Notecards

1.  Al Capone was raised in New York where he was part of the Five Point Gang and got a scar giving him the reputable name of "Scarface". Capone became so well known that a crime boss in Chicago name Torrio personally hired him to serve as a bodyguard. Capone became so good at his job when Torrio was wounded in a fight, Capone took over the gangster business and became known in all of America. (1)

2.  The St.Valentine's Day Massacre to today has no tired murder for the killings. Al Capone was king of the alcohol business and Moran had repeatedly stepped on Capone's turf. Sending in four men disguised as police they lined the men up and shot them to death. The Massacre shocked many and became the picture and symbol of Chicago's hideous mob business. Although people tried to directly pin the murder on Capone, he was in Florida during the massacre. (2)

3. Al Capone used his extensive reputation to manipulate his way into politics in Chicago and in prison. Capone had two lifestyles, one of a thug and the other of someone who was a public figure. He started soup kitchens for homeless and regularly visited City Hall. However, he was the first to be blamed for a murder of local prosecutor Billy McSwiggin. Capone hid for 3 months and then turned himself over to the police, but lacking evidence, Capone was released free much to the public of Chicago's dismay. He was caught years later but it took about five years and undercover operations to convict Capone. (7)

4. Starting from 1920 there was a time in which alcohol was outlawed from the United States. Al Capone was king of this time, using the law against alcohol to smuggle it in and self it, making fortunes. But, when Herbert Hover came into presidency, he make it his goal to catch Capone. So he tasked the secretary of state Andre Mellon to find a way to bring Capone to justice. Because it was to difficult to find out Capone's bases and take him down piece by piece, they went for the simple route of arresting him on not paying taxes. (5)

5. When the U.S. justice department was given the task of tracking down Capone, they created a special unit to combat him. Nine of their top men were sent to work under Capone and gather information on him. For two and a half years they worked trying to rat out Capone for his crimes. They became popular and the Chicago Tribune named them "the Untouchables". The team even managed to raid his breweries, including one with a capacity of 20,000 gallons a day. But, in the end, Al Capone was caught on tax evasion because there was the most evidence against him on that. He was never charged for his prohibition violations. (4)

6. Al Capone wasn't the start of Chicago's crime however when the "bloody beer wars" broke out, Capone  just made Chicago famous and related to gangsters. Having the town synonymous with violent episodes like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Chicago was quickly brought up in conversation as a gang town. Despite this, Chicago crime wasn't as bad as people thought, only the images and stories. But, Capone still had a massive impact on these stories and became a nostalgic feeling for Chicagoans as the source of pride, morality and a time of crime run by one man. (6)

7.  Herbert Hoover was born to Quaker parents in 1874 and was a brilliant engineer and humanitarian. He was orphaned at the age of 9 years old and went to Stanford University. He became well known as engineer by 1914 and gained a fortune from discovering gold an mine deposits.In World War 1,  Hoover was in London heading the Commission for Relief for Belgium. When the U.S joined the war Hoover was told to come back by president Woodrow Wilson.  Hoover was doing so well in the Food administration bureau that when the presidential election came up he was looked at as a promising candidate and won the 1928 election. (11)

8. The purpose of prohibition was that people believed criminal behavior was caused by alcohol consumption. Since prohibition was so widely accepted some states had adapted dry laws and in 1920 the 18th amendment was ratified to the constitution, prohibiting sale, manufacture or transportation of alcohol. However, prohibition had the opposite effect of what people had hoped for. Organized crime and all of the violence that came with it flourished because people could acquire the alcohol they so desperately wanted. (12)

9. Organized expression of temperance was first shown in Chicago in 1833 and within one year had 120 members. By 1847, Chicago had two Washington temperance societies and several others growing. Some temperance forces started to become political processes and the two Washington temperance's joined other groups urging statewide prohibition. Many of the years in the 1850's a lot of alcohol banning occurred even if short lived. Temperance reformers were highly pleased with their brief political power in the 1850's. (14)

