Lighting the National Christmas Tree

At the beginning of December, hundreds of people gathered on the Ellipse of the White House to see the lighting of the National Christmas Tree by the First Family, an event I was fortunate enough to witness. The tree lighting has been an American tradition for more than 90 years.

Photo: thenationaltree.org

On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first "White House community Christmas tree" in Washington, DC with just the touch of a button. While there had been other trees in DC, this tree was meant to be the National Christmas Tree, rather than a Washington, DC Christmas tree.  

Photo: whitehousehistory.org

The tradition continued until World War II. During America's participation in World War II, the National Christmas Tree was not lit until 1945. President Truman called the Christmas of 1945 one that "a war-weary world has prayed for through long and awful years. With peace comes joy and gladness. The gloom of the war years fades as once more we light the National Community Christmas Tree."

Photo: georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov

In 1963, the lighting of the Christmas tree was again the turning point from grief to joy. After the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, the lighting of the tree was postponed until after the mandatory 30 days of mourning. President Johnson said, "Tonight we come to the end of the season of great national sorrow, and to the beginning of the season of great, eternal joy. We mourn our great president, John F. Kennedy, but he would have us go on. While our spirits cannot be light, our hearts need not be heavy."

Photo: transition.lbjlibrary.org

Through happy celebrations and sorrowful times, the lighting of the National Christmas Tree has signaled a moment to reflect and to celebrate joy. At this year's lighting ceremony, President Obama spoke about the families of the victims of the San Bernadino terrorist attack: "This is of course the most wonderful time of the year, but we would be remiss not to take a moment to remember our fellow Americans whose hearts are heavy tonight. Grieve for loved ones, especially in San Bernadino, California. Their loss is our loss too. For we are all one American family. We look out for each other, in good times and in bad. They should know that all of us care about them this holiday season. They are in our thoughts, they are in our prayers and we send them our love."

Photo: Hilary Grabowska

"The Only Thing We Have to Fear"

December 7th, 1941, is "a date which will live in infamy," the day "the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan", despite not being a combatant in World War II. It was the date that launched the US into the war, in both Pacific and European theaters.

Photo: worldwariifoundation.org

Prior to the attack on the US naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Americans were by and large concerned with American affairs; the nation was in an era of isolationism after the horrors of World War I. With the surprise attack, however, public opinion changed and the country went to war. Views of Japanese-Americans also changed, and not for the better. 

Photo: ibiblio.org

Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US and Japan were in negotiations to remain at peace. The surprise attack on Hawaii was viewed as very subversive and many believed that Japanese in Hawaii helped with the attack. This belief turned Americans against their neighbors of Japanese descent and led to President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, issued on February 19th, 1942. 

Photo: warhistoryonline.com (Roosevelt signing EO 9066)

EO 9066 established military zones in which people of Japanese decent were not allowed. The entire west coast was declared a military zone and many Japanese-Americans were relocated to interior America or to internment camps. In Hawaii, Japanese-Americans were placed in an internment camp on Sand Island not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The fear was that these citizens supported Japan and had assisted with the attack, but there was no evidence to prove this. One incident in which a Japanese pilot crash landed on a remote Hawaiian island and was aided by Japanese immigrants helped to spur on the anti-Japanese hysteria and EO 9066.

General John DeWitt of the Western Defense Command was very vocal about placing Americans of Japanese descent in internment camps, without any military reason; simply put, he was prejudiced against Japanese "undesirables," suspecting--again, without any evidence or indication--that they would engage in sabotage.

Photo: npr.gov (Honouliuli Internment Camp)

On August 10, 1988, President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act. This Act formally apologized to the Japanese-American community for their unjust incarceration during World War II and paid $20,000 to each of the survivors of the camps. When the Japanese-Americans were released from the internment camps, they wanted to put that very embarrassing part of their past behind them.

But with the Civil Rights Movement, the Japanese-American community began to seek an apology from the American government. They were not fueled by a desire for financial gain but rather to make life better for future generations of Japanese-Americans, in fulfillment of a Japanese family value: "Kodomo no tame ni," For the sake of the children.

Photo: internmentarchives.com

With the rise of DAESH (the Arabic name for ISIL or ISIS) and the recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernadino, many Americans are succumbing to their fear of others and Islam in particular, which is resulting in calls for tracking all American Muslims, placing them in camps, refusing to allow refugees into the country and, most recently, even a call by a Christian university president to "end those Muslims."

