The Immigrant's Love for America

The Captain and Ann Barbara

The emotional conversion of an exiled Jewish child into a passionate citizen of the United States.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Train on the Long Road The Train on the Long Road from "The Captain and Ann Barbara". The Train on the Long Road The Flying Wonder Mary and her family stood on tiptoe and waved as a train rushed by with its pennon of smoke.

The Train on the Long Road from "The Captain and Ann Barbara". The Train on the Long Road The Flying Wonder Mary and her family stood on tiptoe and waved as a train rushed by with its pennon of smoke.

The Train on the Long Road The Flying Wonder Mary and her family stood on tiptoe and waved as a train rushed by with its pennon of smoke. She wondered where it came from and whither it flew. The Dream of Beyond If ever she dreamed of a world beyond Polotzk, it was at those moments. The train was the messenger of distance. The Seed of Longing The future America was hidden in that longing. The country of the Czar could not contain her heart.

The Letter That Changed the World

The Letter That Changed the World The Father's Voice Hannah Hayye read Pinchus's thick letter describing the ship and the emigration committee. Mary heard something beyond the words: an elation, a hint of triumph. The Vision of America "America" lodged in her brain as a world entirely unlike Polotzk. It became the center of all her dreams. The Promise Made Her father saw something and promised something. She inherited the promise.

The Brightness of Boston Streets

The Brightness of Boston Streets The Lamp Lit Streets Mary was delighted by the illumination of the streets on the first night. Light was free, and the streets were as bright as a synagogue on a holy day. The Serenade of the Band A brass band had played outside the new home. Music, too, was free. The Land of Gifts Everything the immigrants touched seemed to be a gift. America was proving itself a fairy land.

George Washington and Fellow Citizenship

George Washington and Fellow Citizenship The Hero's Story Reading the life of Washington filled Mary with reverence and worship. She gazed at his portrait until she could see it with her eyes shut. The Miraculous Relation Washington had died long before she was born, yet he and she were Fellow Citizens. Sudden greatness had fallen on her. The Responsibility of Citizenship She strove to conduct herself as befitted a Fellow Citizen. The story of the Revolution taught her what "my country" could mean.

Singing America with All Her Might

Singing America with All Her Might The Strains Through Closed Doors Mary lost her place in lessons as she strained to hear neighboring classes rehearsing patriotic songs. The Star-Spangled Banner sent tremors down her spine. The Proclamation When the class stood to sing "America," she shouted the words with all her might. She was proclaiming her love for the country. The Converted Patriot Naturalization had meant more than the adoption of the immigrant by America. It was the adoption of America by the immigrant.

a Sabbath walk in Mary's childhood

while Mary was in bed with measles in Polotzk

the first evening in Boston

the sixth grade in Chelsea

during the Washington's Birthday rehearsals