Rob Osipovitch
The part of my heritage that I chose to explore is the Polish side, stemming from my mother. My grandmother is second generation Polish. She was born in America in the year 1920. My great grandparents were born in Poland and immigrated to America in the year 1909. Through the stories my grandmother has shared with me, I have come to understand that my great grandparents were very proud and cultured people. During the interview I had with her for this project, my grandmother told me that it was almost as though she grew up in Poland because her parents tried to maintain as many traditions and customs from Poland as they could without being persecuted for them.
During the early 20th century immigrants in America often had to be careful of how ethnic they were, due to the prejudice they faced from American citizens. My great grandparents faced certain prejudices when they first arrived to America. They came to America by ship, as most immigrants did, and they arrived at Ellis Island. Upon their arrival they had to go through the long tedious process of obtaining citizenship. The only information my grandmother was able to give concerning the actual prejudices my great grandparents faced was in reference to the way the immigration officers of Ellis Island treated them. My great grandparents along with many other immigrants of that time period were looked down upon by the American citizens and were often harassed with ethnic slurs and a lack of respect.
In order to escape the sometimes overwhelmingly cruel prejudice, the immigrants would form neighborhoods exclusive to their own nationality. My great grandparents were no exception to this tradition. They immigrated to the town of Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Shamokin was completely dominated by the Polish immigrants, and within this little piece of America my grandmother grew to experience a childhood almost as though she was actually in the country of Poland. My great grandparents, along with the other immigrants they traveled with, settled in Shamokin because it was known in their hometown as a place of heavy Polish population. They knew that in Shamokin some of the familiarity of Poland would be provided.
During the interview with my grandmother I found out some very interesting information about my great grandparent’s life when they lived in Poland. My great grandfather, Anthony Zmudzin, was one of eighteen children, of whom only five survived. The family hailed from Suwalki, Poland. The Zmudzin family lived in Suwalki during the later 1800’s and early 1900’s. During this time period all of Poland was in poor economic condition because of communist control and a lack of industrialization (Poland: Reform, Adjustment, and Growth 19). The small town where my great grandparents lived was extremely poor. Most of Anthony’s siblings died of disease and poverty. The most interesting story of his family’s fatalities was that of his brother Charles. Charles Zmudzin was a petty thief and was murdered for stealing money from a small store. The family of brothers who owned the store chased Charles to a local reservoir and drowned him.
As a young man my great grandfather was a Tartar for the Ukrainian Army. It was mandatory for men to join the army for a few years during this era of Polish government. Because jobs were scarce, when he finished his required tour of duty, my grandfather joined a band of smugglers carrying alcohol across the Szeszupa River. The smugglers would sink the kegs of beer and tie them to their boats to avoid patrols. My grandmother told me a story that her father shared with her about one particular smuggling attempt. In order to get across the river with one particular load my great grandfather had to trail behind the boat with kegs tied to his body. When a patrol came by my great grandfather had to submerge himself and nearly suffered the same fate at his brother Charles. Luckily the patrolmen left just in time for my grandfather to survive.
The reason why my great grandfather immigrated to America was because the smuggling operation he was involved in was under heavy pressure by the police. Out of fear of prison my great grandfather left for America in 1909 with his girlfriend Ursula Racila, whom he later married. Ursula, my great grandmother, came from a similar background as her husband. They were both from the same economic condition and suffered the same hardships. Ursula, however, did not live a life of crime like my great grandfather. To make money and help out her family Ursula served as the town babysitter. My grandmother was told that Ursula watched over approximately forty children day after day, for very almost no pay. My great grandmother had a love for children that is evident in the size of her own family.
While growing up with my grandmother, I have learned to appreciate the rich traditions and stories of what it was like growing up in Shamokin, which she has shared with me over the years. My grandmother was born in 1922, and would come to grow up during a time of great American hardship. As immigrants hailing from a poor country and entering a new world money was already scarce for my great grandparents. On top of the existing financial struggles my grandmother and her family grew up during the Great Depression period of America.
