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Swiss American Historical Society Review

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Book Review: Marie-Angèle Lovis. Un Village Suisse Émigré: Le Cas De Cornol Dans Le Canton Du Jura (1815-1956), Dwight Page

Swiss American Historical Society Review

A great deal has been published concerning emigration from German-speaking, Alemannic Switzerland. The present book fulfills the great need to give more attention to the French speaking cantons of the western part of Switzerland, La Suisse romande.

To Touch The Heavens: A Short Story, Sarah Hedrick

Swiss American Historical Society Review

A light Swiss breeze blew through Heidi’s curly blonde hair as she and her grandfather Adolph walked along the mountain path. They had been walking up the mountainside for several hours and were nearing the top. Heidi couldn’t wait to get to the mountaintop; it was the one part of the mountain that she had never been to before. Her grandfather told her that when you were at the top, you’re up so high that you can almost reach up and touch the heavens. However, the trek was quite long, and Heidi had never gone that far up the mountain …

East Germany's Angela Davis, Ross T. Parks

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Angela Davis is arguably the most famous member of the Black Panther movement. She reached prominence within the United States as a political dissident, educator, activist, and prisoner in the early 1970s. However, the United States government was not the only one with an eye on Davis.

The Black Panther movement is well-known within the United States, with a complicated reputation among the public. Often framed as far-left radicals, the group and many of its members were heavily targeted by the FBI throughout its existence. The movement’s efforts are often categorized as the most extreme example of the Civil Rights …

A Comparative Analysis Of Bohemian And Irish Immigration During The Antebellum Period, Emily Suchan

Honors Projects

Compare and Contrast the immigration experience of an Irish and Bohemian (Czech) immigrant. This essay describes the history of both regions and analyzes the political and economic stressors for immigration during the second half of the nineteenth century. This essay specifically follows the Irish Famine immigrants and the Czechs who settled in Cleveland, OH

Crisis And Catalonia: An Analysis On The Impact Of Crisis On The Public Opinion Of The Secessionist Movement In Catalonia, Rachel Ducker

Honors Theses

Catalonia, the autonomous region of Spain has seen an increase in secessionist sentiments in recent years. While the past inclination toward independence has been centered on economic autonomy and cultural identity, there has been a recent emphasis on political independence, particularly in the times of crisis. In this thesis. I analyze the relationship between the economic changes during the period of a crisis and the public opinion about the potential Catalan secession. Specifically, it investigates the relationships between the economic change and public sentiment during the financial crisis of 2008, the political crisis of 2017, and the pandemic crisis of …

The Weight Of The Spring: "The Unbearable Lightness Of Being" And The Fate Of The Prague Spring, Thea J. Toocheck

Student Publications

Two of the many watershed events Czechoslovakia experienced in the twentieth century were the 1968 Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact Invasion, which determined the course of the nation for the next twenty years. Czech author Milan Kundera experienced these events firsthand and recounted a narrative of the events in his 1984 novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Today, the novel remains an important work for its representation of the Spring and its philosophical discussion of the purpose of human life. Over the last fifty years, the Prague Spring has been represented by a variety of sources as a time …

A Comparative Analysis Of Political Climates In Lithuania, Poland, And Ireland In The Early 1900s Related To Us Immigration And Media Culture, Annelise Silkaitis

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the process and experience of Lithuanian, Irish, and Polish immigrants during the late 1800s and early 1900s, as well as the role of media, specifically newspapers and books, in creating the representation and portrayal of these immigrant groups. These different ethnic groups left Europe for a variety of reasons, mainly economic and political, and sought a better life in the United States. Upon arrival, each group struggled with the Americanization process, learning English, building connections, and forming a new society. Although some immigrant groups formed stronger networks and communities upon arrival, each group faced poverty and discrimination. …

Black Gold, White Gold, And The Bear's Influence Over Central Asian Economies, Jennifer Leo

