[Illustration]
Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, _Welsh_,
signed by 1 _Swede_, 3 _Irish_, 4 _Scots_, 5 _Welsh_, 5 _Scotch-Irish_,
38 _English_, with John Morton, _Swede_, casting deciding ballot ...
the thirteen colonies were christened the “United States of America” by
Thomas Paine, _English_.
_Social Welfare_
Our first social reformer was Robert Owen, _Welsh_ ... first one to make
use of music in social work was Wm. van de Wall, _Netherlander_ ...
founder of Red Cross, Clara Barton, _English_ ... founder of Chicago’s
famous Hull House was Jane Addams, _English_ ... slums attacked by Jacob
Riis, _Dane_, in “How Other Half Lives” ... welfare library on Ellis
Island organized by Rev. John Kweetin, _Latvian_ ... anti-saloonist and
feminist, Carrie Chapman Catt, _English-German_ ... Atlanta School of
Social Work, directed by Forrester Washington, _Negro_ ... Lillian Wald,
_German Jew_, a social-welfare leader ... famous home for boys, Father
Flanagan, _Irish_.
_Government and Politics_
Two-thirds of our presidents, including Washington, are of _English_
descent ... Martin van Buren and Herbert Hoover, _German_ ... Theodore
Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt, _Netherlanders_ ... Jefferson, Madison,
John Adams, John Q. Adams, Harrison, and Garfield, _Welsh_ ... Monroe,
Hayes, Grant, Wilson, and McKinley, _Scots_.
Among our leading statesmen were Hamilton, Calhoun, Webster, Jefferson
Davis, _Scot-Welsh_ ... James Blaine, Chauncey Depew, Stephen Douglas,
mainly _Scots_ ... Patrick Henry, _Scot-English-Welsh_ ... leading civil
service and tariff reformer was Carl Schurz, _German_ ... iron puddler
who became Secretary of Labor, James J. Davis, _Welsh_.
First governors: of Delaware, John McKinley; Georgia, John Houston;
Illinois, John Boyle; Kansas, James Denver; Louisiana, Wm. Claiborne,
_Irish_ or _Scotch-Irish_ ... present governor of New York, H. H. Lehman,
_German Jew_; of Illinois, Henry Horner, _German Jew_ ... first governor
general of Florida, Bouquet, _Swiss_ ... first president of the Republic
of Texas, Sam Houston, _Scot_.
Tammany Society, founded in 1789 by William Mooney, _Irish_, as protest
against attempt of wealthy Tories to prevent soldiers and others from
voting ... first Secretary of Treasury under Jefferson, responsible for
arranging Louisiana Purchase, was Albert Gallatin, _Swiss_ ... first to
fight for conservation of our forests was Carl Schurz, _German_.
_Philanthropy_
[Illustration]
Astor Library, now part of New York Library, founded by John Jacob Astor,
_German_, in 1848 ... 4,000 Negro schools founded by Julius Rosenwald,
_German Jew_ ... Chautauqua movement begun by Lewis Miller, _German_
... gifts during panic of the 90’s, penny meals during World War,
foodships to Palestine, and Milk Fund by Nathan Straus, _Austrian Jew_
... $42,000,000 gift to General Education Board by John D. Rockefeller,
_German_.
Libraries founded throughout United States by Andrew Carnegie, _Scot_ ...
funds raised to bring Statue of Liberty from France by Joseph Pulitzer,
_Hungarian Jew_ ... appreciation of arts and literature stimulated by
Edward Bok, _Netherlander_ ... Boy Scouts of America helped by Jacob and
Mortimer Schiff, _German Jews_ ... $6,000,000 to Princeton University by
H. C. Frick, _German_.
Colgate University founded by Wm. Colgate, _English_ ... $122,000 to Fisk
University by James Burrus, _Negro_ ... foundations for opportunities to
study abroad and to promote well-being of mankind established by Simon
and Daniel Guggenheim, _Swiss Jews_.
_Champions of Human Liberty_
Protest against slavery by Pastorius, _German_ ... author of “Common
Sense,” “The Crisis” and “Public Good” was Thomas Paine, _English_ ...
powerful leaders against slavery were John Russworm, Benjamin Banneker,
David Walker, Harriet Tubman, William Brown, William Still, Samuel Ward,
Frederick Douglass, _Negroes_.