10. Alcohol consumption was continually growing, not just in the city of Chicago, but in the country. Because of this, temperance work was renewed after the Civil War. An emergence of new temperance groups appeared in Chicago, some even with women. Their causes varied but all about alcohol in some way, like the  Woman Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) who advocated for the suppression of alcohol sale to minors.  The WCTU went into social services and began setting up day cares and Sunday schools, helping all kinds of people.  (14)

11. John Torrio was originally born in a village near Naples but moved to New York at the age of 2. He grew up and became the leader of the James Street Boys, allying them with the Five Point Gang which Capone was a part of. Torrio rose in ranks and was called to Chicago by Big Jim Collisimo in 1909. 10 years later, Al Capone was called by Torrio and asked to murder Collisimo. After Collisimo was killed, Torrio took over and ran his entire brothel empire. However, he was successfully shot and wounded so he turned over everything to Capone. Later, Torrio was arrested for income tax evasion and sent to prison for 3 years. He went into retirement once released and died of a heart attack. (16)

12.  Al Capone dropped out of school after sixth grade and joined the New York street gang, James Street Gang. He was accepted by Johnny Torrio and moved to Chicago, helping Collisimo and Torrio in illegal brewing. Capone learned under Torrio after becoming his strong right arm and gained control after Torrio's assassination attempt. Even though Capone was in Florida during the St.Valentines Days Massacre, the Bureau of Investigation was still trying to pin it on Capone. However, with their jurisdiction, Capone was out of their reach. (10)

13. Despite Capone's efforts to not get called into court, he had to make a federal appearance before a grand jury. But, Capone being clever got a physician affidavit saying he came down with an illness and couldn't make an appearance. The Bureau of Investigation didn't believe this though and tracked Capone's movements when he took a cruise and several vacation flights, all of which cleared him with perfect health. So he appeared before court and right after his testimony was arrested for contempt of court. Normally, one would serve about a year but Capone posted a $5,000 bond and was released. (10)

14. Later in the 1920's, Capone and one of his bodyguards were arrested in Philadelphia for carrying concealed weapons. He was meant to serve a year but got out after nine months because of good behavior. In the early 1930's Capone was once again found guilt in a federal court for contempt of court. However, he only served six months in Chicago's Cook County Jail. During all of his arrest's, the U.S. Treasury Department was working on finding a case against Capone, and they found one, on income tax evasion. Which lead them to investigate other gangster on the same charges of tax evasion. (10)

15. On June 16th, 1931, Capone plead guilty to tax evasion and bragged about his two-and-a-half year sentence. But later, he changed his plea to not guilty. In October of 1931, Capone was found guilty and sentenced to eleven years in prison. Despite his try for an appeal, it was denied while he was at Cook County Jail and Capone spent his years at a prison in Philadelphia then at Alcatraz. Capone served seven years but was released because of syphilis. After an examination, Capone was sent for brain treatment and was diagnosed with the mentality of a twelve year old. (8)

16. The 5 point gang was impossibly notorious. The rumors of them spread so far, even famed author Charles Dickens went to New York just to see them. The gang got their name from street corners of 5 points that were known as the slum of New York.  The 5 point gangs were not just one gang, but a collection molded. They had their operations in a large brewery that housed 1,000 poor people and dealt of the gangs prostitution  gambling and other shady deals. (18)

17.  Capone joined the James Street Gang when he dropped out of the 6th grade. The James Street Gang wasn't as tough as the 5 Point Gang, but they were good enough. It was in the James Street Gang that Johnny Torrio became Capone's mentor. He offered Capone a bouncer job and during that job Capone got his legendary scar. When the press asked Capone how he got his scar, he told them it was during a fight against France in World War 1. But Capone never served in the military once. (18)

