Mary Lou Nemanic is an associate professor of communications at Penn State Altoona. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers and have been broadcast on television.
Listed in: Midwest · History · American History
One Day for Democracy
Independence Day and the Americanization of Iron Range Immigrants
By Mary Lou Nemanic
Just before the turn of the twentieth century, immigrants from eastern and southern Europe who had settled in mining regions of Minnesota formed a subculture that combined elements of Old World traditions and American culture. Their unique pluralistic version of Americanism was expressed in Fourth of July celebrations rooted in European carnival traditions that included rough games, cross-dressing, and rowdiness.In