The Great Depression started in 1929, after a decade of carefree times. It was caused by a crash in the stock market, and immediately put America into the hardest economic conditions it had ever seen. “ The Depression of the 1930’s was a time of widespread poverty and immensely low American Morale” (Rothbard 168). People in America were put into an unfamiliar position. Our country has seen hard economic times before, however anything that could be considered a depression never lasted for more than two years. The Great Depression lasted almost an entire decade. My grandmother told me that … “it was like everyone she knew including adults and children were sad for about ten years” (Interview). She could only describe the way her childhood was, as a time of hard work and scarce happiness.
During our interview my grandmother shared one particular story that illustrated how difficult their lives were in comparison to the lives we live today. My great grandparents were so financially strapped that the children had to start working as soon as physically possible. My grandmother and her brothers got their first jobs when they eight years old. Coal mining was the big industry of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, and in order to contribute the necessary income to the family my grandmother and her siblings worked from the time they got out of school, which was two o’clock, until five thirty at night. They were paid a quarter a day, which came out to be $1.25 per week. There was no minimum wage or child labor laws, so my grandmother and great uncles worked under horrible conditions, at too young of an age, for almost no money, simply because they had to help put food on the table (Interview).
It was not uncommon for children to work long hard days for little pay during the Depression. There were few child labor laws at this time in American legislation, however the Great Depression itself caused an ignorance towards those laws. “With the Great Depression, the national mood on federal child labor legislation changed. It seemed to many that adult workers were being replaced by young children at lower wages, and this helped shore up the support for restricting child labor” (Wasserman). It was not until after the great depression that child labor laws became a national focus again. Once the economic struggles of America relented, the idea of young children being put to work once again became inhumane. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, barring all goods made by children under the age of sixteen. This act was the first substantial child labor law passed in the United States. Since then, child labor has become a more controversial issue worldwide, and many more laws have been passed to prevent the abuse and exploitation of children workers.
My grandmother has always made me aware of the Polish part of my heritage, and she also taught me to be proud of it. Sometimes it is hard to be proud of one’s heritage, especially when it carries a strong stereotype along with it. As almost everyone knows the stereotype connected with the Polish nationality is not the most flattering one. The common misconception about Polish people is that they are slightly less intelligent than most other cultures. This can be difficult for a person to deal with, especially as a child. Sometimes I was timid about telling people what my heritage was in fear that I would have to deal with the usual barrage of Polish jokes or the inescapable phrase “dumb Pollock”. Despite my periodic embarrassment towards my nationality, my grandmother continued to reassure me that I had nothing to be ashamed of. Often times she would comfort me buy telling me a good Polish joke herself, teaching me that jokes are jokes and they are meant to be laughed at. It is ironic in a way, because if you take notice, the best Polish jokes come from Polish people. There have been many times when one of my friends has called me a Pollock and followed it with a joke. I would laugh and then upstage him with a funnier joke of my own. Laughing off stereotypical jokes and appreciating the stories my grandmother told me put me on my way to being proud and interested in my heritage. If one cannot accept and have pride in where they come from, can they really respect themselves as whole individuals?
In order for one to know who they are and to respect themselves, I think it is necessary for them to understand what the culture of their nationality consists of. During my research I found things about Polish culture that built upon my already existing pride. The culture of Poland has been nurtured by a great variety of traditions. Due also to the fact that Poland is such a melting pot, outside traditions play a strong role in their culture. European influences are particularly strong. It is very common for someone who stems from a Polish background to share the same customs as other European counties. Unlike Russia, Poland was deeply immersed in all the great movements of Western culture such as humanism, the Renaissance, and the Reformation. Poland’s cultural identity was already strong before the series of partitions of Polish territory began in 1772. (History of Poland 161-162)
Until World War II, because Poland was an area of multinational settlement, it drew not only on the dominant Polish culture but also on that of the minorities, especially the Germans, Jews, Prussians and Russians. The multi-cultural influence is explicated by an integration of the neighboring European countries. “Prior to World War II, when Poland finally reached a point of solid statehood and independence, it was plagued with colonization, poor leadership, and economic suppression” (Starr 85). The compilation of the three hardships described in this quote allowed for the integration of other cultures to flourish and spread. During the early stages of Polish statehood, the kings of Poland were not as powerful or as dominant as the rulers of surrounding European nations. Countries like Prussia, which is now Germany, and also Russia fought over the territory of Poland. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Russia and Prussia divided the land of Poland, and basically colonized it. Because of the multi-rulership of Poland, both Prussian and Russian people lived in the parts of Poland that their respective nation reigned over. Hence, the actual Polish traditions and cultures such as humanism, the Renaissance and Reformation were mixed with the customs of surrounding nations.
