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MARCH 17, 2010
JOHN F. KENNEDY’S
PROFILES IN COURAGE SPRINGTIME MEANS
MARCH MADNESS THE LIVES OF
THE COWBOYS
AMERICAN PATRIOT JFK’S PROFILES IN COURAGE
4 6 8
THE LIVES OF THE
THE COWBOYS
SPRINGTIME MEANS
MARCH MADNESS
10 Contents
PRESERVATION TRUST PICKS
DISTINCTIVE DESTINATIONS
12
THE SPAM YOU WANT (SORT OF)
14 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
15 THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
JOHN F. KENNEDY’S
PROFILES IN COURAGE
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Rarely does a historical study of arcane issues and legislators influence a Presidential campaign, become a best-seller and get turned into a popular television series. But John F. Kennedy’s Profiles In Courage accomplished this. It helped to establish then-Senator Kennedy’s gravitas as a serious thinker and potential Presidential candidate, as well as getting the public to focus on the grandeur of the Senate, and seeing life as a mid-1960s television series in which the “profiles” of courageous political leaders were dramatized. The book itself, a Pulitzer Prize winner, had a simple premise: it described acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators. In most of the stories, these men crossed party lines or defied popular opinion to make hard decisions that cost them dearly. Kennedy wrote the book at his bedside while on leave from the Senate recovering from back surgery.
THE EIGHT SENATORS INCLUDED BY THE AUTHOR WERE: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, for breaking from the Federalist Party.
EDMUND G. ROSS, for voting to acquit the painfully unpopular President Andrew Johnson.
DANIEL WEBSTER, for supporting the Compromise of 1850 which helped keep the Union together.
LUCIUS LAMAR, for seeking to mend ties between between the North and South.
THOMAS HART BENTON, for staying in the Democratic Party despite his opposition to slavery.
GEORGE NORRIS, for trying to keep the U.S. neutral during World War 1.
SAM HOUSTON, for opposing Texas secession from the Union.
ROBERT A. TAFT, for criticizing the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals.
The book was widely applauded as an effort to raise the level of public discourse by a handsome young Senator with national ambitions. A few critics expressed doubt about whether Kennedy wrote it himself, since his family’s great wealth allowed him to be surrounded by many professional speechwriters and thinkers such as Ted Sorenson. Late in life, Sorenson acknowledged having worked on a draft. It remains, still, a definitive book on the history of the Senate.
THE JFK LIBRARY SPONSORS AN ANNUAL PROFILES IN COURAGE ESSAY CONTEST AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
THE LIVES OF
THE COWBOYS
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the museum in Oklahoma City collects, preserves and exhibits a renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring educational programs and scholarly research on the legacy of our American West. More than 10 million visitors have come to the 220,000 square foot site to gain better understanding of the West, a region that continues to permeate our national identity and culture. 6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The Museum honors pioneers of the American West with three separate halls of fame. These include real cowboys and other regional heroes in the Hall of Great Westerners; “reel” cowboys in the Hall of Great Western Performers; and the great riders and ropers in the Rodeo Hall of Fame. A popular destination for both kids and adults alike, there are many permanent — and frequent traveling — exhibitions to see. Among the permanent collections are the William S. and Ann Atherton Art of the American West Gallery, which contains over 2,000 pieces of art and artifacts including the 18-foot tall Canyon Princess marble statue; the American Cowboy Gallery which showcases work representing the working cowboy in the U.S.; the Weitzen Gallery of Fine American Firearms which covers weapons used during the frontier period; and the moving Native American Gallery that contains artifacts representing eons of indigenous people. There are also sections in the institution dedicated to rodeos, life on the frontier, prospecting, and Prosperity Junction, a reproduction turn of the century cattle town. The Western Performers gallery is extremely popular. At four thousand square feet, it explores the depiction of cowboy life in literature and film, and includes artifacts and biographical information about such stars such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood and Tom Selleck. An interactive Children’s Cowboy Corral features kid-oriented activities.
The 49th annual Western Heritage Awards, which features new inductees and honorees, is set for April 17. In addition, the Museum sponsors an ambitious program of youth and adult lectures and classes, and an award winning journal, Persimmon Hill, which has profiled the likes of John Wayne, Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, and Randolph Scott, and has been home to noted writers such as John Steinbeck, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Willa Cather, and Louis L’Amour.
LEARN MORN ABOUT WESTERN HISTORY AND PLAN YOUR NEXT VISIT HERE
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
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SPRINGTIME MEANS
MARCH MADNESS
The NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament is capturing the interest of the country, once again. 65 teams, wall-to-wall television coverage, betting pools, sold out arenas, and more.
8 AMERICAN PATRIOT
But here is a surprising fact: the term “March
For several decades, the NIT held sway, but
Madness” was surprisingly coined from a
by the early 1960s, the NCAA tournament —
high school boys basketball tournament in
spread across the country rather than holed
Illinois. The Illinois High School Association
up in New York City — emerged from the
has sponsored a high school boys basketball
shadows. In 1954, the championship game
tournament since 1908. By the 1930s, the
between LaSalle and Bradley was televised
tournament grew to a statewide event with
for the first time. In 1975, the tournament
nearly 1,000 schools competing. Henry V.
was expanded to 32 teams. By the early 80s,
Porter, an executive at the Association came
the NCAA tournament was domninant.
up with the popular term and memorialized It wasn’t until the early 1980s, however,
it in an essay.
when it was expanded to 64 teams, which Meanwhile, in the 1930s, college basketball
enabled more colleges across the nation to
became popular and a clamor arose for a tour-
be involved, created nationwide excitement
nament to determine the best team in the
surrounding the tournament, and gave tele-
country. One such effort, the National Invita-
vision the content it needed to raise the event
tional Tournament (NIT) commenced in 1938,
to a major level, on par with the Superbowl
organized by leading newspaper sportswriters.
and the World Series. The term “March Mad-
A year later, NCAA followed suit, led by leg-
ness” was popularized by the CBS network
endary Phog Allen of the University of Kansas.
at around this time.
