Social, Economic and Political Conditions of a Slovak Immigrant Group Change from the 1880s to the 1930s

At the turn of the 19th century, several Slovak and other East European immigrant groups fled their native homelands in Europe to begin a new life in America. â€Å"Out of this Furnace† by Thomas Bell, set against the backdrop of the thriving steel mills of Pennsylvania, documents the great social upheavals experienced by one such Slovak family – the Dobrejcaks, across three generations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Economic and Political Conditions of a Slovak Immigrant Group Change from the 1880’s to the 1930’s specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Throughout the book’s narrative, the protagonists undergo extreme hardships in eking out a minimal existence in the newly-evolving industrial society shaping up in Pennsylvania and other North-Eastern states. It was not until the 1930’s and the third generation of Dobrejcaks, that they acquired enough grit and determina tion to fight for justice, and their civil rights. In this thesis, it will be argued that only by organizing successful trade unions against greedy capitalist steel mill owners, did these immigrant groups truly succeed in their efforts to assimilate into the American way of life. The trials and tribulations experienced by the countless workers at those labor unions, and their families has set the stage for successive immigrant assimilation stories over the decades. The plot begins with the narrative of Djuro Kracha, a newly-arrived immigrant from Austria Hungary (corresponding to present day Slovakia) who walks all the way from New York to White Haven (after splurging all his train fare money on buying whiskey for a married woman called Zuska whom he fancies). Like other immigrants, Kracha is looking for good fortune and wealth in his adopted homeland. His dreams are clearly evident as: â€Å"Kracha’s story of his walk from New York was a nine days’ wonder. The first time he told it he had Francka watching him, listening to every  word, and he was shrewd enough to keep it simple. When he came out of Castle Garden his money was in his pocket; when he reached the ferry house and wanted to pay for his  ticket  it was gone. Kracha spread his hands. There it was. He had given the problem a lot of thinking without getting anywhere, his manner implied, and now he was prepared to hear their speculations,† (Part 1, Chapter 3, 11). Kracha soon befriends another Slovak immigrant, Dubik who helps him get over his initial troubles to settle down, and find a job in the burgeoning steel mills of Braddock, Pennyslvania. Dubik finds employment with Andrew Carnegie steel mills. This is where the first generation story about immigrant anguishes commences. â€Å"There are men in that mill who were born here, whose fathers and grandfathers were born here. They know more English than you’ll ever learn. And what good is their vote doing them? They have to work in the mill and eat dirt like any greenhorn. Let me tell you, I’ve been in America enough to know that it’s run just like any other country.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In Europe your emperors and grand dukes own everything and over here it’s your millionaires and your trusts. They run the country to suit themselves, and don’t think they’re going to let you interfere every few years with your miserable vote. Get that into your head. Your vote means nothing. The company man always wins. If he isn’t a company man to start with, he becomes one afterward; the millionaires see to that.† (Part 1, Chapter 4, 3) In contrast to Dubik’s constant struggles, Kracha sees some initial success in his adopted homeland and goes on to operate his own butcher shop which helps him earn over a thousand dollars per year. However, as success goes over his head, he again befriends Zuska and continues to lust after her. The immense success and material wealth makes him ignore his responsibilities towards his only wife, Elena who he brought back from Slovakia, but no longer cared for. â€Å"Her poor health, or America, had changed her; Kracha never could decide. He had left her a lively, healthy girl, cheerful as the day was long; now she seldom smiled and went about her.† (Part 1, Chapter 6, 12). The fact that Elena had developed a goiter-like condition upon arrival in America contributed to the growing alienation between the couple. Rumors of Kracha’s purported affair with Zuska saw several of his customers withdraw their patronage from his shop. Over a period of time, he becomes terribly depressed with the turn-out of events and drinks himself to death. Zuska, who rose into prominence in Kracha’s life, soon disappears from the scene and it is evident that for the first generation of this fictionalized Slovak immigrant group, their life story is steeped in a constant predicament of failure and frustration. For the second generation of this immigrant family, the story focuses on Mike Dobrejcak, who marries Mary, the daughter of Krasa and Elena. Unlike his father-in-law, Mike remains faithful to his wife and is shown much more assimilated into American society. He speaks English fluently, registers as a Republican and fights for political freedom and voting rights on behalf of worker unions who produced the steel that created the Brooklyn bridge, but were usually discouraged from exercising their franchise. In this context, the reader is introduced to the growing discontent experienced by the immigrant class of workers against their employers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social, Economic and Political Conditions of a Slovak Immigrant Group Change from the 1880’s to the 1930’s specifically for you for only $16. 