DOCSLIB.ORG

The Czech-Americans

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Czech-Americans MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE The Czech-Americans Diploma Thesis Brno 2009 Supervisor Written by Mgr. Zden ěk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. Bc. Ivana Stava řová I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only sources listed in the bibliography. I agree with the diploma thesis being deposited in the Library at the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University and with its being made available for academic purposes. …......…........................... Ivana Stava řová 2 Acknowledgment: I would like to thank Mr. Janík for his helpful guidance through this lengthy process. His advice has been invaluable. I would also like to thank the Czech Center in New York and Místní knihovna Bolatice for being great sources of literature. My thanks also goes to all of the Czech-Americans who participated in the survey. Their affinity for their Czech heritage and culture only strengthened my affinity for the Czech community abroad. Last but not least I would like to thank Mr. Skýpala for his helpful history consultations, with whose help much of the connections were clarified and the historical narrative made ever more vibrant, and Mr. Flanigan for his editing advice on this thesis. 3 To Porta 4 CONTENT: INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 7 17 TH CENTURY: THE FIRST CZECH-AMERICAN: AUGUSTINE HERMAN.... 13 1.1 The Facts of Interest....................................................................................................... 18 18 TH CENTURY: MORAVIAN BRETHREN ................................................................ 19 2. 19 TH CENTURY ......................................................................................................... 26 3.1. The Boom of Czech Migration ...................................................................................... 26 3.2. Who Began the Emigration in the 19th Century........................................................... 29 3.3. Transport......................................................................................................................... 31 3.4. The Final Destinations .................................................................................................... 33 3.4.1. New York City .............................................................................................................33 3.4.2. Midwest .......................................................................................................................36 3.4.2.1. Wisconsin ................................................................................................................37 3.4.2.2. Nebraska.................................................................................................................39 3.4.2.3. Illinois........................................................................................................................41 3.4.2.4. Missouri ....................................................................................................................43 3.4.2.5. Ohio.........................................................................................................................45 3.4.3. Texas ............................................................................................................................47 3.4.4. Minor Destinations of Czech Immigrants.................................................................49 3.5. Major Czech Achievements ......................................................................................... 51 3.5.1. Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago.............................................................52 3.5.2. Sokol (Falcon) .............................................................................................................53 3.5.3. Č.S.P.S./ Č.S.A. .............................................................................................................54 3.6. Journalism and Literature.............................................................................................. 55 3.7. Through Marriage into Melting Pot ............................................................................... 58 3.8. The Second Generation ................................................................................................ 59 3.9. Czechs in America at the End of the 19 th Century....................................................... 61 3.10 The Facts of Interest....................................................................................................... 63 3. 20 TH CENTURY ......................................................................................................... 65 4.1. The Prewar Period.......................................................................................................... 66 5 4.2. 1914-1937: The Birth of the Cooperation of the Czech Communities in America and the Czech People ...................................................................................................................... 69 4.2.1. The After War Changes .............................................................................................74 4.2.1.1. The Czech Migration .............................................................................................74 4.2.1.2. The American Immigration Policy........................................................................74 4.2.1.3. Trends in the Czech Communities in the USA. The Dominant Figure in After War Period – A. Čermák..........................................................................................................76 4.3. 1938-1989: The Czech-American Relief Programs for the Czechoslovaks ................ 77 4.3.1. The Second World War..............................................................................................77 4.3.2. The Communist Era ....................................................................................................83 4.3.2.1. The Life in the Czech-American Communities between 1948-1989 ...............92 4.4. 1990-2000: The Beginnings of the Modern Bilateral Era............................................... 93 4.5 The Facts of Interest....................................................................................................... 95 4. THE CZECH-AMERICANS OF THE 21 ST CENTURY ...................................... 96 5.1. Collecting Data ............................................................................................................. 96 5.2. The Questionnaire Findings........................................................................................... 98 5.3. The Contemporary Czech-Americans....................................................................... 