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DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
This is Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
Music by New Edition …
A question from China about why Missouri is the “Show-Me State” …
And, a report on three hundred fifty years of Jewish life inAmerica.
Jewish Life in America
Next week, Jews all over the world will begin celebrating theeight- day holiday of Hanukkah. At the same time, The Library ofCongress in Washington, D.C., is honoring Jewish history in theUnited States. It is showing more than two hundred objects fromJewish life in America. Barbara Klein has more.
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BARBARA KLEIN: The exhibit iscalled “From Haven to Home: Three Hundred Fifty Years of Jewish Lifein America.” Photographs, paintings, newspaper stories, films andother objects tell the Jewish story. Many Jews came to the UnitedStates in search of security.
Twenty-three people who fled religious oppression in Brazil werethe first Jews to arrive. They settled in what would later becomeNew York City in sixteen fifty-four. The collection tells thepromise of America for those from other countries who came here.
One example is a letter written by America’s first president,George Washington, in seventeen ninety. President Washington wrotethe letter to the Newport Hebrew Congregation in Rhode Island. Hisletter says Jewish people should continue to enjoy the good will ofothers in the United States.
A painting from later in history shows Uriah Philipps Levy, whofought in the War of Eighteen Twelve. He also helped keep the homeof President Thomas Jefferson as a national monument.
The Library of Congress collection also shows a handwritten poemby Emma Lazarus. It contains the lines, “Give me your tired, yourpoor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” She wrote thepoem in eighteen eighty-three to help raise money for the Statue ofLiberty in New York Harbor. Her poem is written on the famousstatue.
The collection represents more modern times as well. Itrecognizes Jewish entertainers, writers, politicians and athletes.
The collection also recalls difficult times for Jews. A newspapercartoon documents such a time in the American South during thenineteen-fifties. A Library of Congress guide says some southernersbecame hostile because many Jews supported human rights for blackpeople.
The collection ends with a short film of the Jewish music writer,Irving Berlin, who was born in Russia. He is singing one of his mostfamous songs, “God Bless America.” Berlin always said that he wrotethe song to thank America for all it did to help him succeed.
‘Show-Me State’
DOUG JOHNSON: Our listener question this week comes from Hubei,China. A listener named Hall writes: “It’s said that people from thestate of Missouri tend to be suspicious. … Why?”
Well, we cannot speak for all the people from Missouri. But it istrue that their Midwestern state is known as the “Show-Me State.”
When people say “show me,” what they mean is, “show me theproof.” In other words, they are not easily tricked. The same istrue when people say “I’m from Missouri” even when they are not.
Being a little suspicious ourselves, we did some searching on theWeb. We found out from the state government that Missouri is notofficially called the “Show-Me State.” But that term does appear onautomobile license plates and is commonly used around Missouri.
So where did it come from? State officials note that there are anumber of stories to explain it. The most widely known involves acongressman from Missouri named Willard Duncan Vandiver.
In eighteen ninety-nine, the congressman gave a speech inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. It was in connection with serving on theHouse Committee on Naval Affairs. He declared that he came from astate that raises corn and cotton “and Democrats.” He said fancylanguage “neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri.You have got to show me.”
Missouri officials are not sure Congressman Vandiver was thefirst to say that. But they say his use helped make the sayingpopular.
Another story takes place during a strike by miners in theeighteen nineties in the western town of Leadville, Colorado. Anumber of lead miners from Missouri had been hired to replace thelocal strikers. As this version goes, the Missouri miners did notknow Colorado mining methods and needed a lot of help. Supervisorsbegan saying: “That man is from Missouri. You’ll have to show him.”It was not something nice to say.
But we have all the proof we need that “show me” is a term spokenwith pride. VOA’s book editor Nancy Beardsley grew up in the”Show-Me State.” She tells us that the saying means the people ofMissouri are independent and need proof before they will trustauthority.
New Edition
In nineteen eighty, five teenage singers from Boston,Massachusetts, formed a group they called New Edition. Now NewEdition is out with its eighth album. Gwen Outen has our story.
GWEN OUTEN: New Edition set out to become a new version of thenineteen seventies group the Jackson Five. In nineteen eighty-three,New Edition released its first album, “Candy Girl.” The members ofthe group were between the ages of thirteen and fifteen.
New Edition became popular with hits like “Is This the End,””Popcorn Love” and “Candy Girl.”
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In nineteen eighty-six, Bobby Brown left New Edition to sing onhis own.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Gill joined the group in time forits nineteen eighty-eight album “Heart Break.” That album includedthis hit, “Can You Stand the Rain.”
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New Edition had its last album, “Home Again,” in nineteenninety-six.
The newest album from the group is called “One Love.” We leaveyou with New Edition and a song called “Hot 2Nite.”
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DOUG JOHNSON: This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed AMERICANMOSAIC.
Our program was written by Lawan Davis, Nancy Steinbach andJerilyn Watson. Paul Thompson was our producer.
Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Besure to include your full name and postal address. Or write toAmerican Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C.,two-zero-two-three-seven, USA.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazinein Special English.