18. When Capone came to Chicago, his first order was to take out the current mobster ruler, Collisimo. Torrio and Capone became a duo in the takeover of the city. But, trying to be fair to other gangs, they split the territories equally with protection so not to make other mobster agitated. At the age of 26 Capone got the city by the throat with over 1,000 experienced gunmen. The police turned blind eyes to Capone's pure power over Chicago. He told the press he owned the police as he owned Chicago, not to mention the countless authoritative figures in Chicago. He called himself an honest businessman helping the people of Chicago. Capone was adored and people even cheered his name at baseball games. (18)

19. Capone's parents immigrated from Italy with their seven children. Capone attended school starting at the age of five years old.  But the time period wasn't very accepting of immigrants so Capone's teachers used physical methods of punishment against him. He dropped out of school during the 6th grade when he got into a fist fight with his teacher. After the fight with his teacher, the principal of the school beat young Capone up. Al never returned to school and instead joined some local street gangs. (19)

20. Growing up in America when he did, Capone thought the main goal in life was to get rich. But he soon learned that prejudice against immigrants would get in the way. He was constantly looked down upon because of his background and this angered him to no end. So, Capone did the only thing he thought he could do to obtain the wealth he wanted, criminal activities. This lead him to the James Street Gang. (19)

21. Capone worked a series of odd jobs around New York before he found what he was good at. When he met Torrio, he was asked to be a bouncer at a bar. Because of Capone's easy ways of violence, Torrio started using him as a personal bodyguard, beating up people for debts. Capone started learning more and more of these criminal ways, to the point where he was Torrio's right hand man. It was during his time as a bouncer/bodygaurd that Capone got his famous scar during a bar fight. That was also when he got his first arrest. (19)

22. The year prohibition was put into effect, Capone left New York to escape a murder charge. He once again took up under Torrio and almost went to jail on several occasions for assaulting people. But not one of these times did he get arrested due to Torrio's extreme influence. When he first took over, he saw the desperation of Chicagoans for alcohol. He openly told the press of his doings, saying if he was guilty then the rest of the city was as guilty as him. (16)

23. Despite Capone's hold on Chicago, he roughly protected what he thought was his. Killing off rival gangs and paying officials in office so he could keep his tight grip on bootlegging and prostitution. Even though he was a criminal, he kept his ways like a professional businessman in the spotlight. No one spoke out because of how well admired he was. Providing alcohol to the people of the city that desperately wanted it and not being arrested for good long years, Chicagoans didn't see Capone as a bad person. (16)

24. Capone may have appeared to others as a ruthless criminal, or a wonderful public icon, but he also had a nice family life. He met and married a woman named Mae Coughlin. She became pregnant with Capone's only son, Sonny and gave birth to him in 1918. Mae and Sonny never entered the spotlight as Capone was sure to not mix his business and personal life. He was said to be caring and kind to his family, giving them everything they wanted and keeping them safe. However, Capone did have a number of mistresses, one of which he caught syphilis from. (15)

25. Capone's rule over his empire was learned mainly from Torrio. Under his first boss in New York, he learned how to rule his empire with violence and force. When he went to Chicago to work under Torrio, he saw Torrio was a real gentlemen when it came to his business. Torrio used negotiations and preferred cooperation to run his empire. Capone adapted both to his own liking though as he used a gentlemanly way to the public and a ruthless one towards other gangs. (15)

26. To the people of Chicago, Capone was a modern day Robin Hood. He opened soup kitchens for the poor during the Great Depression, and when he saw homeless on the street would give clothing or coal. He was hard not to notice and people took a liking to the man with a fedora hat that would tip waiters at restaurants a generous $100. He personally took care of a lot of things, including betrayals in his gang. When Capone found out 3 of his associates planned on killing him, Capone invited them to a friendly dinner, after which he beat them with a baseball bat and shot them in the head. (15)

27. Cicero is located in Illinois, west of Chicago. It was founded in the 1800's and named after a Roman statesman. Cicero relied heavily upon Chicago for it's development as a town. It got a jumping start when a railroad was built from other cities including Chicago. However, Cicero began to lose its territory to Chicago and Oak Park. Al Capone made his main operating base in Cicero because he could easily take over the town. He made a lot of gambling halls among other things in Cicero. (21)