05 $11/page Learn More The increasing economic disparity and lack of social progress for immigrants was already boiling into a major issue. When the Spanish Influenza struck in 1918, many people in the immigrant slums including Mary Dobrejcak started succumbing to this illness, got removed to a sanatorium and saw their entire lives being ruined, without the greedy steel mill employers caring one bit for their health and livelihoods. In the last part of the story, George Dobrejcak, the son of Mary, joins an immigrant labor union to agitate for the common rights of all immigrant workers of East European background. Being a third-generation American, George has enough voice to harshly denounce the ill treatment experienced by his fellow workers at the hands of greedy capitalists. He soon recruits several other labor unionists from his background and eventually, becomes the assistant director of his labor union. George’s feelings on the rising labor union sentiment are expressed as under: â€Å"It was the way you thought and felt about certain things. About freedom of speech and the equality of men and the importance of having one law — the same law — for rich and poor, for the people you liked and the people you didn’t like. About the right of every man to live his life as he thought best, his right to defend it if anyone tried to change it and his right to change it himself if he decided he liked some other way of living better. About the uses to which wealth and power could honorably be put, and about honor itself, honor, integrity, self-respect, the whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it that determined for a man which things he couldn’t say or do under any circumstances, not for all the money there was, not even to help his side win.† (Part 4, Chapter 3, 20). In conclusion, it may well be argued that over a period of three generations, the Dobrejcaks managed to successfully assimilate into American society only after they had acquired enough resolve to fight for their social justice, voting and civil rights. The fictionalized account of their success matters a lot because it can serve as an inspirational tale for hundreds of thousands of newly-arrived immigrants, who currently find themselves at the bottom of the barrel in a â€Å"land of opportunity†, while carrying on with aspirations for social progress and upward mobility. Successful assimilation is all about learning to fight for one’s rights.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Works Cited Bell, Thomas. Out of This Furnace: A Novel of Immigrant Labor in America. University of Pittsburgh Press: Pittsburg, PA, 1976. This essay on Social, Economic and Political Conditions of a Slovak Immigrant Group Change from the 1880’s to the 1930’s was written and submitted by user Maddox Chen to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Conquistador and Explorer

Vasco Nà ºÃƒ ±ez de Balboa, Conquistador and Explorer Vasco Nà ºÃƒ ±ez de Balboa (1475–1519) was a Spanish conquistador, explorer, and administrator. He is best known for leading the first European expedition to sight the Pacific Ocean, or the South Sea as he referred to it. He is still remembered and venerated in Panama as a heroic explorer. Fast Facts: Vasco Nà ºÃƒ ±ez de Balboa Known For: First European sighting of the Pacific Ocean and colonial governance in what is now PanamaBorn: 1475 in Jerà ©z de los Caballeros, Extremadura province, CastileParents: Differing historical accounts of parents names: his family was noble but no longer wealthySpouse: Marà ­a de Peà ±alosaDied: January 1519 in Acla, near present-day Darià ©n, Panama Early Life Nuà ±ez de Balboa was born into a noble family that was no longer wealthy. His father and mother were both of noble blood in Badajoz, Spain and Vasco was born in Jerà ©z de los Caballeros in 1475. Although noble, Balboa could not hope for much in the way of even a meager inheritance, as he was the third of four sons. All titles and lands were passed to the eldest; younger sons generally went into the military or clergy. Balboa opted for the military, spending time as a page and squire at the local court. America By 1500, word had spread all over Spain and Europe of the wonders of the New World and the fortunes being made there. Young and ambitious, Balboa joined the expedition of Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1500. The expedition was mildly successful in raiding the northeastern coast of South America. In 1502, Balboa landed in Hispaniola with enough money to set himself up with a small pig farm. He was not a very good farmer, however, and by 1509 he was forced to flee his creditors in Santo Domingo. Back to the Darien Balboa stowed away (with his dog) on a ship commanded by Martà ­n Fernndez de Enciso, who was heading to the recently-founded town of San Sebastin de Urab with supplies. He was quickly discovered and Enciso threatened to maroon him, but the charismatic Balboa talked him out of it. When they reached San Sebastin they found that natives had destroyed it. Balboa convinced Enciso and the survivors of San Sebastin (led by Francisco Pizarro) to try again and establish a town, this time in the Darià ©n- a region of dense jungle between present-day Colombia and Panama. Santa Marà ­a la Antigua del Darià ©n The Spaniards landed in the Darià ©n and were quickly beset by a large force of natives under the command of Cà ©maco, a local chieftain. Despite the overwhelming odds, the Spanish prevailed and founded the city of Santa Marà ­a la Antigua de Darià ©n on the site of Cà ©macos old village. Enciso, as ranking officer, was put in charge but the men detested him. Clever and charismatic, Balboa rallied the men behind him and removed Enciso by arguing that the region was not part of the royal charter of Alonso de Ojeda, Encisos master. Balboa was one of two men