A Texas city girl in a small New England town …
Kevin and I traveled to Chimney Rock one morning. After we found out how expensive it was to get to the platform, we decided to take a stroll in Chimney Rock Village and spend some time at the Broad River and Lake Lure. It turned out to be a nice trip. Kevin and I would rather save our money for our honeymoon at Walt Disney World.
… to be continued …
The Bill of Rights Day is observed on December 15 in the United States. It’s an important day to celebrate America’s Constitution and the framework of society that ascribes rights and freedoms to society. Bill of Rights Day commemorates the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, with the National Archives documenting its many celebrations of the day. The Bill was introduced by James Madison, who later became the fourth President of the United States. Now, the Bill of Rights is displayed in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., as a reminder to all Americans of their constitutional freedoms.
In 2002, Kevin and I married in Germany. Since he wanted to introduce me to his family, we got airplane tickets a month before our wedding. In May, we flew from Frankfurt to Charlotte, North Carolina. In Charlotte, we had to take another flight to Atlanta, Georgia. There, Kevin’s brother and our sister-in-law picked us up from the airport and drove us back to North Carolina. Staying in Charlotte would have been too expensive. So, we had to make a little tour through the South. Shortly before midnight (local time), we finally arrived at Kevin’s parents’ house. It was a long day. And after a little chat, we were all ready to go to sleep.
… to be continued …
Joshua was not happy when I told the pack that they had breakfast and dinner one hour later, from now on until March: “WHAAAT? Do we have to wait until dawn? What is this sorcery? I don’t understand it. But if you say so, I guess it is what it is. Only humans get this crazy idea of changing their clocks back and forth. And they are supposed to be the most intelligent species on this planet. … ” … As we can tell, Joshua is on a rant about the end of daylight saving. In the USA, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and some Caribbean Islands, we will change our clocks one hour BACK.
America is the world’s great experiment in freedom and individual rights, and unlike any other nation on our planet, it was founded and built entirely by immigrants. Americans are citizens either by birth or by choice, abiding under a common flag and constitution, united by its legacy as a land of freedom and opportunity. It is easy to forget that, as a nation of immigrants, we are the sum of every idea and dream that has ever stepped ashore in search of new opportunities in the United States. Most of those ideas and dreams passed through Ellis Island, America’s first federal immigration center.
Before 1890, the 42 individual states that then comprised the United States of America regulated immigration into the United States. Europeans began fleeing political instability, restrictive religious laws, and deteriorating economic conditions in record numbers, leading to massive numbers of immigrants arriving on American shores by 1890. To ease the burden on individual states, the federal government took over responsibility for processing immigrant arrivals.
Ellis Island in New York Harbor opened in 1892 as an immigrant station, becoming the primary port of entry for most immigrants into the U.S. after 1890. Immigrants also entered the U.S. through other port cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, Savannah, Miami, and New Orleans. Ellis Island was the busiest because New York was the preferred port of entry for most ships arriving in America.
From opening day on January 1, 1890, until the day Ellis Island closed in November 1954, over 12 million immigrants passed through the Ellis Island immigration station, along with hopes and dreams of a better life for themselves and their families. Most of those Ellis Island immigrants shared a common dream: of becoming an American citizen. In return for pledging allegiance and loyalty to the United States and its Constitution, immigrants who chose to become naturalized citizens were rewarded with all the rights and privileges afforded U.S. citizens, and the freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
As we celebrate National Immigrants Day, we also celebrate the determination, ingenuity, and spirit immigrants continue to add to the melting pot of cultures we call America.
A state with a myriad of achievements, such as producing the largest number of Nobel laureates in the U.S., being the place where the Wright brothers tested their first flight, and being the 12th state to join the Union, deserves recognition. Hence, in the early 20th century, a proposal was made in the public schools of North Carolina to earmark a day that could “awaken a proper pride in the history of the state.”
The idea behind the recommendation was also to reduce illiteracy in North Carolina by popularizing the system of free public education. Illiteracy became common due to a lack of interest in levying taxes to improve education after the Civil War. Additionally, state officials also formed a Literary and Historical Association in North Carolina to promote cultural interests among the disassociated population.
Every year, schools focus on a different aspect of North Carolina’s history and distribute booklets to students about it. The day starts with the singing of the ‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee’ anthem and then recitations covering topics such as DeGraffenried’s colony at New Bern, the Cary Rebellion, the death of John Lawson, early education in the region, and fishing in eastern North Carolina. The program concludes with a rendition of the song, ‘The Old North State.’
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Under The Harvest Moon 