28. Eliot Ness was Chicago's American crime fighter. He fought with nine other law enforcers to stop Capone's reign. He and his gang were called the "Untouchables" as they tried to find their way in Capone's underground work way. Ness was head of his team and worked with utter determination to stop Capone's illegal ways. (22)

29. Ness was born in Chicago where he attended the University of Chicago. Ness was very late to join the special agentry, starting in 1929. At that time Capone was booming, and at age 26, Ness was hired as a special agent to the Department of Justice. They wanted Ness to take down bootlegging in Chicago, and gather evidence on Capone. Ness put extreme pressure on Capone by raiding his breweries and speakeasies, constantly harassing Capone. It was helps to the "Untouchables" that he found the claim of income tax evasion against Capone. (22)

30. The word "bootlegging" came into use in the Midwest about someone who was concealing a flask during trades with Indian Americans.  But, the word wasn't part of the American vocabulary until the act of prohibition in 1920. Because prohibition made sale of alcohol illegal, as well as manufacturing of alcohol, people began to illicitly supply the beverage. (23)

31. Bootleggers in the earlier time of prohibition began smuggling foreign alcohol from other countries, mainly Canda and Mexico. But there was also ships registered under foreign registry along the seacoast that also had alcohol. Many of the fancy islands like Bahamas, Cuba, St. Pierre and others were among the more favorites alcohol. So there began a favorite meeting point of rumm-running shops along New Jersy, but they stayed just out of the U.S. jurisdiction. Bootleggers were smart and unloaded at the jurisdiction line equipped with fast boats ready for escape. (23)

32. As well as bootleggers were doing, the use of ships to transport foreign alcohol was becoming more dangerous. U.S. Coastal Guard ships started stopping ships, and searching them, even going farther than the jurisdiction line. And, in order to catch escaping bootleggers, the U.S. Guard started using fast motors of its own, leaving bootleggers looking for other means. But, bootleggers didn't have to go very far to find other sources to supply them. "Medicinal" whiskey was sold right over the counter in pharmacies, and when bootleggers began producing their own alcohol, they would sell it straight to speakeasies. (23)

33. Dion O'Bannion was a famous gangster to Chicago, rivaling with Al Capone and Johnny Torrio, O'Bannion also had a large use of prohibition. Starting out with small crimes, O'Bannion rose during prohibiton, commanding large breweries among the North Side. O'Bannion ruled the Northern area of Chicago, heavily rivaling with Capone. O'Bannion's base was a flower shop on 738 North State Street, where he was killed by Capone. His funeral had some 15,000 people attending, even Capone and Torrio. (24)

34. "Big Jim" James Colosimo was born in Italy before moving to Chicago in 1895. Colosimo was poor growing up, so when he first came to Chicago, he did petty crimes and even pimping. But then he found his way into heading brothel chains and hiring successful New York mobster Johnny Torrio. Colosimo let Torrio get very close to his empire and was killed in the end. After Colosimo expanded, Capone killed him at Torrio's request, giving Torrio complete control of Chicago. (25)

35. Frankie Yale was born in Italy before moving at a young age with his family to the United States. He and his family stayed in New York, where Yale joined youth gangs much like Torrio and Capone. Yale worked his way up to bootlegging and rumm-running during prohibition. He opened a bar called Harvard Inn where Capone worked as a bouncer, bartender and bodyguard for Yale. It is said Yale took personal murder orders, being one of the men involved in O'Bannion's murder. Later though, Yale was shot in his car by machine guns. Some say Capone did it because he was suspicious of Yale and others say it was a rival gang seeking revenge. (26)

36. George "Bugs" Moran was not an Italian-born mobster. He was born in Minnesota and a childhood friend to Dion O'Bannion, later becoming his right hand man, much like Torrio and Capone. After O'Bannion's death, Bugs split O'Bannion's empire with Hymie Wiess, another famous gangster. Bugs became the only leader when Hymie was shot in 1926. For three years, Bugs was at Capone's throat, fighting a bloody gang war, that came to its highest point at the most famous of all killings, the St. Valentines Day Massacre. Bugs lost a lot of his power to Capone and resorted to bank robberies that landed him in jail several times. (27)

Bibliography Sources

1. "Al Capone." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. A short biography of Al Capone's life from birth to death.

