Victor R. Greene. “For God and Country. The Rise of Polish and Lithuanian Ethnic Consciousness in America 1860-1910”. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1975 Victor R. Greene was a University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Emeritus Professor of History. His fields of interest were popular culture, American immigration, labor. Professor wrote several books they are as following: “American Immigrant Leaders, 1800-1910: Marginality and Identity” (1987), “A Passion for Polka: Old-Time Ethnic Music in America” (1992), “A Singing Ambivalence: American Immigrants between Old World and New, 1830-1930” (2004) and of course the one I chose to report “For God and Country: The Rise of Polish and Lithuanian Consciousness in America, 1860-1910” (1975). …show more content…
Immigrants’ belief that “the man without his own land and home had always been a serf, a slave” led to the desire to have their own parish church. The disagreement over religion and ethnicity that was actually over Lithuanians and Polish led to the rise of two camps: one was called “religionists” who claimed that all members of a colony must be Roman Catholics and be loyal to American Church hierarchy. Only this could let to the survival of a community. The opposing group were “nationalists” that claimed nationality being separate from religion. They fight for religious toleration and ethnic pluralism inside the American Church. Author clearly stated that groups’ elites made considerable effects even though the elites were widely educated. The dispute between representatives even involved supporters who got hold of weapons and force in order to prove their beliefs. This activity led not only to excommunications but also to common violence. To conclude these disagreements independent churches were established having nothing in common with official hierarchy of Catholic