Speech #1000008437

President. on behalf of the Czech American citizens throughout the United States. I rise today to introduce a joint resolution designating the week of July 27 to August 2. 1987. as "National Czech American Heritage Week." This legislation pays tribute to the thousands of Czech Americans who live in the United States. The first documented Czech Immigrant. Augustine Herman. arrived in New Amsterdam in 1633. Czech immigrants began arriving in large numbers after 1850 seeking religious. economic. and political freedoms. By 1890. some 170.000 persons had arrived. by 1900. Czech immigrants and their descendents. had settled in particularly large numbers in the cities of New York. Cleveland. and Chicago. In addition. they were established in large numbers in farming communities throughout the breadbasket of the United States stretching from Wisconsin to Texas. Today. Czech immigrants and their descendents can be found in each and every State in the United States. Throughout the history of the United States. Czech immigrants and their descendents have made significant and unique contributions to American culture. Czechs have been particularly active in the newspaper business. politics. and in intellectual and religious movements of the day. By involving themselves in these areas. Czech immigrants and their descendents became a significant voice in the American intellectual landscape. The most recent wave of Czech immigrants. following the implementation of the Czechoslovakian Communist regime in 1948 and the Sovietled invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. continue to infuse American culture with fresh ideas and talent. While Czech immigrants successfully integrated into the American mainstream. they have never lost touch with their heritage. Czechs formed fraternal and gymnastic societies soon after arriving in the United States. Today. ethnic pride is still manifested through these organizations as well as through the many Czech festivals held in towns throughout the midwest and nationwide.