World Famous Comics: They Came for Good - A History of the Jews in the United States - Taking Root, 1820-1880
They Came for Good - A History of the Jews in the United States - Taking Root, 1820-1880
Starring: Amram Nowak Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Label: SHANACHIE Number of Discs: 1 Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: April 01, 2001 Running Time: 60 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Amazon.com: In "Taking Root 1820-1880," the second installment of They Came for Good, a series that aired on PBS, the role of Jews in American history is examined in an informative and entertaining manner. In the early days of the new nation, 15,000 Jewish peddlers traveled the roads and were a main method of distribution for goods manufactured in the industrial northeast. As many of the peddlers settled down, small towns across the country often had one Jewish-owned store on the main street. Stories tell of some of the notable Jewish merchants and businessmen, including a peddler named Levi Strauss who arrived in California during the Gold Rush and made his fortune by inventing pants made of heavy canvas that were soon the preferred work clothes among miners. Actors in period garb appear to enact the roles of prominent Jews, speaking passages discovered in diaries and letters written by Jewish religious, civic, and business leaders. The development of reform and conservative Judaism in America is also discussed, and historians offer insights into how Jewish life developed in unique ways in America, including service on both sides in the Civil War. By 1880, more than 250,000 Jews would arrive in America as they fled persecution in eastern Europe, and a young Jewish woman in New York, Emma Lazarus, would write "The New Colossus," the poem associated with the Statue of Liberty. This is an engaging look at how Jews contributed greatly to the building of the American nation. --Robert J. McNamara
They Came for Good I ordered this for one of our troops that I support and he was delighted I could find it.
A video history of Jews in the U.S. (part 2 of 2) This hour-long video is the second part of a two-disc series on the history of Jews in the United States. The first part, "Present at the Creation," covers the period from 1654 to 1820, and this part, "Taking Root," covers the period from 1820 to 1880. Both parts are informative and interesting.
Chapter titles: - Jewish peddlers serve rural America - Good immigrants - bad immigrants - Levi Strauss founds pants empire - Judaism splits into orthodox and reform - Jews take sides in the Civil War - The career of Judah P. Benjamin - Seligman Bros. and "Our Crowd" - In 1881 pogroms begin in Russia - Emma Lazarus pens "The New Colossus"
Another good video on Judaism in the U.S. is "A Life Apart: Hasidism in America." And an excellent book on the history of Judaism in the U.S. is Jonathan Sarna's "American Judaism: A History."
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