History Commons^™

Letter From South Carolina, 23, 1737, Johann Ulrich Giezendanner

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Introductory Note:

Johann Ulrich Giezendanner ( 1686-173 7) of Lichtensteig, Canton St. Gallen, Switzerland, by profession a gold- and silversmith, had briefly studied at the University of Marburg in Germany and had become one of the 'awakened' in the spirit of Pietism which was then influencing the various Christian denominations. (The movement minimized the difference between clergy and laity and stressed religion as a matter of experience and deeply-felt piety rather than as doctrine and as a set of rules to be obeyed.) Between 1 715 and 1720 J. U. Giezendanner preached to large crowds, but was silenced by offical …

Review Essay: Life-Saving Diplomacy, Tadeusz Debski

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Leo Schelbert, ed., Switzerland Under Siege 1939-1945: A Neutral Nation's Struggle for Survival. Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 2000.

Theo Tschuy, Dangerous Diplomacy. The Story of Carl Lutz, Rescuer of 62,000 Hungarian Jews. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 2000.

David Kranzler, The Man Who Stopped the Trains to Auschwitz: George Mante/lo, El Salvador, and Switzerland's Finest Hour. Religion, Theology, and the Holocaust Series, Alan L. Berger, ed. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2000.

Review: Lionel Gossman, Basel In The Age Of Burckhardt. A Study In Unseasonable Ideas, Benn Williams

Swiss American Historical Society Review

"Monotonie sans egale" or sanctuary for "unbridled thinkers"?

Being human and prone to forming first impressions, this reviewer glanced at the full title of the text under review, and saw red flags rising. First, in the spirit of full disclosure, this non-Swiss reviewer has only "visited" Basel once: an unpleasant-and unexpected-wintry layover courtesy of a French rail strike. Second, seeing "unseasonable ideas" in the same title as anyone other than Nietzsche raises one's hackles. Third, while the works of Burckhardt enjoy renewed interest among art historians and publishers, he remains largely ignored by "new" cultural and intellectual historians and humanists …

Hans Heinrich Felder, Jr., Captain In South Carolina's Revolutionary Army, 1778, Walter Lips

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The progenitor of the American Felder family was Hans Heinrich Felder who was born in Wiedikon, Canton Zurich, Switzerland, about 1701. He, his wife Ursula, and their ten-year old son Hans Heinrich, Jr., later John Henry, settled in Orangeburg Township, South Carolina in 1735. The family was granted 350 acres of land, that is more than half a square mile, on September 17, 1738 by King George II of England. Hans Heinrich Felder, Sr., however, died that same year, and his wife passed away a year later in 1739. Their son John Henry Felder was only 14 years old when …

A Business Economist With Swiss Heritage Looks At Switzerland, Donald P. Hilty

Swiss American Historical Society Review

For many in the United States, the word "Switzerland" conjures up pleasant thoughts of cows, mountains, Heidi, democracy -- maybe also a proud heritage and some dear friends -- but, perhaps, a country that is a bit dull. The purpose here is to alert this audience: Switzerland is not dull. It is in the big leagues of international business. This small country in the middle of Europe has gained the stature of an economic giant, not just in relation to its size but in absolute terms.