University Honors Theses

In examining the socioeconomic state of former Soviet republics in Central Asia, it becomes clear that the current economies of nations such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have been shaped by a history of Russian dominance, followed by turbulent developments that took place during the "perestroika" and post-independence period. These periods were marked by significant changes in governance which allowed Central Asian nations to gain inclusion in the global economy, forge partnerships with economically thriving world superpowers (US and China), and emerge from the Soviet system of mono-product economies. As a result of such developments, former republics of the Soviet …

The 500th Anniversary Of The Swiss Reformation: How Zwingli Changed And Continues To Impact Switzerland Today, Thomas Quinn Marabello

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The year 2019 began the 500th anniversary of The Reformation in Switzerland. The man who would forever change the country we now know as Switzerland was Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli, a Catholic priest educated in humanism, who arrived in Zurich in 1519. Zwingli’s writings, sermons and alliances with Zurich’s political class allowed him to change the church in Switzerland and influence other reformers and faiths over the centuries. Often overlooked in the history of the Protestant Reformation due to the dominance of Martin Luther and John Calvin, Zwingli is getting renewed attention with the 500th anniversary of The Swiss Reformation. …

Annual Reports Of The Swiss American Historical Society October 2020: President's Report For 2020, Albert Winkler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

It is a pleasure to greet everyone and to wish you good fortune in all that you do. I deeply appreciate your interest in and continued support for the Swiss American Historical Society.

Annual Reports Of The Swiss American Historical Society October 2020: Sahs Review Report, Dwight Page

Swiss American Historical Society Review

This year, 2021, promises to be another productive and interesting year in the history of the Swiss American Historical Society Review. In the current February 2021 issue, we provide a brief history of the Helvetia Beneficial Society of Columbus, Ohio, prepared by Dr. Donald G. Tritt, a native of Columbus and a longtime leader in our Society. Starting in the 1980’s, Dr. Tritt agreed to serve as the volunteer historian for five clubs making up the Swiss community in Columbus, so he has first hand knowledge of this information. We also provide a most interesting report on the current …

End Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Review

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Annual Reports Of The Swiss American Historical Society October 2020: Annual Report Of The Swiss Chapter, Switzerland, Barbara Müller

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Dear Members:

The Friends of the Swiss American Historical Society are able to look back on a successful year here in Switzerland. At present, we have 45 members, which shows a small increase in total membership but does not reflect that actual growth is larger, since we have lost members due to age and health issues over the years.

Annual Reports Of The Swiss American Historical Society October 2020: Membership Report, Ernie Thurston

Swiss American Historical Society Review

To: Members of the Swiss American Historical Society

From: Ernie Thurston, Membership Secretary

Subject: Annual Membership Report

IN BRIEF: We have 209 current members, a 2% decrease from the 214 reported last year at this time.

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Helvetia Unterstützungs Verein (Helvetia Beneficial Society) Columbus, Ohio: Founding Documents & Membership, Donald G. Tritt

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Having grandparents, aunts, and uncles who emigrated from Switzerland in the 1860s, I treasured the many occasions hearing stories of our ancestral homeland—the “old country.” With peers of my Swiss relatives, I reveled in August 1st celebrations, picnics, club house gatherings, sängerfests, and shooting events. Captivated by these stories and events, I wanted to know more about their life and times in Switzerland and—what happened after their arrival in America. My Swiss grandparents settled in a German-speaking area of Columbus, Ohio, known today as “German Village.” The first Swiss club in Columbus, the Grütli Verein, was founded in 1870. Beneficial …

Black History Month At The Swiss Embassy February 2020, C. Naseer Ahmad

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Swiss Embassy in Washington has a unique place historically, diplomatically as well as culturally. It ties the United States with Switzerland in a way that no other diplomatic representative office can: the parcel of real estate on which the Swiss Ambassador’s residence is built on what was once considered as a possible location for the United States Congress.

