PROBLEMS in the HISTORY of CZECH IMMIGRATION to AMERICA in the SECOND HALF of the NINETEENIH CENTURY By]Osefopatrny

PROBLEMS IN THE HISTORY OF CZECH IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE NINETEENIH CENTURY By]osefOpatrny A review of the historical literature and relatives they left behind. In American support evoked by Masaryk's on Czech emigration, or more precisely Prague, Tabor, Jihlava, Broumov, and campaign for Czechoslovak indepen emigration from the Czech (or Bohe dozens of other towns in Bohemia and dence during the First World War. At mian) crownlands of Bohemia, Moravia, Czechs quickly became aware the same time, a series of publications Moravia, and Austrian Silesia, shows of a community of compatriots in about the history of Czechs in America clearly that, despite obstacles erected faraway America (fig. 15). But highly began to appear, with heavy emphasis by the late Czechoslovak Communist distorted was their impression that on the emigrants' having maintained regime, Czech and Slovak historians of these compatriots had preserved all close links with their homeland through emigration devoted most of their atten tion to immigrants in the United States. I That they did so doubtless reflects that nineteenth century Czechs and Slovaks, like other Europeans and perhaps the rest of the world, believed the United States offered the especially attractive combination of an exotic destination and many opportunities to try to realize dreams of a better life, especially one of political freedom and economic prosperity. From the middle of the nineteenth century, such a view was shared not only by politicians, journalists, and various experts on the possibilities of emigration, but also by the public. Interest in America grew especially from the 1860s, when the Homestead Act and the immigration treaty between the United States and Austria-Hungary opened the door to mass emigration, in spite of the Fig.IS. Telc, the beautiful baroque town in the Jihlava District of western Moravia, Habsburgs ' subsequent attempts to im from which came many American immigrants. (D . Murphy, NSHS) pose limitations on this process (fig. 92). Tens of thousands of people of features of traditional Czech society two generations while perpetuating an central European origin in New York, a view propagated in Czech-language old Czech heritage in a brand new land} St. Louis, Chicago, Texas, and Ne American publications by the most Despite many differences between braska kept in touch with the friends nationally conscious Czech immigrants Czech communities in the New World and then duly cited in the Bohemian and Czech society in the Bohemian Dr. ]osefOpatrny is head of the Center for and Moravian press. This impression lands, and however clear these differ Ibero-American Studies at the Charles continued to predominate after 1918, ences were to many of the emigrants Uni versity in Prague, Czech Republic. thanks in part to the active Czech- and returnees in the nineteenth century, 120 Opatrny • Problems in Czech Immigration History the authors of the above works chose to emphasize the efforts of their country men in America to preserve the life and customs of the Old Country (fig. 17).3 Many of the same authors expressed regret over the Americanization of Czech emigrants, especially those authors who were Catholics and be lieved this process to be one conse quence of religious indifference.4 All of these tendencies continued to de velop after the Second World War and especially after the Communist coup of 1948. During the forty-one years of Com munist Czechoslovakia, historians and other scholars interested in emigration Fig.I6. Ethnic persistence. Outdoor practice on the parallel bars at the old Sokol studies came to focus on social ques Omaha Hall , 1912. (Courtesy Bostwick-Frohardt Collection, owned by KMTV and tions after some vacillation and as a on permanent loan to the Western Heritage Museum, Omaha) consequence of the oppressive political climate. Most scholarly publications of case during the greatest wave of emi of course free of such tendentiousness,6 this period emphasized the economic gration around the end of the century. as were a few of the studies published motivation of emigrants.s Marxist In the view of historians writing from a in Czechoslovakia.7 American or Leninist historians and ethnographers Leninist perspective, the crest of this Czech-American authors continued to routinely maintained that Czechs who wave coincided with the advent of concentrate on what we might call emigrated, especially to America, imperialism, according to Lenin the "ethnic persistence," the ongoing pres gained no relief from poverty, but only most mature stage of capitalism, ervation of Old World characteristics of a loss of national identity imposed by wherein the economic, political, and the immigrant community (fig. 16). the harsh material and cultural realities nationalist influence of bourgeois These authors studied community life, prevailing in the United States. This ruling classes reached its height. the ethnic press, churches, and secular was especially thought to have been the American work on immigration was organizations, and achieved some , .