Divided Poles in a divided nation : Poles in the Union and Confederacy in the American Civil War
This thesis studies a group of Poles embroiled in the American Civil War. They span three generations and share culture, nationality and devotion to their ideals. The common thread running through their lives is that they came from a country that had basically disintegrated at the end of the previous century, yet they carried the concepts of freedom that they inherited from their forefathers with them to America. Their ancestral Poland had been openly democratic and deemed dangerous to the autocratic imperial neighbours that partitioned it. These men came to a new country, then exercised their âPolishnessâ as they became embroiled in the great American upheaval, the Civil War. Of the nine of them examined, four sided with the North and four with the South. Another began in the Confederate cavalry and finished with the Union. In a war commonly categorized as a struggle between two American regions, there has not been significant attention devoted to Poles and foreigners in general. These men carried their belief in democratic liberalism with them from Europe in to the American War. Whether fighting to keep a Union together or to establish the new Confederacy, they held to their ideals and made a significant
Bielski, Mark Francis
E151 United States (General) ; F001 United States local history
Divided Poles in a divided nation : Poles in the Union and Confederacy in the American Civil War. This thesis studies a group of Poles embroiled in the American Civil War. They span three generations and share culture, nationality and devotion to their ideals. The common thread running through their lives is that they came from a country that had basically disintegrated at the end of the previous century, yet they carried the concepts of freedom that they inherited from their forefathers with them to America. Their ancestral Poland had been openly democratic and deemed dangerous to the autocratic imperial neighbours that partitioned it. These men came to a new country, then exercised their âPolishnessâ as they became embroiled in the great American upheaval, the Civil War. Of the nine of them examined, four sided with the North and four with the South. Another began in the Confederate cavalry and finished with the Union. In a war commonly categorized as a struggle between two American regions, there has not been significant attention devoted to Poles and foreigners in general. These men carried their belief in democratic liberalism with them from Europe in to the American War. Whether fighting to keep a Union together or to establish the new Confederacy, they held to their ideals and made a significant
divided poles divide nation poles union american_civil_war study group poles embroil american_civil_war span three_generation share culture nationality devotion ideal common_thread run life come country basically end yet carry concept freedom inherit america ancestral poland openly democratic deem dangerous autocratic imperial neighbour partition men come new country become great american upheaval civil_war examine side north south another begin cavalry finish union war commonly categorize struggle american region significant attention_devote poles foreigner general men carry belief democratic liberalism europe american war whether fight keep union together establish_new hold ideal make_significant