Danish Cedar Falls, Carrie Eilderts

The Bridge

In 1855, Frederick Petersen’s family became the first Danish immigrants on record to settle in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Petersens came from the Schleswig area on the Danish/German border, and in 1860, Christian Petersen came to Cedar Falls, also from Schleswig. More Danish families moved to Cedar Falls from Pine River, Wisconsin in 1866, and the next year Danes began arriving directly from their homeland after enduring a long journey by ship and train. By the early 1870s, Danes were settling in Cedar Falls in large numbers. By 1871, three hundred Danes called the city home, making up about ten …

Danish Settler-Colonial Communities In Australia And New Zealand, Julie K. Allen

The Bridge

The vast majority of Danish emigrants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, around four hundred thousand people between 1850 and 1950, settled in the United States, from whom more than 1.3 million Americans claim descent. Significant numbers of Danes also went to other countries, however, including about 15,000 Danes who settled in Argentina; 3,500 Danes who immigrated to New Zealand, reaching their peak at one percent of the New Zealand population in 1878; and around 50,000 Danes who immigrated to Australia,1 a significant percentage of which later re-immigrated to Denmark; in 1988, approximately 165,000 people, or one percent of Australia’s …

Front Cover

The Bridge

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Table Of Contents

The Bridge

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Lives Well-Lived: My Danish American Ancestors In Shelby And Audubon Counties, Iowa, Cindy Larsen

The Bridge

My childhood was filled with my parents’ voices describing their love of history and knowledge of their Danish heritage in conversations that linger in my memory. My mother, Elizabeth Aagaard Larsen, and dad, Chester B. Larsen, were both children of Danish immigrants to the communities of Elk Horn and Kimballton, Iowa.

From Bornholm To Jamestown: C. C. Beck And The Settlement Of Danish Immigrants In Chautauqua County, New York And Warren County, Pennsylvania, John Everett Jones

The Bridge

One of the earliest Danish immigrant settlements in North America was a community in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania called Jamestown. Marcus P. Jacobsen has been recognized as the first person from Bornholm to settle in the Jamestown area1 in 1855 or 1856, and early on, members of this community came almost exclusively from Bornholm. However, histories have not recognized the importance of Charles C. Beck in the origin of this community. Emigration from Bornholm has been written about by Henning Bender2 this article adds to that research by situating Beck within the larger community of Danish immigrants who …

Nordlyset And The New York City Danish Community, 1891-1953, Catrine Kyster Giery

The Bridge

The Danish community in New York City was never more than a speck on the Big Apple. At the same time, however, New York City and the surrounding area was for decades—and still is—home to a larger number of Danish-born people than most other places in the United States. Unfortunately, New York City’s popularity among Danes has not translated into a large amount of historical research about the city’s Danish community.

Contributors To This Issue

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Little Denmark In Nebraska, David Hendee

The Bridge

No charming Old World architecture. No Main Street decorated with Danish flags flapping in the breeze. No annual ethnic festival celebrating Danish roots. And it can’t be found on a map. But a small cluster of farms and ranches carved out of the prairie by Danish immigrants in sparsely settled western Nebraska in the late nineteenth century has maintained its identity as “Little Denmark” long after the homesteaders and their families assimilated into American culture. This obscure and remote Little Denmark was founded, flourished, and faded in the shadows of other Nebraska communities with vibrant Danish populations and institutions— Blair, …

Danes In Kenmare, North Dakota, Bertel Schou

The Bridge

The town of Kenmare, in Denmark Township in the northern part of Ward County, North Dakota, is famous for its Danish windmill, one of only three in the United States (the other two are in Elk Horn, Iowa and Solvang, California). The mill, with its gears of hand-hewn maple, was built eleven miles north of Kenmare by a Danish immigrant named Christian C. Jensen in 1902 and was in daily operation until 1918. It was transported into the center of Kenmare in 1958, restored in 1961, and moved to its current location on downtown Park Square in 1965. It doesn’t …

Edgar B. Madsen. The Shoestring Letters: A Tribute To The Immigrant, Inger M. Olsen

The Bridge

Edgar Madsen’s parents, Niels and Signe Madsen, left their home and family in Denmark in 1928 to seek their fortune in the United States. For three decades after their emigration, their only contact with their loved ones back home was through letters, which inspired the name of Edgar B. Madsen’s charming, thought-provoking book, The Shoestring Letters: A Tribute to the Immigrant. After being stored in a thatched roof attic for decades, the letters Niels and Signe sent to their loved ones in Jutland came to light when the family cleared out their grandfather’s house; they made their return journey …