The fear of Japanese-Americans during World War II was unfounded and caused a lot of people undue harm. Many Japanese-Americans enlisted in the military to fight against the Axis Powers. These people who were forced from their homes still fought for their country because they were loyal American citizens and the rest of the country had no reason to fear them. 

We must learn from our terrible mistake of unjust, forced internment of Japanese-Americans, German-Americans and Italian-Americans, and not give in to fear. By giving in to fear and discriminating against American Muslims, we assist DAESH in succeeding in its mission to spread terror and divisiveness.

As President Roosevelt so eloquently said in his inauguration speech: "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He could have been talking about today's hysterical and unAmerican fear of American Muslims.

Photo: americanrhetoric.com

Refugees: A History

A refugee, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a "person who flees to a foreign country to escape danger [war] or persecution." This is not a new word or a new definition because the world has had refugees ever since lines were drawn between groups of people.

Photo: nasa.gov

One of the first major instances of refugees occurred in 1685 in France under the rule of Louis XIV. With the Edict of Nantes, the Huguenots, French Protestants, were allowed to practice their faith in safety, but after the Wars of Religion were renewed, King Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau. This stated that if the Huguenots practiced their religion, they risked persecution by the state. Historians estimate that over the next twenty years, two hundred thousand people fled France out of fear for their lives. Those who remained were subjected to having their marriages nullified, their children declared illegitimate and their churches burned down.

Photo: history.com (King Louis XIV)

In 1881, Russian Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by a leftist group called Naradnaya Volya. They were not a Jewish group but the media placed the blame on the Jewish population for the assassination of the Tsar. The reaction by the population towards the Jewish population resulted in progroms: the organized massacre of a specific ethnic group. Over the course of 20 years, Jewish homes were attacked violently, causing 2 million Jews to flee Russia and seek refuge in Europe.

Photo: allrussias.com (Assassination of Tsar Alexander II)

With the onslaught of World War I, Europe saw thousands of civilians massacred and a mass exodus of people from several countries, especially Belgium and Armenia. Fortunately for the Belgians, most of the two million refugees were able to return to their country after the war. But the Ottoman empire decimated much of the Armenian population and 5 million Armenians are still without a homeland today. The attack on the Armenians is considered to be the first genocide of the 20th century.

Photo: vetfriends.com

The number of refugees that fled during World War II far surpassed the numbers of the "Great War," World War I. By the end of the WWII, 40 million people were refugees in Europe alone and the world did not know how to deal with this issue. In response, organizations such as the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions were created to help the refugees recover from the horrors of war.

Photo: vilnews.com (Refugees of World War II)

Today, due to the Syrian Civil War, four million Syrians have been displaced and are refugees. When World War II ended and non-governmental organizations were created to protect the rights of refugees, it appeared that the world was planning to help refugees. But today, there are currently 60 million refugees in the entire world and many countries are closing their borders to these people in need.

Photo: theguardian.com

There are claims that these people will bring terror, destruction and disaster to the countries that welcome them in. In fact, refugees are the least likely to cause harm to their new homes. They are actually fleeing terror, are thankful to their new host country for giving them a second chance, and they are focused on rebuilding their lives. Despite the fear-mongering by the small-minded who are ignorant of history, immigrants and refugees have always been the strength of America, since America was created by immigrants and refugees. 

Photo: origins.osu.edu (Ellis Island)

The Witch of November

Today, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald is best known due to the Gordon Lightfoot ballad, which memorializes the ship's historic sinking on November 10, 1975, in which the entire crew was lost. But in 1958, the ship was known as the largest ship on the Great Lakes, one that set haul time records.  

Photo: mhsd.org

The Edmund Fitzgerald was a lake freighter that crossed Lake Superior carrying cargo. The captain of the ship in 1975 was Ernest McSorley, and at the end of that year's shipping season, McSorley and the ship were both going to retire.

Photo: findagrave.com

On November 9, the Edmund Fitzgerald set out from the port of Superior, Wisconsin with a load of taconite pellets, a low-grade iron ore. As the ship crossed Lake Superior, headed for Detroit, the National Weather Service issued a gale warning. These strong November storms on the Great Lakes are known as witches, November Witches or the Witch of November. By 3:00 pm on November 10, the Edmund Fitzgerald had sustained damages, as was relayed by Captain McSorley to the SS Arthur M. Anderson, a cargo ship sailing behind the Fitzgerald. 

Photo: boatnerd.com

McSorley and the captain of the Anderson remained in contact because as the day continued and the storm did not let up, the Fitzgerald lost both radars. In the final communication between the two ships, the Anderson asked how the Fitzgerald was making out with its problems. McSorley's response: "We are holding our own." But sometime between 7:20 pm and 7:30 pm., the ship went down in the cold waters of the big lake known by the Ojibwa as Gitche Gumee.