115 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 119 BIBLIOGRAPHY: ........................................................................................................... 122 SUMMARY...................................................................................................................... 127 RESUMÉ .......................................................................................................................... 128 APPENDIXES.................................................................................................................. 129 Appendix A .............................................................................................................................. 129 Appendix B............................................................................................................................... 132 Appendix C.............................................................................................................................. 136 Appendix D .............................................................................................................................. 137 Appendix E............................................................................................................................... 140 6 Introduction This thesis focuses its attention on the story of the Czech-Americans - the people with Czech roots living in the United States. Like many immigrant groups, the Czechs came to America in groups, settling in communities with other Czechs and maintaining close ties with their mother country, while paying close attention to the news from home and continuing their culture through their language, customs and home traditions. Their reasons to leave their home country may have been both complicated and painful, yet even in their new home, this new melting pot of all nations, they did not forget the country they came from, neither its culture and traditions, nor its language. These were the people who left but did not forget who fought to preserve the pieces of their home in the new country. These were the people who named the new settlements after the familiar places they knew in the Czech Republic, who continued to speak Czech and taught their children this language, too. Czech-Americans thought of themselves every bit Czech as they were Americans, and maintained a vested interest in the national movement ‚back home‘ in the Czech lands. They certainly expressed (and continue to express) their patriotism by claiming membership in the patriotic and national Czech organizations in the USA. Through such organizations they became the vocal supporters and financiers at
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of the Lidice Memorial in Phillips, Wisconsin
    “Our Heritage, Our Treasure”: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of the Lidice Memorial in Phillips, Wisconsin Emily J. Herkert History 489: Capstone November 2015 Copyright for this work is owned by the author. This digital version is published by the McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with the consent of the author. Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………...iii Lists of Figures and Maps………………………………………………………………………...iv Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Background………………………………………………………………………………………..3 Historiography…………………………………………………………………………………….8 The Construction of the Lidice Memorial……………………………………………………….13 Memorial Rededication……………………………………………………………………….….20 The Czechoslovakian Community Festival……...………………………………………………23 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….28 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………...30 ii Abstract The Lidice Memorial in Phillips, Wisconsin is a place of both memory and identity for the Czechoslovak community. Built in 1944, the monument initially represented the memory of the victims of the Lidice Massacre in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia while simultaneously symbolizing the patriotic efforts of the Phillips community during World War II. After the memorial’s rededication in 1984 the meaning of the monument to the community shifted. While still commemorating Lidice, the annual commemorations gave rise to the Phillips Czechoslovakian Community Festival held each year. The memorial became a site of cultural identity for the Phillips community and is
    [Show full text]
  • Proclamation 5682—July 20, 1987 101 Stat. 2169
    PROCLAMATION 5682—JULY 20, 1987 101 STAT. 2169 As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first animated feature-length film, we can be grateful for the art of film animation, which brings to the screen such magic and lasting vitality. We can also be grateful for the con­ tribution that animation has made to producing so many family films during the last half-century—films embodying the fundamental values of good over evil, courage, and decency that Americans so cherish. Through animation, we have witnessed the wonders of nature, ancient fables, tales of American heroes, and stories of youthful adventure. In recent years, our love for tech­ nology and the future has been reflected in computer-generated graphic art and animation. The achievements in the motion picture art that have followed since the debut of the first feature-length animated film in 1937 have mirrored the ar­ tistic development of American culture and the advancement of our Na­ tion's innovation and technology. By recognizing this anniversary, we pay tribute to the triimiph of creative genius that has prospered in our free en­ terprise system as nowhere else in the world. We recognize that, where men and women are free to express their creative talents, there is no limit to their potential achievement. In recognition of the special place of animation in American film history, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 122, has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to celebrate the week beginning July 16, 1987, with appropriate ob­ servances of the 50th anniversary of the animated feature film.
    [Show full text]
  • An Oral History Study of the Religiosity of Fifty Czech-American Elderly Christopher Jay Johnson Iowa State University
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1981 An oral history study of the religiosity of fifty Czech-American elderly Christopher Jay Johnson Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Family, Life Course, and Society Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, Christopher Jay, "An oral history study of the religiosity of fifty Czech-American elderly " (1981). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 7433. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/7433 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy.
