Month: June 2011

U.S. Independence Day Celebrations

Posted by

0

By now your family has probably made plans for the July Fourth holiday. Maybe you have a tradition of seeing the fireworks display in your community, or having a barbeque or picnic. Colonial Americans also celebrated the Fourth, although they did so somewhat differently than we do today. One year after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia celebrated Independence Day with bells, bonfires, and fireworks. Music and speeches were part of the festivities, too. Independence Day did not become a nationwide holiday immediately, however. Massachusetts became the first state to make the Fourth of July a statewide holiday in 1781.

Independence Day celebrations gained popularity in the 1800s, especially during the war of 1812 when the U.S. fought Britain again. By the time the 50th anniversary of independence came, however, some people expressed concern that the occasion would not be dignified. Although there were no television ads promoting retail store sales like today, people worried that the Fourth’s semi-centennial would be observed “in the usual way, that is, by frying chickens, firing away damaged powder, or fuddling our noses over tavern wine.” Instead the states made plans for dinners, parades, and readings of the Declaration. In 1870, Congress made July 4th a federal holiday.

Since the 1800s, the Fourth of July became an occasion for family barbeques and fireworks displays that grew increasingly elaborate. Some families, however, have fun but also have traditions that emphasize the importance of the holiday to our nation. For example, the family of Liz Seymour gathers for a family reunion each year on Cape Cod. After swimming and enjoying good food, her uncle brings out a copy of the Declaration of Independence and passes it around so each person, including the kids, reads a passage or two.

However your family decides to celebrate on July 4th, take a moment to be grateful for the freedoms we have thanks to those who signed the Declaration of Independence and those who continue to fight for the U.S. on battlefields across the world.

Going to School in Ancient Rome

Posted by

0

Did you ever think your teacher was difficult to please? Children in ancient Rome often had very strict teachers. Roman boys and girls attended elementary school when they were six or seven, if their parents could afford the school fee. The teacher, known as a magister or grammaticus, taught the children basic reading, writing, and math in two languages–Greek and Latin.

Teachers in ancient Rome sometimes made learning very complicated. For example, the teacher would say the letters of the alphabet aloud without showing students what the letters looked like. As a result, learning to write took a long time because students did not know the shape of the letters.

In addition to mastering two languages, Roman children had to behave themselves. Since there was no principal’s office to send a disobedient student to, teachers would physically punish students. The famous Roman Augustine still had nightmares as an adult about the beatings he received for playing ball during lessons.

School days lasted from dawn until noon without a break. Students did have a summer vacation and didn’t attend school on certain festival days. They also had every eighth day off, which was known as market day. Since many “schools” met in small groups outdoors, it would have been impossible to hear lessons on a busy market day.

Only boys went to the ancient Roman version of high school. By the age of twelve, girls left school to learn how to run a household before they married. In the next couple of years, Roman boys learned grammar and studied literature in Greek and Latin. Other subjects like history and geometry were considered less important and science was rarely studied.

Since teachers expected to receive a fee from the students’ parents, not all Roman children had access to education. Some were lucky enough to have household members who knew how to read and they taught the children what they knew. Many children whose parents did not have money or were slaves, however, remained illiterate.

The History of Flag Day

Posted by

0

“Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” On June 14, 1777, the U.S. Continental Congress wrote the Flag Resolution, but it gave no instructions on how large the flag should be or even its shape. Over one hundred years later, however, the American flag became such a symbol of national pride that a patriotic son from an immigrant family suggested that the flag should have its own holiday.

Bernard Cigrand was a young schoolteacher from Wisconsin when he placed a small flag in a bottle on his desk and told his students to write essays on what the flag meant to them. The assignment he gave to his students on June 14, 1885 is recognized as the first observance of Flag Day. After that day, Cigrand wrote many articles and gave speeches to promote the creation of a national holiday for the flag. Cigrand’s great granddaughter said that “he was a historian and he loved the flag. His parents came over from Luxembourg and they loved the country. They instilled that love of country in him.”

By the 1890s, Cigrand’s idea to honor the flag on June 14 caught on in several states, including New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. At the beginning of the twentieth century, additional state legislatures approved Flag Day Resolutions. The Governor of Michigan proclaimed that “the rising sun should find Old Glory waving from every home, from every schoolhouse, and every public building…there should be appropriate exercises in every school and each child should have for his own a flag to be treasured.” As the U.S. entered World War I, President Wilson issued a proclamation requesting June 14 of each year as National Flag Day; however, Congress did not approve it until 1949 when it became law with President Truman’s signature.

Despite the work involved in creating Flag Day, most Americans today pay little attention to it. There are ways you can observe the day, however. During the week of June 14, the president will issue a proclamation urging citizens to display the American flag in their homes. Some organizations, such as the National Flag Day Foundation hold special events and parades in honor of our flag. To find out if there are Flag Day events in your area, contact your city council or local veteran’s association.

The History of Father’s Day

Posted by

0

Maybe you are planning to buy your dad a tie for Father’s Day or send him a card. If you live with or near your dad, your family might have a tradition of going to a certain restaurant or cooking his favorite food on that day. In the early 1900s, however, Father’s Day had not yet been recognized as a holiday. It took even more time for people (including fathers) to welcome the idea of celebrating a man’s relationship with his children.

The first Father’s Day service was held on July 5, 1908 at a church in Fairmont, West Virginia; however, Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington became the biggest campaigner for a day to honor fathers. Her own father raised six children as a single parent. As she listened to a Mother’s Day church service, she thought fathers deserved their own special day. In 1910 Dodd promoted her idea through local churches and the YMCA. She also enlisted the aid of retailers, who were thrilled with the idea that customers might buy men’s clothing and other products for the occasion.

What Dodd didn’t anticipate was the negative reaction that fathers would have to the idea of Father’s Day. Many men worried that Dodd’s emphasis on the kind, nurturing qualities of fathers would make them seem less masculine and tough. Even greeting card companies complained, “mannish-looking cards are hard to design.” Two U.S. presidents, Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge, supported the day and Congress tried twice to get Father’s Day resolutions passed. Still the public did not show much interest, suspecting that retailers just wanted another holiday similar to Mother’s Day so that they could make money.

Father’s Day became more successful after World War II, when stores like Bloomingdale’s in New York used the slogan “Every Dad’s a Hero.” After the stress of war, more men liked the idea of returning to their families. They had already proved their toughness by surviving the war. The day also got a boost from the idea of Father’s Day as a time when dad could do whatever he wanted. As one Father’s Day card from the 1920s stated, “May you sleep as long as you want in the morning. May you have the newspaper when you want it and as long as you want it…here’s hoping no one asks you to drive the car or go to church.”

A combination of better marketing and a focus on indulging dads made Father’s Day increasingly popular. In 1972 President Nixon signed a final Congressional resolution that made Father’s Day the third Sunday in June.