HERE IS THE HISTORY OF THE TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
By the way, UCLA has won the most NCAA Mens Division 1 titles, with eleven. The Universities of Kentucky, Indiana and North
1939–1950
8 TEAMS
1951–1952
16 TEAMS
1953–1974
22 TO 25 TEAMS
1975–1978
32 TEAMS
1979
40 TEAMS
1980–1982
48 TEAMS
1983
52 TEAMS
1984
53 TEAMS
1985–2000
64 TEAMS
2001 – PRESENT
65 TEAMS
2011
RUMOR IS 96 TEAMS
Carolina are also frequent winners.
SEE A VIDEO OF THE GREATEST FINISH EVER TO AN NCAA 'MARCH MADNESS’ GAME CLICK HERE FOR THE 2010 SCHEDULE OF NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT GAMES
AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
PRESERVATION TRUST PICKS
DISTINCTIVE DESTINATIONS
The city of Marquette is not a vacation destination that jumps right to mind for most Americans. But the Michigan town has been voted number one in a public online poll sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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For a decade, the National Trust has selected 12 communities across America that offer cultural and recreational experiences different from those of the typical vacation destination.“Each of this year's ‘Dozen Distinctive Destinations’ offer travelers a way to get off the beaten path and enjoy an authentic, dynamic and entertaining travel experience,” say Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The destinations are noted for taking action to retain their character, history and buildings. For Marquette, it is the well-preserved streets of its downtown, its Lake Superior waterfront, and the stamp left on it by immigrants from 40 countries. OTHER CITIES NOTED BY THE NATIONAL TRUST:
CEDAR FALLS IA With recreational activities along the Cedar River to shopping on its acclaimed Main Street, a dynamic downtown connects with its natural surroundings. ST. LOUIS MO Highlights are nestled among the historic brick buildings that line cobblestone streets, proving the city lives up to its iconic status as the “Gateway to the West.” FORT COLLINS CO The Rocky Mountains overlook the thriving businesses of Old Town Square, the model for “Main Street, USA” at Disneyland. PROVINCETOWN MA This New England seaport town, site of the 1620 signing of the Mayflower Compact, positions galleries and restaurants next to National Seashore beaches. SIMSBURY CT This quintessential small town appeals to the heritage traveler with its top-rated restaurants, historic sites and parks and real working farms.
ROCKLAND ME With great pride in its maritime past and present, there is a blend of tradition with an innovative spirit as well as historic lighthouses and museums. CHESTNUT HILL PA Enjoying a unique combination of colonial and modern history, the town features historic homes from Federal to Modernist and a boutique shopping district. HUNTSVILLE AL Still preserving the largest collection of antebellum homes in Alabama, it has grown from its deep southern roots to become “America's Space Capital.” THE CROOKED ROAD Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, VA The Crooked Road celebrates the region's rich Appalachian heritage, weaving quaint historic districts and music culture. BASTROP TX Bastrop takes visitors back in time with traditional Texas charm and historic buildings along the Colorado River. SITKA AK Sitka prides itself on its diverse cultural heritage and offers a glimpse of a unique chapter of American history.
WATCH A VIDEO OF THE 2010 DOZEN DISTINCTIVE DESTINATIONS AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
THE SPAM YOU WANT (SORT OF)
12 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Spam, the meat product, not the unwanted email messages, is a canned precooked product made by Hormel Foods Corporation. The main ingredients are chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite. A gelatinous glaze forms from the cooling of the meat after cooking. The product, though simple, has become part of American pop culture, the butt of many jokes and subject of urban legends. In the U.S., Spam is a strong seller but is often associated with economic hardship, due to its relatively low cost. Interestingly, Hawaiians and residents of Guam consume the most Spam per capita. There is a reason for that. Spam was introduced there, and elsewhere in the Pacific, during World War II and its immediate aftermath. Since fresh meat was difficult to get to the soldiers on the front, GIs were sent Spam for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because the product comes in a rectangular metal can, it stays fresh for a long time even if not refrigerated. Surpluses of Spam from the soldiers’ supplies made their way into native diets. The soldiers often took their taste for it back to their hometowns after the war as well, but often with a bit of wry humor, calling it “Something Posing As Meat”, “Specially Processed Artificial Meat”, “Spare Parts Animal Meat” and the like. Spam is celebrated in a small local festival in Austin MN where Hormel corporate headquarters are located. The event, known as Spam Jam feaures parades, and fireworks.
Austin is also home to the Spam Museum. In addition to the annual celebration, there is a national recipe competition where submissions are accepted at the top forty state fairs in the nation. The Spam Jam, by the way, is not to be confused with Spamarama, a gentle parody held in Austin TX. It features music, acts and a cookoff.
CLICK HERE FOR AN ONLINE SPAM RECIPE EXCHANGE
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“You are either with us, or against us.” — PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AFTER THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS.
14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1987. The one millionth Macintosh computer (a Mac Plus, by the way) comes off the assembly line, stamping Apple as one of the great entrepreneurial stories in the history of American business.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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