    [Show full text]
  • EDRS PUCE BF-80.83 Plus Postage
    DOCUMENT ISSUES 1 ED 130 783 PS 008 917 TITLE Parenting in 1976s A Listing from PHIC. INSTITUTION Southwest Educational Development Tab.-, Austin, Tex., SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (HEW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE Bay 76 NOTE 169p.; For 1975 edition, see ED 110 156. AVAILABLE FROMParenting Baterials Inforaation Center, Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 211 East 7th 'Street, Austin, Texas 78701 ($5.00) EDRS PUCE BF-80.83 Plus Postage. BC Not Available froa EDRS. DESCIIPTORS *Bibliographies; Child Abuse; Child Development; Cultural Pluralisa; Discipline4 *Early Childhood Education; Exceptional Children; F4mily (Sociological Unit); Group Relations; Health; Learning Activities; *Parent Education; Parent Participation; *Parents; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Peer Relationship; Prograa Descriptions; *Resource Materials IDENTIFIERS *Parenting Materials Information Center TX ABSTRACT This bibliography lists iaterials, programs and resources which appear to be relevant to the lauds of parents and." those-working with parents.,The bibliography is a project of the Parenting Baterials Information Center (PEIC) being deyeloped by the Southvest Educational Developaent Laboratory.,PEIC colledts, analyzes and disseminates information pertaining to parenting..The list is divided into major content areas according to iaitial classification efforts by the center staff.,These major areas have been designated (1) academic contents and skills; (2) child abuse; (3) discipline;. (4) early childhood activities; (S) education; (6) exceptional children; (7) family; (8) general resources for parenting/family/education; (9) group relationships and training; (10) health and safety; (11) large scale programs; (12) multi-ethnic aulti-cultural heritage and contents; (13) language and intellectual developaent; (14) parent, school and community involveaent; (15) parenting; (16) physical and sensory deprivation;(17).
    [Show full text]
  • American Ethnicity and Czech Immigrants' Integration in Texas: Cemetery Data
    AMERICAN ETHNICITY AND CZECH IMMIGRANTS’ INTEGRATION IN TEXAS: CEMETERY DATA EVA ECKERT Anglo-American University, Prague The lasting traces of Czech immigration to Texas and the once prominent immigrant community lead to the cemeteries. The purpose of this study is to show how to read Czech cemetery data in Texas from the 1860s to the 1950s in order to understand the immigrants’ integration and contact with their German neighbors and the dominant Anglo-American society. To immigrants in the middle of the 19th century, Texas offered land and freedom of movement. But the reasons to return home outweighed those to stay for some of the earliest immigrants who were unable to align themselves with networks established by the German immigrants who preceded them. Those who followed the pioneers lived within interethnic social structures that they gradually abandoned in favor of the ethnocentric Czech community. Language choices, the interplay of Czech and English, and the endurance of the Czech language in tombstone inscriptions yield synchronic and diachronic data whose analysis and interpretation reveal sociolinguistic networks of immigrants, rules of social cohesion and ethnic identity. Keywords: Texas Czech cemeteries, immigrant integration, language shift, interethnic networks, ethnocentric Czech community INTRODUCTION Cemetery lands are overlaid with language that is opened to diachronic and synchronic exploration. Chronological data of gravestones resonate with immigrant arrivals. Cemetery inscriptions thus provide a permanent, yet rarely
    [Show full text]
  • Literature, Peda
    The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts THE STUDENTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS: LITERATURE, PEDAGOGY, AND THE LONG SIXTIES IN THE AMERICAS A Dissertation in Comparative Literature by Molly Appel © 2018 Molly Appel Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2018 ii The dissertation of Molly Appel was reviewed and approved* by the following: Rosemary Jolly Weiss Chair of the Humanities in Literature and Human Rights Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Thomas O. Beebee Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Comparative Literature and German Charlotte Eubanks Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Japanese, and Asian Studies Director of Graduate Studies John Ochoa Associate Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature Sarah J. Townsend Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Robert R. Edwards Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and Comparative Literature Head of the Department of Comparative Literature *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. iii ABSTRACT In The Students of Human Rights, I propose that the role of the cultural figure of the American student activist of the Long Sixties in human rights literature enables us to identify a pedagogy of deficit and indebtedness at work within human rights discourse. My central argument is that a close and comparative reading of the role of this cultural figure in the American context, anchored in three representative cases from Argentina—a dictatorship, Mexico—a nominal democracy, and Puerto Rico—a colonially-occupied and minoritized community within the United States, reveals that the liberal idealization of the subject of human rights relies upon the implicit pedagogical regulation of an educable subject of human rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Czech-American Protestants: a Minority Within a Minority
    Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Czech-American Protestants: A Minority within a Minority Full Citation: Bruce M Garver, “Czech-American Protestants: A Minority within a Minority,” Nebraska History 74 (1993): 150-167 URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1993CAProtestants.pdf Date: 3/23/2015 Article Summary: There were few Czech-American Protestants, but they received the assistance of mainline American Protestant denominations in establishing congregations and building meeting houses. They perpetuated the use of the Czech language and did important charitable work. Cataloging Information: Names: František Kún, Jan Pípal, E A Adams, David S Schaff, Will Monroe, Gustav Alexy, Albert Schauffler, Vincenc Písek, A W Clark, Jaroslav Dobiáš, František B Zdrůbek, Bohdan A Filipi, Tomáš G Masaryk, J L Hromádka Place Names: Bohemia; Moravia; Saunders and Colfax Counties, Nebraska;
    [Show full text]
  • Thomas Capek Collection Relating to Czechoslovakia and Czech Americans
    Thomas Capek Collection Relating to Czechoslovakia and Czech Americans A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Prepared by Katherine E. Brand with the assistance of Paul L. Horecky Revised by Margaret Martin and Patrick Kerwin Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2009 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2009 Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009206 Latest revision: 2010 April Collection Summary Title: Thomas Capek Collection Relating to Czechoslovakia and Czech Americans Span Dates: 1619-1953 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1851-1953) ID No.: MSS15008 Creator: Capek, Thomas, 1861-1950 Extent: 6,000 items; 14 containers plus 4 oversize; 6.8 linear feet Language: Collection material largely in Czech Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Abstract: Correspondence, memoranda, journals, writings, printed matter, maps, photographs, and other papers assembled during Capek's research on the immigration, organizations, institutions, and activities of Czech Americans. Also includes material concerning Czechoslovakia, Czechs in Great Britain, Slavic Americans, and Slovak Americans. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Bayard, Thomas F. (Thomas Francis), 1868-1942. Bittner, Bartoš. Borecký, Jan. Buňata, Josef, b. 1846. Capek, Anne Vostroveský. Capek, Thomas, 1861-1950. Capek, Thomas, b. 1895. Herrman, Augustine, 1621-1686. Jonáš, Christina. Jonáš, Frederic. Jonáš, Karel, 1840-1896.
    [Show full text]
  • 1Illu® Hinese
    1illu® hinese THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES AT SAN ANTONIO .. The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio 1981 • THE TEXIANS AND THE TEXANS A series dealing with the many peoples who have contributed to the history and heritage of Texas. Now in print: Pamphlets- The Indian Texans, The German Texans, The Norwegian Texans, Th e Mexican Texans (in English) , Los Tejanos Mexicanos (in Spanish), The Spanish Texans, The Polish Texans, The Czech Texans, The French Texans, Th e Italian Texans, The Greek Texans, The Jewish Texans, The Syrian and Lebanese Texans, The Afro-American Texans, The Belgian Texans, The Swiss Texans, The Chinese Texans and The Anglo-American Texans. Books - The Irish Texans, The Danish Texans and The German Texans . .. The Chinese Texans Principal Researcher: William T. Field Jr. ©1978: The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio Jack R. Maguire, Executive Director Pat Maguire, Director of Publications and Coordinator of Programs First Edition , Second Printing, 1981 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 77-28587 International Standard Book Number 0-933164-91-2 This publication was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Houston Endowment, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. Great Wall of China. THE CHINESE TEXANS to "traditional American life ." At the same time they were obviously To the average nineteenth-century American, descendants of an old and highly cultured civili­ Chinese immigrants presented an interesting but zation, but it was a civilization that was isolated paradoxical portrait. They were heirs of one of and remote from the rest of the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Iowa Conference Papers
    CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES The Czech and Slovak Presence in North America: A Retrospective Look and Future Perspectives Selected Papers from the 2003 SVU North American Conference Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 26-28 June 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS OPENING CEREMONY Message from the President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus Opening of the Conference by President, SVU Dr. Miloslav Rechcigl Greetings by the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic H.E. Martin Butora SELECTED PAPERS I. Immigration of Czechs and Slovaks to America and their Settlements Miloslav Rechcigl, SVU, Rockville, MD The Immigration to America from the Czechlands and Slovakia in the 17th and 18th Centuries Robert Paulson, German-Bohemian Heritage Society, St. Paul, MN German-Bohemian Immigration to North America Michael A. Cwach, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD Czech Immigration to South Dakota John J. Hosmanek, Wisconsin Slovak, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin Slovak immigration to Wisconsin Robert J. Petrik, Slovak Honorary Consul for the State of Florida Czechs and Slovaks in Florida II. Contributions of Czech and Slovak Americans Cyril Klimesh and Michael Klimesh, Spillville, IA The Spillville of A. Dvorak's Sojourn and Inspirations for the "American" Michael A. Cwach, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD Two Examples of Czech-Americans' Influence in American Popular Musical Culture in the Early Twentieth-Century: Bohumir Kryl and J. S. Zamecnik Robert J. Stone, Cedar Rapids, IA A Short History of the Komensky Society, Linn Co., IA Anne Keown, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC John Stepan (Jan Stepan) and Czechs in Cedar Rapids Lisa A. Alzo, Ithaca, New York Silent Voices: Identifying the Historical Significance of Slovak Immigrant Women Vlado Simko, Brooklyn VA Medical Center, NY Koloman Sokol: The Life of an Artist Exile Eliska Ryznar, Stanford University, Mountain View, CA Jan F.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Reviews
    East Texas Historical Journal Volume 38 Issue 2 Article 12 10-2000 Book Reviews Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethj Part of the United States History Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Recommended Citation (2000) "Book Reviews," East Texas Historical Journal: Vol. 38 : Iss. 2 , Article 12. Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethj/vol38/iss2/12 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the History at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in East Texas Historical Journal by an authorized editor of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 78 EAST TEXAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Tales ofthe Sabine Borderlands: Early Louisiana and Texas Fiction, Theodore Pavie. Edited with an introduction and notes by Be~le Black Klier (Texas A&M University Press, 4354 TAMUS, College Station, TX 77843-4354) 1998. Contents. Tllus. Acknowledgments. "The Myth of the Sabine." Index. P.IIO. $25.95. Hardcover. Theodore Pavie was eighteen years old and a full-blown, wide-eyed Romantic in 1829 when he sailed from France to Louisiana to visit his uncle on a pJantatlon near Natchitoches. While there, Pavie was adventurous enough to explore the wilderness road between Natchitoches and Nacogdoches, and he was completely entranced by the people of the frontier wilderness on both sides of the Sabine River. He absorbed the whole Borderland panorama, ran the experience through the filter of The Romantic Age, and produced a semi­ fictional travel book and several short stories. The short stories. these Tales of the Sabine Borderlands.
    [Show full text]
  • Salsa2bills 1..4
    H.R.ANo.A302 RESOLUTION 1 WHEREAS, The month of October typically brings to Texas a 2 host of festivals celebrating the Czech heritage that is enjoyed by 3 a multitude of citizens across the state; and 4 WHEREAS, Among the first Czechs to come to Texas in the years 5 following annexation was the Reverend Josef Arnost Bergmann, who 6 arrived with his family in 1850 and settled in the German community 7 of Cat Spring in Austin County; Reverend Bergmann soon began 8 writing back to Europe, praising the availability of inexpensive 9 land and the opportunities to be found in Texas; his letters, one of 10 which was published in the Moravian News, are credited with 11 spurring many other Czechs to emigrate as well; and 12 WHEREAS, Most of those newcomers landed at Galveston and then 13 traveled to Cat Spring, dispersing from there to establish new 14 homes throughout the state; the census of 1860 reported some 700 15 Czechs living in Texas, and by 1900 the state had approximately 250 16 Czech communities, the majority of which were concentrated in 15 17 counties situated on the Blackland and Coastal Prairies; and 18 WHEREAS, Notable characteristics of the Czech Texans have 19 included their close-knit family structure, a deep attachment to 20 the land and to farming as a way of life, and an egalitarianism that 21 has expressed itself in staunch support for this country 's 22 democratic ideals; Czechs have also been quite active in forming 23 cooperative societies and fraternal organizations; and 24 WHEREAS, Together with Texans of German descent,
    [Show full text]