2.Ruth, David E. Inventing the Public Enemy: The Gangsters in American Culture, 1918–1934. 1996. Schoenberg, Robert J. Mr. Capone. 1992. About the St.Valentines Day Massacre

3.Dorson, Richard. Land of the Mill Rats. 1981. Scott, Beth, and Michael Norman. Haunted Heartland. 1985. Chicago Folklore and Al Capone adding to the city's name.

  4. Ness, Eliot, with Oscar Fraley. The Untouchables. 1957. About Al Capone's illegal alcohol trade being unreachable by the government

  5. "treasury agents." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. About Al Capone's take down from the IRS capturing him for not paying his income tax

  

   6. Asbury, Herbert. Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld. 1940. Ruth, David E. Inventing the Public Enemy: The Gangster in American Culture, 1918–1934. 1996. Chicago's myth of crime and the symbol it showed. Al Capone's affect on Chicago and what he represents

 7. "Al Capone at Alcatraz" Alcatraz History, Web. <http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/cap1.htm> A summary of Al Capone's rise in Chicago

 8. “Farewell, Mr. Gangster!” Herbert Corey, D. Appleton-Century Company, Inc., New York, New York, 1936 Much about Capone's life, rise and fall.

 9. The Mobs And The Mafia,” Hank Messick and Burt Goldblatt, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, New York, 1972 The different Mobs and Mafia's and how Capone was famous among them.

10.  Organized Crime In America,” Gus Tyler, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1962 Capone's fame in organized crime.

11. "Herbert Hoover." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. A simple biography of Herbert Hoover

12. "Prohibition." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. About Prohibition. 

13. "Prohibition Party." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. About the Prohibition Party

14. Wiltsee, Herbert. “The Temperance Movement, 1848–1871.” Papers in Illinois History and Transactions for the Year 1937. 1938. Temperance Movements

  15. “Bloodletters and Badmen,” Jay Robert Nash, M. Evans and Company, Inc., New York, New York, 1973 About the biggest most fascinating criminals. 

  16. "Johnny Torrio". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/600165/Johnny-Torrio>. Torrio biography

  17. "Moran, George." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9053658>. George "Bugs" Moran

  18. Horowitz, Ruth. Honor and the American Dream: Culture and Identity in a Chicano Community. 1983. Various Chicago Gangs

  19. Spergel, Irving A., and G. David Curry. Youth Gangs: Problem and Response. 1991.  Young gangs

  20.  “G-Men: Hoover’s FBI in American Popular Culture,” Richard Gid Powers, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois, 1983 Investigation under Hoover

   21. "Cicero." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9082615>.

   22. "Ness, Eliot." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9055333>.

   23. "bootlegging." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9080684>.

   24. "O'Bannion, Dion." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9056625>.

   25. "James Colosimo". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126602/James-Colosimo>.

   26. "Yale, Frankie." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9077743>.

  27. "Moran, George." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9053658>.

Community Song Post

My Town by Montgomery Gentry

There's a "For Sale" sign on a big old rusty tractor.
You can't miss it, it's the first thing that you see.
Just up the road, a pale-blue water tower,
With "I Love Jenny" painted in bright green.
Hey, that's my Uncle Bill, there by the courthouse.
He'll be lowerin' the flag when the sun goes down.
And this is my town.

(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Yeah, this is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Hey!
Where I was born, where I was raised.
Where I keep all my yesterdays.
Where I ran off 'cos I got mad,
An' it came to blows with my old man.
Where I came back to settle down,
It's where they'll put me in the ground:
This is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Yeah, this is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
My town.