Photo: lakesuperiornews.com

There is no clear understanding as to why the ship sank that night. "They might have split up or they might have capsized, they may have broke deep and took water." However it happened, today the ship rests, along with its crew of 29, 530 feet underwater at the bottom of Lake Superior, 17 miles from the safe haven of Whitefish Point. The 29 men and the big freighter are remembered in Gordon Lightfoot's song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 

Dia De Muertos

Today, the Mexican holiday "Dia De Muertos" is celebrated around the world but the multi-day holiday we know is rather different from the original. 

Photo: lib.gccaz.edu

From the 14th to 16th centuries, the Aztecs, an indigenous people of Mexico, held two feasts in honor of the dead. Death itself is not celebrated, but rather the lives of those who have moved on are commemorated. The first, the Feast of the Revered Deceased, was observed by the Aztecs in present-day July, while the Feast of the Greatly Revered Deceased took place during present-day August. Both festivals lasted all month and were presided over by the Queen of Mictlan, Mictlantecuhtli, the "Lady of the Dead." In Aztec culture, skeletons were seen as representations of fertility and health. 

Photo: scalarchives.com

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, conquered the Aztecs in the 1500s and imposed Catholicism on the indigenous peoples, these feasts were moved to coincide with the Catholic holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days at the beginning of November. Initially, Dia de Muertos wasn't celebrated throughout the country because the Aztec empire was concentrated in central and southern Mexico.

Photo: spanishwars.net

Today, Dia de Muertos is celebrated all across the country because at the beginning of the 21st century the Mexican government made it a national holiday. Up until then, people in northern Mexico commemorated All Saints and All Souls Days in a more Catholic setting, rather than the Aztec-influenced Dia de Muertos. 

One prominent figure during Dia de Muertos is La Calavera Catrina. She is similar to the Queen of Mictlan in that she presides over these celebrations, but that was not her intended role. José Guadalupe Posada was a satirical Mexican engraver who was active between 1871 and 1913. One of his best known works, "La Calavera Garbancera," was an engraving of a skeleton in elaborate clothing in the style of high class Europeans. Posada was making fun of Mexicans, especially those in government, who appeared to be turning away from their Mexican heritage and focusing on the pale skin and elaborate fashions from Europe. Specifically, Posada was mocking the Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz, whose actions eventually led to the Mexican Revolution. Later, La Calavera Garbancera became known as La Calavera Catrina. 

Photo: mvsnoticias.com

To outside eyes, the holiday of Dia de Muertos appears to be a very public celebration of death but it is a very private occasion for Mexican families. They light candles and create paths of marigolds to guide their lost loved ones back to their homes. Within the home, the families create elaborate altars for their beloved deceased and provide them with food and sugar. While there are large public parades with enormous skeletons, the most important part of the holiday is an intimate celebration of the life of a lost loved one and a way to help them move on after death. 

Photo: npr.org

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers"

The French were reeling 600 years ago from their unexpected, even shocking defeat at the hands of the English at the Battle of Agincourt. The battle was one of the turning points in the Hundred Years War. The conflict arose over claims to the throne of the French kingdom, which the English felt they had a right to because William the Conqueror was originally from Normandy, France.

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

Henry V of England began his campaign against the French with a siege of Harfleur, a seaport on the northwestern coast of France in 1415. The city resisted for a month until surrendering on September 22, but it cost Henry 3000 soldiers. October marked the end of the campaign season but instead of retreating back to England with only one town conquered, Henry attempted to make his way to the English town of Calais in northern France.

Photo: collections.vam.ac.uk

The French had attempted to raise an army to counter Henry during the siege but were unable to muster enough men. When Henry moved north along the coast, the French army followed, recruiting local nobles and hoping to pin the English against the River Somme. Instead, the English found a ford and crossed the river. By October 24, the two armies were in place for battle but the French delayed, hoping for more nobles to join their forces. The exact numbers of the armies is unclear but it was clear the English were in desperate straits: they had little food, were outnumbered, and they were infantry and archers versus French cavalry. The prospects looked bleak for Harry the King.

Photo: historum.com

Despite the odds, the English prepared for battle. Henry gave a speech to inspire the troops, which was dramatized famously by Shakespeare in his play Henry V, known as the St. Crispin's Day speech. The battle commenced and the English longbows prevailed in a shocking victory for Henry, who established himself as a legitimate threat to the French and returned to England as a conquering hero. 

