fan base, and opened a Hall of Fame last May in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a truly American sport, combining a love of cars, speed with the romance of rural birth and outlaw roots. Combined with an increasingly corporate and urban following, the future looks promising.
THE OPENING OF THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME
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
JAZZ A NATIONAL TREASURE The White House recently hosted 150 young musicians from Washington and New Orleans to attend jazz classes taught by Wynton Marsalis and other jazz musicians. The event, which included swing and blues lessons and later a performance by several artists, was the first of a music series which First Lady Michelle Obama has organized.
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“Today’s event exemplifies what I think the White House, the People’s House, should be about,” Mrs. Obama told the audience. “This is a place to honor America’s past, celebrate its present and create its future.” Saying that the musical genre was part of her childhood in Chicago, Mrs. Obama described jazz as “an outstanding artistic model of individual expression and democratic expression.” And, indeed, the First Lady is correct. Before Rock and Roll and Hip Hop there was Jazz. Originating in New Orleans, Jazz more than any other art form truly represents the spirit of America. Born of oppression, and built upon improvisation, advanced by a confluence of African, Latin American and European music, Jazz has fused different nationalities, ethnicities and cultures to create a sound all it’s own. In many ways, it is the sound of freedom. Jazz was born in the 1800’s on the plantations of the South. African Slaves sang spirituals to celebrate, to mourn, to worship, and to soften the hardships of work. Improvision and a certain back-and-forth were basic to the sound. This music of the plantations blended with the European-American musical tradition to create the basis for blues, ragtime, and other musical forms from which jazz evolved. Jazz stayed primarily in the South until the 1920s, when it migrated north during the twenties, ignited by the Hot Jazz of Louis Armstrong. During the depression, Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson brought the captivating sounds of Harlem to dance halls across the country and helped create what was known as the Swing Era. As music tastes changed and rock and roll became popular during the 1950s, Miles Davis initiated a new era in jazz. By this time the entire
nation, geographically speaking, became the audience. Since the early 20th century, jazz has spawned many subgenres, from New Orleans Dixieland dating from the early 1910s, to the big band swing of the 1930s and 1940s, to the bebop of the mid-1940s, to Latin jazz fusion in the 1950s and 60s, to jazz rock fusion from the 1970s and 1980s. Ever evolving, several new subgenres — such as smooth jazz and nu jazz — emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, and into the 21st century so-called “straight ahead jazz” appeals as established stars like Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Jessica Williams and, of course, Wynton Marsalis, continue to perform. Numerous young musicians have stepped up to play both the mainstream music and to add a whole new level of experimentation. In 1987, the US House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill declaring jazz a unique form of American music, stating, among other things, “... that jazz is hereby designated as a rare and valuable national American treasure to which we should devote our attention, support and resources to make certain it is preserved, understood and promulgated.” At least for once, Congress got it right. SEE PHOTOGRAPHS OF WYNTON MARSALIS AT THE WHITE HOUSE
AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
STATE BIRDS FLYING HIGH All 50 states have a “state bird.” While there are over 800 species of birds in North America, each state legislature has its favorite and each state designates its own official state bird. Most are unique to a state, but some favorites — like the Cardinal, Western Meadowlark, Goldfinch and Mockingbird — represent several states. At the other extreme, there are rare birds like the Ptarmigan of Alaska and the Nene Goose of Hawaii. The selection of state birds began in 1927 with several states jumping in. The last state to choose: New York in 1970.
HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES:
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH A small finch of about 5 inches. It's thick conical bill is good for eating seeds. In AMERICAN ROBIN summer, the male is bright yellow, with American Robins are a sign to many people that black wings, tail and forehead patch. The spring has arrived. They are red-breasted birds female is duller; in winter they are both very familiar to bird watchers. The Robin is the duller. Goldfinches are the states bird of state bird of Connecticut. Iowa and Washington. 10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD This is a medium-sized bird with a length of 6 to 8 inches. They have light underbellies and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills. They are bright blue. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, fake grey breast, grey crown, throat and back. This is Idaho’s pride.
NORTHERN CARDINALS The male is all red with the exception of the black patch around a thick triangular or conical bill. It has a very noticeable pointed crest. Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia have adopted the Cardinal as their own.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE Male Orioles are flame orange or yellow with a black hood that extends to the back. The tail and wings are black with white wing bars. The female and young are olive-brown above and burnt orange below. It is, not surprisingly, the state bird of Maryland.
RHODE ISLAND RED CHICKEN These are utilitarian birds raised for meat and eggs. Feathers are rust-colored, but darker shades are known. Eyes are red-orange and they have yellow feet, with reddish-brown beaks. It is the state bird of Rhode Island, one of only three state birds not a species native to the U.S. SEE A LIST OF THE STATE BIRDS AND MANY MORE PHOTOS
AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
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UNSUNG HEROES
THE U.S. MERCHANT MARINE The United States Merchant Marine has a tradition of being in the forefront of every American military action and has served with distinction in every conflict. Their activities have been marked by heroism, self-sacrifice and determination. At the same time, Merchant Mariners have rarely received the attention or credit of the other U.S. armed services. The Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned ships operated by either the government or privately that transport of goods and services in and out of the U.S. In peacetime, they are responsible for shipping cargo and passengers. In wartime, the Merchant Marine automatically becomes an auxiliary to the Navy, and is called on to deliver troops and supplies for the military. It is a strange hybrid: civilian in peace, and military in times of war. The first wartime role of an identifiable U.S. merchant marine took place in 1775 when a group of citizens, hearing the news from Concord and Lexington, captured the British schooner HMS Margaretta. This success led the Continental Congress to authorize private citizens to interrupt the British supply chain all along the coast. Since then, the Merchant Marine has played a role in all subsequent American wars, including the Civil War, the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. In most recent times, the force has sea-lifted equipment and
supplies into combat in Iraq and provided humanitarian assistance to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. A great injustice has been the failure to give Merchant Marine veterans full benefits. This was particularly disturbing at the end of World War II; they were the lifeline of the Allied war effort, delivering troops, materiel, food, fuel, and every essential needed for victory over the Axis. In doing so, they suffered losses so high that the casualty rates were kept secret. At war's end, the other branches were honored by parades and given medical and educational benefits and home loan guarantees — but the members of the Merchant Marine received none. In 1988, President Reagan began the process of righting this wrong, signing a law granting veteran status to merchant mariners who served in WWII. Still, many of these veterans never enjoyed the benefits, and a lingering sense of unfairness remains. The fight goes on: there is currently a bill that has passed the House, but not yet the Senate, to provide modest monthly payments to 10,000 Merchant Marine veteran. It is called, appropriately, Belated Thank You To The Merchant Mariners of WWII. SEE EXCERPTS FROM MEN WHO SAILED THE LIBERTY SHIPS, A TV DOCUMENTARY ON THE MERCHANT MARINE
AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
It never happened in World Series competition, and it still hasn’t. —
YOGI BERRA
WHO PLAYED IN 14 WORLD SERIES FOR THE YANKEES AND IS PERHAPS BEST REMEMBERED TODAY FOR HIS TWISTED SAYINGS.
14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY 1965. Pope Paul VI makes the first visit by a reigning pope to the United States. He spent the one-day trip entirely in New York City, visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cardinal’s residence, meeting with President Lyndon Johnson, addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations, attending a public Mass at Yankee Stadium, and seeing the Vatican Exhibit at the World's Fair. During his 14 hour visit, the Pope was seen in person by one million people and on tv by tens of millions. AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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