-.. , -::" ,iii :- . #~ • . :.:r l !, - ~ ?.~tft .';:-.~ ~ ~ ..-=;:~ l .::--::..::: ) I I 'iV" 1"", :: '-! ~ ::.: /. ;.-Jl r ' rj" r r~ ~ Fig.I7. Czech cultural life and traditional customs were preserved in many forms. Rare manuscript music of Mate) Kre)Cik, used by the family band at Pishelville in Knox County, Nebraska . (Courtesy Marvin and Winona Kreycik, Verdigre, Nebraska ; NSHS C998.1-597) 121 Nebraska History . FaUlWinter 1993 notable results. But they often over patriotism" or feeling of belonging to looked a crucial chapter in the history the Kingdom of Bohemia persisted of their forebears: their integration into among Czechs as well as Germans American life and the evolution of their throughout the nineteenth century and political and religious views, moral beyond, though with an increasing values, and lifestyles.s This occurred emphasis on nationality defined in a not simply because many of these linguistic and cultural sense. Nor can scholars, like their predecessors, de national identity be determined merely plored Americanization: in general, by names or the form in which they ethnic studies in the United States in appear in the documents of the receiv recent decades have tended to stress the ing country. A Czech name might be uniqueness of various ethnic groups written phonetically in German, or an rather than their absorption into the individual might modify it for easier American mainstream.9 use in a new land. Moreover a Czech From this we may draw our first or German name in itself can never be conclusion: despite the considerable taken as proof of nationality. Answer work of scholars on both sides of the ing this question requires other kinds of Atlantic and voluminous files of news documentation, such as extensive papers, pamphlets, photographs, and personal correspondence or the mem other archival materials, present-day bership lists of ethnic organizations. scholars are confronted with a series of Similar problems are also evident, of neglected questions, which may be course, in documentation from the Old Fig.I8. Austro-Hungarian passport of studied with the help of ample sources Country, a good part of which ema Franz Bauer, Smichov, Bohemia, issued that have not yet been tapped. nated from the Habsburg Monarchy'S July 21 ,1877. Bauer was afarmer and At the same time, scholars will have central offices in Vienna. However, for estate foreman before becoming a Saline to grapple with a continuing problem: the second half of the nineteenth cen County, Nebraska, settler. (NSHS Mu until 1918 the Czech lands, like Slo tury, a large quantity of material is seum 7446-10, C998.1-563) vakia, formed part of Austria-Hungary maintained by archives in the Czech There are also materials relating to and included various linguistic Republic and Slovakia. Examples are emigratiqn in the archives of the Bohe groupS.IO A related difficulty is that documents in the State Central Archive mian regions, now stored at regional governmental authorities in the new in Prague, including records of the centers in Prague, Tfeboii, Opava, countries to which emigrants came, Bohemian civil administration or Gu Litomerice, Zamrsk, and Pilsen, as well whether the United States or the Latin bernium, where much information is to as in the district branch archives of American republics, invariably identi be found, especially in the series Pub each region, although shifts in district fied Czech newcomers as "Austrian" or lica. During the first half of the nine boundaries since the nineteenth century "Austro-Hungarian," without regard for teenth century, emigration came within sometimes make it difficult to locate their true national identity. Like most the purview of the government of the materials. Additional documents may western Europeans, they considered Bohemian lands, the Gubernium Pre be found in museums of the above "state" and "nation" to be identical. sidium, whose documents are in the mentioned towns. For example, a large Even when the immigrants identified series called the Privy Register of the quantity of such material is deposited themselves as having come from the Presidium, which includes a section on in the Emigration Archive of the Czech--or Bohemian-lands, there emigration. Naprstek Museum in Prague which remains the problem of determining Beginning in the 1850s, Habsburg dates back to the 1850s, when a group whether they were Czechs or Germans, officials deposited many

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