The war dragged until 1453. After that date, the French and English were still technically at war but the English were occupied by the War of the Roses at home and, ultimately, the English relinquished their claim to the French throne in 1475.

Photo: donatoart.com

The Battle of Agincourt was won by the underdogs but also by the countrymen of England. Their performance in defiance of what appeared to be certain annihilation was an inspiration for Shakespeare and generations of Englishmen to come:

"And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day!"  


 

"The DAR sent us a cannon for the courthouse square!"

That line from "The Music Man" song "Wells Fargo Wagon" was my introduction to the Daughters of the American Revolution, the DAR. October 11, 2015 marked the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the organization. The DAR was created in 1890 because the other organizations tracing their roots back to the Revolutionary War refused to admit women. In response, women created their own. 

Photo: sar.org

1889 marked the 100th anniversary of George Washington's presidential inauguration and a renewed time of patriotism. Both the Sons of the Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) were exclusive organizations that did not allow women. The Sons of the Revolution required that members be descendants of a man who served in the military during the War for Independence, while the SAR required members to be descendants of someone who actively supported the war. 

Photo: blogs.loc.gov (23rd street Arch, New York City, Washington Inaugural Centennial parade)

Mary Smith Lockwood was denied membership to the SAR. In response, she published the story of Hannah White Arnett, a woman who convinced men of Elizabethtown, New Jersey to refrain from proclaiming loyalty to the British. Lockwood asked in the article how Arnett, obviously a patriot who contributed to the war effort, would be remembered. A great-grandson of Arnett offered to help Lockwood form a society for Daughters of the American Revolution.

Photo: dar.org

Mary Smith Lockwood, Mary Desha, Ellen Walworth and Eugenia Washington are considered the four founders of the DAR, but there were 18 people at the first meeting who helped to establish the society. The first woman to hold the post of President General of the society was Caroline Harrison, the First Lady to US President Benjamin Harrison. First Lady Harrison was in the process of renovating the White House and was interested in historic preservation. This interest helped her to draft the goals of the DAR: Historical, Educational and Patriotic. 

Photo: loc.gov (First Lady Caroline Harrison)

The Historical goal was to remember those who worked for and achieved American Independence. The Educational goal was to follow George Washington's encouragement "to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge." The Patriotic goal was to maintain the institutions of American freedom and to foster a love of country. 

Photo: dar.gov (First DAR Congress)

Since its establishment, the DAR has grown and surpassed the SAR. Today, there are chapters in all 50 states as well as 12 other countries and there have been 930,000 members since 1890. While October 11th is the anniversary date, the DAR is commemorating its 125th anniversary throughout the year of 2015 through community service, education and supporting patriots. 

Photo: dar.org

The First World Series

On Sunday, the regular season of baseball ended and today the march to the World Series begins. While the series between the Providence Grays and the New York Metropolitans in 1884 coined the term "World Champs," that is not viewed as the first World Series by Major League Baseball.

Photo: cosmicbaseball.com

The National League was established in 1876 and the American League in 1901, replacing the American Association. While the American League was new, there was no friendship between the two leagues. Hoping for an end to the bitter rivalry, in 1903 managers Barney Dreyfuss and Henry Killilea agreed that their two teams, winners of their respective pennants, should play each other in a best of nine series. 

Photo: jewishsports.net (Barney Dreyfuss)

October 1 saw the first game of the series between the Boston Americans (American League) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (National League), and fans who attended were not disappointed. Pittsburgh's pitcher, Deacon Phillippe, gave up six hits and right fielder Jimmy Sebring hit the World Series' first home run, a grand slam that led the Pirates to a 7-3 victory.

The next game, Boston's pitcher threw a three hitter and won the game 3-0. Due to injury and illness, Phillippe pitched five complete games and won three of them. However, Cy Young was brought in by Boston to take the lead in the series, which lasted until October 13.

Photo: latestnewslink.com

The first World Series was a pitcher's duel and in the end, Boston of the American League won the first "official" World Series. This year's Fall Classic will be the 111th match up between the American League and the National League since 1903. Once we know which team is the National League Champion and the American League Champion, then the 2015 World Series can commence. Play ball!

Photo: news.sportslogos.net

Sino-American Relations

This past Friday I attended the Arrival Ceremony for the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan on the South Lawn of the White House. As with every state visit by a foreign president, there was much pomp and circumstance, including performances of both nations national anthems, a 21 gun salute and a musical review of representatives from the five military branches of the United States.

