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MARCH 9, 2011
MARCH MADNESS BARBIE IS BORN JEFFERSON’S MONTICELLO
AMERICAN PATRIOT THE SECRET OF
MARCH MADNESS
6 4 JEFFERSON’S MONTICELLO HOME
8 RISE AND FALL OF THE
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
10 CHICAGO’S SILVER AND JEWELRY TRADITION EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT REMINDER
AMERICAN PATRIOT
12 FEELING THE HEAT OF
CAJUN COOKING
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THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
THE SECRET OF
MARCH MADNESS
4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The thrill of “March Madness” is about to grip America again, as the Division I college basketball season heads toward its culmination. As most sports fans know, every year the country’s top hoops colleges enter into the tournament for a chance at the national crown. The number of teams expands this year to 68 for the first time, making it the biggest field ever. Few people know, however, that “March
surprises and Cinderella teams. Television
Madness” did not originally refer to a college
was also a key element in the tournament’s
tournament. As far back as 1908, the Illinois
popularity, and the term “March Madness”
High School Association sponsored an invita-
was popularized by CBS sportscaster Brent
tional tournament for it’s local schools. This
Musburger. After several trademark lawsuits,
hotbed of high school ball yielded an enor-
the NCAA and the high school IHSA joined
mously popular event that evolved to include
forces to create the March Madness Athletic
900 teams. As the popularity of the tourna-
Association. The organization coordinates
ment grew, the term “March Madness” was
the licensing of the name and protection of
coined by the head of the Illinois High School
the symbol.
Association (IHSA) to describe the enthusiasm. On the court, UCLA has dominated the Final Meanwhile, the college version started slowly.
Four with eleven national titles, but is closely
Begun in 1939, the NCAA hosted a minor
followed by University of Kentucky with 7
tournament with only eight teams, and it was
national titles. In 2010, Duke proudly took
eclipsed for the next several years by the
home the title. Selection for the NCAA 2011
glamorous and privately-run National Invita-
tournament will be on March 13 and this
tional Tournament (NIT) held each year at
year’s opening round begins on March 15th.
Madison Square Garden in New York City. But
Reliant Stadium in Houston TX will be home
by the early 1980’s, the NCAA tournament
to the Final Four scheduled, ironically, not for
caught on and grew rapidly to become a truly
March at all – but for the first week in April.
national event. Fans especially fell in love the early rounds, which featured lots of upsets,
HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2010 NCAA TOURNAMENT
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 Palla-
not produce enough money to pay for the country-
dian building, but its placement on the top of a
gentleman lifestyle so accustomed to Jefferson.
remote mountain made the construction difficult.
And though he was said to deplore slavery, he
Stone 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
and Jefferson’s wife, Martha, who died at age
for sale to pay debts.
33, never lived in it finished. On the other hand, Jefferson enjoyed the sense that Monticello was
To celebrate Jefferson’s 250th birthday, the
unique among all American homes.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation has done 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
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
™
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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.
Among the most notable figures are still house-
This had the effect of changing anti-alcohol
hold names: Susan B. Anthony, Frances E.
activities back primarily to private and com-
Willard, Carry Nation. Many were simultane-
munity groups —
ously involved in other Progressive movements
churches, medical doctors — and out of the
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
Alcoholics Anonymous,
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
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
great feast of the boiled crawfish, potatoes,
demanded they pledge allegiance to the
onions and corn, youngsters make a mad
Crown and renounce their Catholic religion.
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 fled to south Louisiana, then under control of
Generally speaking, Cajun food — like its
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
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure." — MARY KAY ASH FOUNDER OF MARY KAY COSMETICS, ON PERSEVERANCE AND SUCCESS IN BUSINESS. A NATURAL BORN SALESPERSON AND ENTREPRENEUR, SHE STARTED A STOREFRONT COSMETICS COMPANY WITH 5,000 DOLLARS; TODAY’S REVENUES APPROACH 2 BILLION DOLLARS DRIVEN BY AN INDEPENDENT SALES FORCE OF ONE MILLION. ASH DIED IN 2001 AND HER EMPIRE IS CURRENTLY RUN BY HER SON.
14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY 1959.BARBIE IS BORN The Barbie doll is first displayed at a toy convention in New York City. Eleven inches tall, with a lush head of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll with adult features in the United States. Ruth Handler, who co-founded toy giant Mattel with her husband in 1945, recognized that there was a potential niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine being a grownup. With its sponsorship of the “Mickey Mouse Club� television program in 1955, Mattel became the first toy company to broadcast commercials to children, using the medium to promote Barbie, then her boyfriend Ken, a best friend Midge, and little sister Skipper. Despite controversy over her voluptuous body, nearly a billion Barbiefamily dolls have been sold worldwide.
PHOTO: CARRIEBEE
AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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