There ain't much goin' on here since they closed the mill.
But that whistle still blows ev'ry day at noon.
A bunch of us still go down to the diner.
I wonder if that interstate's still comin' through.
Come Sunday morning service, at the Church of Christ,
Well there ain't an empty seat to be found.
And this is my town.

(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Yeah, this is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Where I was born, where I was raised.
Where I keep all my yesterdays.
Where I ran off 'cos I got mad,
An' it came to blows with my old man.
Where I came back to settle down,
It's where they'll put me in the ground:
This is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Yeah, this is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
My town.

Well, I bought and painted up that rusty tractor.
You can't miss it, it's sittin' right there in our yard.
The County came and took that water tower,
And that's Jenny, with a baby, in the car.
Ah, we're off to Sunday service at the Church of Christ,
And if we want a seat, we better leave right now.
And maybe later, me an old T-roy will show you around,
Our town.

(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Yeah, this is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
Yeah, where I was born, where I was raised.
Where I keep all my yesterdays.
Where I ran off 'cos I got mad,
An' it came to blows with my old man.
Where I came back to settle down,
It's where they'll put me in the ground:
This is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)

Yeah, this is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
This is my town.
(Na, na, na, na, na.)
My town.

 The singer feels very strongly about his community. He says "it's where they'll put me in the ground" showing true commitment to staying in the community for the rest of his life. Its a rural town that had a mill and a tractors. Plus, everyday someone who raise the flag and lower it. It gives off the rural appearance especially because of how the singer uses "country" language. "An it" rather than 'and it',"'cos" instead of because. But it seems the singer doesn't feel his community needs changing. Even though the mill was shut down and the water tower taken away he still continues to say it's his town, demonstrating the deep connection he has to it.

Community Posts

1.  School Community
2. Dog Walking Community
3. Horse-back Riding Community

  In my free time, usually on the weekends, I go horse-back riding. Its a small barn with a large arena. The arena can hold maybe 15 horses all at once and is used for lessons. The barn overall is dusty with an old feeling. There's always hay on the floor and the stalls have horse waiting to be ridden. The smell may be less than appealing but I've grown accustomed to it. There is a lot of light because the doors are always open and the arena is closed by an iron gate so the light still shines. In the arena, there is also a section cut off for ponies. They are being raised in the stable and will soon be big enough for people my age to ride.

  Because I go to this community a lot, it is automatically expected of me to clean and groom the horses. I have to take them from their stable and saddle them up. Then I have to exercise them before I take my lesson. Everyone is expected to be kind to the horses and take care of them when riding. Only the trainers have higher expectations. They have to be prepared to give lessons and train the horses. My role in this community is to learn how to ride horses well enough to train them eventually or give lessons.

   I feel comfortable in this community for a number of reasons. The atmosphere is always home like and welcoming. Sometimes I may not be riding a horse correctly or saddling them correctly, but everyone is very nice about it. They just teach me the right way so I can do it correctly the next time. I can be around horses which I have loved since I was a little kid and interact with people who love them as much as I do. Whenever I enter the table people are greeting me and talking to me so I feel extremely welcomed. In addition, being around animals always gives me an optimistic air. It's my community because I'm always welcomed back and when I'm there I feel comfortable and safe.

Word Count: 366

Response to Crevecoeur

    "Ubi panis ibi patris." This simple quote summarized everything that Crevecoeur felt for America. "Where there is bread, there is one's fatherland." If your country would feed you and give you a good life, that is where your home is. Crevecoeur was born to a wealthy family and went to the colonies as a French observer. Crevecoeur felt strongly that one's homeland, mother country, was one that would bring them harvest. One that would take care of them and feed them. "Can someone who has no money  and works and starves call the country he lives in his country?" Crevecoeur expressed his love of America saying there men could bloom and "flourish" from the dying flower they were in Europe. Crevecoeur's idea of America being a new start struck me as someone who had a new chance at life. In Europe, men were poor and had no food. They starved and had to fight in war for a country that didn't even put them on "civil lists". To me, Crevecoeur was saying that people coming to America had the chance to be a human being and start as people.

Word Count: 189