Peter Zenger, _German_, defended by Andrew Hamilton, _Scot_, registered
great triumph for freedom of press when he won his fight against Governor
Cosby of New York.
_National Defense_
[Illustration]
Minutemen roused by Paul Revere, _Huguenot_ ... drill-master of
Continental armies, who helped to plan West Point, was Frederick von
Steuben, _German_ ... $600,000 advanced to Congress and subsidies
negotiated from France and the Netherlands by Haym Solomon, _Polish Jew_
... father of American cavalry was General Casimir Pulaski, _Pole_.
First to lose life in Revolutionary War was Chrispus Attucks, _Negro_ ...
first commodore of Navy was John Barry, _Irish_ ... naval hero John Paul
Jones, _Scot_ ... $5,000,000 contributed toward War of 1812 by Stephen
Girard, _French_ ... famous privateer, who abolished corporal punishment
in the Navy, was Uriah Levy, _Jew_ ... British defeated on Lake Erie by
Captain Perry, _Scotch-Irish_.
_Labor_
First president of American Federation of Labor, who improved living
standards of workers was Samuel Gompers, _English Jew_ ... leader
of C. I. O., John L. Lewis, _Welsh_ ... organizer of coal miners,
John Mitchell, _Welsh_ ... president of A. F. of L., William Green,
_English-Welsh_ ... leader of Amalgamated Clothing Workers, Sidney
Hillman, _Lithuanian Jew_.
_Religious Work_
Participating in Washington’s Inaugural was Rabbi Seixas, _Portuguese
Jew_ ... one of our greatest clergymen, Jonathan Edwards, _Welsh_ ...
leader in welfare and religious work, Huie Kin, _Chinese_ ... first
Protestant missionary to West Indies was George Lisle, former _Negro_
slave ... professor of theology at Hartford Seminary, N. Y. Ananigian,
_Armenian_ ... authority on early church history is Prof. La Plana,
_Albanian_.
_Education_
[Illustration]
First book on pedagogy published in 1770 by Christopher Dock, _German_
... Harvard University named after John Harvard, _English_; Yale
University by Elihu Yale, _Welsh_; William and Mary by James Blair,
_Scot_; Brown University by Morgan Edwards and Samuel Jones, _Welsh_
... New York University by Gallatin, _Swiss_ ... Tuskegee Institute by
Booker Washington, _Negro_, world-famed educator ... Williams College by
Ephraim Williams, _Welsh_ ... one of incorporators of Columbia University
was Rabbi Seixas, _Portuguese Jew_ ... Hunter College by Thomas Hunter,
_Irish_ ... Creighton University, Omaha, by Creighton brothers, _Irish_
... Princeton University founded by _Scottish_ Presbyterians ... Barnard
College founded by Annie Nathan Meyer, _German Jew_.
Infant school introduced in 1816, by Robert Owen, _Welsh_ ... first
German kindergarten introduced in Wisconsin in 1855 by wife of Carl
Schurz, _German_ ... a primer, first book produced in Pennsylvania,
written by Franz Pastorius, _German_, headmaster of first school in
Germantown ... College of Journalism at Columbia University founded by
Joseph Pulitzer, _Hungarian Jew_ ... School of Mines founded by Adolph
Lewisohn, _German Jew_ ... first English kindergarten founded in Boston
in 1860 by Elizabeth Peabody, _English_ ... father of modern American
education was Horace Mann, _English_.
World-famous orientalist P. K. Hitti, _Syrian_ ... one of foremost
educators was Henry Suzallo, _Yugoslav_ ... Angelo Patri, _Italian_,
counsels parents and children ... one of our greatest economists was
Thorstein Veblen, _Norwegian_.
_Law and Order_
First Chief Justice of Supreme Court was John Jay, _French_ ... present
Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, _Welsh_ ... one of foremost
authorities on international law is Stephen Ladas, _Greek_.
* * * * *
_Finns_ work the iron-ore fields of northern Minnesota. ...
_Netherlanders_ and _Poles_ developed wood-working trades of Michigan....
_Italians_, _Portuguese_, _Greeks_, and _Swiss_ have built up the grape
and wine industry of California.... _Greek_ candy-makers.... _Mexicans_
and _Japanese_ in beet fields of Colorado, Nebraska, and California....
_Italians_, _Poles_, and _Slavs_ in meatpacking, textile, and building
industries.