quickly elected to serve as mayors of the city. Veragua Balboas stratagem of removing Enciso backfired in 1511. It was true that Alonso de Ojeda (and therefore, Enciso) had no legal authority over Santa Marà ­a, which had been founded in an area referred to as Veragua. Veragua was the domain of Diego de Nicuesa, a somewhat unstable Spanish nobleman who had not been heard from in some time. Nicuesa was discovered in the north with a handful of bedraggled survivors from an earlier expedition, and he decided to claim Santa Marà ­a for his own. The colonists preferred Balboa, however, and Nicuesa was not even allowed to go ashore: Indignant, he set sail for Hispaniola but was never heard from again. Governor Balboa was effectively in charge of Veragua at this point and the crown reluctantly decided to simply recognize him as governor. Once his position was official, Balboa quickly began organizing expeditions to explore the region. The local tribes of indigenous natives were not united and were powerless to resist the Spanish, who were better armed and disciplined. The colonizers collected much gold and pearls through their military power, which in turn drew more men to the settlement. They began hearing rumors of a great sea and a rich kingdom to the south. Expedition to the South The narrow strip of land which is Panama and the northern tip of Colombia runs east to west, not north to south as some might suppose. Therefore, when Balboa, along with about 190 Spaniards and a handful of natives, decided to search for this sea in 1513, they headed mostly south, not west. They fought their way through the isthmus, leaving many wounded behind with friendly or conquered chieftains. On September 25, Balboa and a handful of battered Spaniards (Francisco Pizarro was among them) first saw the Pacific Ocean, which they named the â€Å"South Sea.† Balboa waded into the water and claimed the sea for Spain. Pedrarà ­as Dvila The Spanish crown, still with some lingering doubt over whether or not Balboa had correctly handled Enciso, sent a massive fleet to Veragua (now named Castilla de Oro) under the command of veteran soldier Pedrarà ­as Dvila. Fifteen hundred men and women flooded the tiny settlement. Dvila had been named governor to replace Balboa, who accepted the change with good humor, although the colonists still preferred him to Dvila. Dvila proved to be a poor administrator and hundreds of settlers died, mostly those who had sailed with him from Spain. Balboa tried to recruit some men to explore the South Sea without Dvila knowing, but he was found out and arrested. Vasco and Pedrarà ­as Santa Marà ­a had two leaders: officially, Dvila was governor, but Balboa was more popular. They continued to clash until 1517 when it was arranged for Balboa to marry one of Dvila’s daughters. Balboa married Marà ­a de Peà ±alosa despite an obstacle: she was in a convent in Spain at the time and they had to marry by proxy. In fact, she never left the convent. Before long, the rivalry flared up again. Balboa left Santa Marà ­a for the small town of Aclo with 300 of those who still preferred his leadership to that of Dvila. He was successful in establishing a settlement and building some ships. Death Fearing the charismatic Balboa as a potential rival, Dvila decided to get rid of him once and for all. Balboa was arrested by a squad of soldiers led by Francisco Pizarro as he made preparations to explore the Pacific coast of northern South America. He was hauled back to Aclo in chains and quickly tried for treason against the crown: The charge was that he had tried to establish his own independent fiefdom of the South Sea, independent from that of Dvila. Enraged, Balboa shouted out that he was a loyal servant of the crown, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He was beheaded in January of 1519 along with four of his companions (there are conflicting accounts of the exact date of the execution). Without Balboa, the colony of Santa Marà ­a quickly failed. Where he had cultivated positive ties with local natives for trade, Dvila enslaved them, resulting in short-term economic profit but long-term disaster for the colony. In 1519, Dvila forcibly moved all of the settlers to the Pacific side of the isthmus, founding Panama City, and by 1524 Santa Marà ­a had been razed by angry natives. Legacy The legacy of Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa is brighter than that of many of his contemporaries. While many  conquistadors, such as  Pedro de Alvarado,  Hernn Cortà ©s,  and  Pnfilo de Narvaez  are today remembered for cruelty, exploitation, and inhuman treatment of natives, Balboa is remembered as an explorer, fair administrator, and popular governor who made his settlements work. As for relations with natives, Balboa was guilty of his share of atrocities, including enslavement and setting his dogs on homosexual men in one village. In general, however, he is thought to have dealt with his native allies well, treating them with respect and friendship which translated into beneficial trade and food for his settlements. Although he and his men were the first to see the Pacific Ocean while heading west from the New World, it would be  Ferdinand Magellan  who would get the credit for naming it when he rounded the southern tip of South America in 1520. Balboa is best remembered in  Panama, where many streets, businesses, and parks bear his name. There is a stately monument in his honor in Panama City (a district of which bears his name) and the national currency is called the Balboa. There is even a lunar crater named after him. Sources Editors, History.com. â€Å"Vasco Nà ºÃƒ ±ez De Balboa.†Ã‚  History.com, AE Television Networks, 18 Dec. 2009.Thomas, Hugh.  Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan.  Random House, 2005.