Photo: Hilary Grabowska

President Xi had visited the US before but never as the president of China. In his opening remarks, President Barak Obama said "that when the United States and China work together, it makes our nations and the world more prosperous and more secure." President Xi also addressed this by saying that he came to the US to "promote peace and advance cooperation." 

Photo: Hilary Grabowska

In 1972, President Nixon became the first US President to visit China, but official relations between the two countries did not begin until January 1, 1979. These official diplomatic relations allowed the two nations to work together for trade and cooperation, since both nations are permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations. While official diplomatic relations have only been in place for the last 36 years, the two countries had negotiated treaties long before. 

Photo: pages.ramapo.edu

In 1844, the Treaty of Wanghia marked the beginning of formal Sino-American relations, but at that time China was a very different country than it is today. This treaty, as well as the defeat of the Chinese by the British in the Opium Wars, ended China's age of isolationism and allowed Western nations into port for trade opportunities. Relations soured with the building of the trans-continental railroad. Many of the workers were Chinese immigrants and they were blamed for depressed wage levels. Reactions to Chinese workers resulted in the first Immigration Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigration to the US and made it very difficult for them to find jobs. The ban lasted for 60 years. 

Photo: digitalhistory.uh.edu

In 1931, Japan invaded China and when China fought back in 1937, the US backed China. Americans were sympathetic toward the Chinese because of the atrocities committed by the Japanese Army, as well as stories of the country from American missionaries. Once the US entered World War II, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. Despite sending aid to China during the war, America was not welcomed by the rising Communist Party in China. The US did not officially recognize the People's Republic until 1979. 

Photo: cfr.org

Diplomatic relations have made it easier for the two nations to work together but relations are far from perfect, as to be expected between the world's preeminent democracy and a country ruled by the Communist Party. Nonetheless, the two nations have been able to cooperate on several fronts despite being competitors for influence around the world. China has the largest population in the world and the second largest economy, and as such can be a key ally in combating climate change. As both President Obama and President Xi highlighted on Friday, when the two nations work together, the world can benefit. 

Photo: usnews.com

The Spy

The name Benedict Arnold is infamous in American history but what about the name John André? André was the man who helped Arnold to betray America and commit treason. On September 21, 1780, André and Arnold met to discuss plans to allow British troops to take West Point, which was under the command of Arnold at the time. 

Photo: uppercanadahistory.ca

The meeting between Arnold and André in 1780 was a long time coming and the nail in the coffin for André. André was born May 2, 1750 in London to wealthy parents who sent him to school in Geneva. At the age of 20, he joined the British Army and was sent to the New World to fight in the American Revolutionary War. In November 1775, André was captured by the Continental Army and held as a prisoner of war until December 1776 when he was released in a prisoner exchange. By 1778, he was promoted to Major. 

Photo: uppercanadahistory.ca

With his promotion, he became head of British secret intelligence in America. When the British occupied Philadelphia (1777-1778), André lived in Benjamin Franklin's house and became friends with Peggy Shippen, the daughter of a prominent loyalist. After the British left Philadelphia, Shippen and André remained in contact. 

During the reoccupation of Philadelphia by the Continental Army, Benedict Arnold, then the military commander of the city, became romantically involved with Shippen and they were married in 1779. Shippen's correspondence with André allowed Benedict Arnold to work with the secret intelligence officer to betray the Continental Army. 

Photo: thehermitage.org (Peggy Shippen)

The conspirators came up with a plan for Arnold, by then in command of West Point, to surrender the fort in exchange for £20,000. This was a highly desirable strategy because it would allow the British to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. On September 21 Arnold handed over to André the plans of West Point, which he himself had weakened in anticipation of a British attack.

When the two left, André was led by Joshua Hett Smith, whose help Arnold had enlisted. But Smith was a shifty character and appears to have been a double agent, for he convinced André to wear civilian clothing and led him towards American lines. André was captured and the plans of West Point were found. Since he was wearing civilian clothing instead of his uniform, André was arrested as a spy. 

Photo: newenglandhistoricalsociety.com

When word got to Arnold that John André had been arrested as a spy, he escaped to British controlled New York City. George Washington, the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, was open to exchanging the spy for the traitor but the British had a policy of not returning Americans who had switched sides. While many British disliked Arnold, they did not renege on this policy.

Arnold continued to fight the war as a general in the British army while André was convicted of espionage and hanged. André held his head high as he went to his death while Arnold was held in suspicion by the British as a mercenary. The contrasting character of the two men, the patriotic spy and the traitor, further vilified Arnold among both the Americans and the British. 

Photo: mountvernon.org