The economic difficulties of Poland contributed to the integration of outside cultures because it suppressed Polish ability to fight forced assimilation. The wealthier citizens of neighboring countries who took claim of Polish land had the support of money to help them against polish resistance. Because of the loss of political independence, the last three centuries have been characterized by an unrelenting struggle to preserve the national culture and its values from foreign impositions and government policy. As the powerful European empires began to fall, Poland started a movement towards making itself an independent and unified nation. To accomplish such a feat, the program of Solidarity began. It was not until the late sixties and early seventies when Poland, who was still under Russian control, decided that a reformation towards a united and entirely Polish government was necessary. To fight the communist influence the people of Poland united and worked toward a common goal- democracy. During the inception period of this reformation all members of Polish society did their part to assert the movement. “Polish Solidarity is an alliance of workers, intellectuals, and peasants. [Solidarity]…has linked in a common effort to purify and democratize Polish political life” (Tischner vii). The term Solidarity was not used to describe the Polish reformation until the early eighties. Then and on throughout the nineties and the fall of Russia, Solidarity became its most powerful and progressive. Once communist Russia collapsed, Poland was able to establish a better sense of unity and democracy. Today Poland has become a strong democracy and economically they have become one of Europe’s most solid and affluent countries.
One of the strongest elements of Polish Culture was the adoption of Roman Catholicism in the 10th century. My family, especially my grandmother, is devout Roman Catholic. Religion has always been an important part of her home and life. My grandmother was the first to teach me the Our Father and the first to teach me how to bring God into my life. As far as I can remember my grandmother has gone to church twice a week and her influence carried on to my mother. My entire education has been within Catholic schools. My parents did not feel that I would obtain a proper sense of God and Catholic tradition within public schools, so there was never a thought of studying outside the Catholic school system. Millions of students go to public schools and are good Catholics, however I think that my grandmother’s strong traditions were what ultimately drove me to an exclusively Catholic education. Throughout difficulties of finance, acceptance and self-realization, Polish people including my grandmother have been able to keep a strong faith in God. The ability to hold faith in the face of tremendous adversity shows how strong willed and how determined to Polish are regardless of circumstance. My grandmother’s strong will to keep faith in God after the childhood she lived is reminiscent of the strength of the Polish people who were held down by stronger European nations but never gave up on unity or a better country.
Before I
started the research of my family I had a complete misconception of how
exactly it was that my Polish ancestors came to America. The interview
with my grandmother enlightened me to the true history of my great grandparents
immigration to America. Originally, I was under the impression that my
grandmother was born in Poland and came to America when she was a young
girl. I was happy to learn about the true history of my ancestors because
of the interesting stories it provided. This project not only gave me the
opportunity to gain knowledge of the history of Poland, but it also provided
me with the chance to delve into information about my relatives which I
may never of had the chance to otherwise.
Works Cited
Gieysztor, Aleksander, et
al.History of Poland. 2nd ed. Warszawa:Polish Scientific
Publishers, 1979.
Halecki, O.A History of
Poland. New York: Roy, 1943.
Rothbard, Murray N. America’s
Great Depression. Princeton, New Jersey: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc.,
1963.
Staar, Richard, F.Poland
1944-1962 The Sovietization of a Captive People. Baton Rouge: Louisiana
State University Press, 1962.
Tischner,
Josef. The Spirit of Solidarity. 1st ed. San Fransisco:
Harper & Row Publishers, 1984.
Wasserman, Miriam.Eliminating Child Labor. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. 11 Sept. 2000.11 Dec. 2000.
World Bank
Country Study.Poland: Reform, Adjustment, and Growth Volume 1.
The Main Report, The Economic System.Washington, D.C., The World Bank,
1987.