Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
A German friend of mine once commented that a lot of states in America seemed to be named after women: Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Georgia, even North and South Dakota. At first glance, this would seem to be true. Lots of women in history were named Virginia, Mary, Carolina and Georgia, and in our time there is a … >>
This column was originally written for Spotlight Online. Today, November 20, is a German holiday that doesn’t really exist, but that still affects us at Spotlight. Buß- und Bettag (Day of Repentance and Prayer) is a Protestant holiday observed in only two parts of the country: in the state of Saxony and in Bavarian schools. Because our offices are located … >>
This past Monday, October 14, was Columbus Day — the federal holiday in the US that commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Notice I did not say “the discovery by Christopher Columbus of the New World”. Political correctness has put an end to that phrasing. I would, however, take the unpopular position that … >>
Do you know the difference between nationality and citizenship? A lot of people use these words to mean the same thing — but they don’t. The word “citizen” comes to us from Latin civitas, meaning “city”. The French took that word centuries ago and made the word citeain — someone who lives in a city. Today, a citizen is a … >>
He was only trying to be nice. He wanted to use his language skills. And if he didn’t help them, they would surely die. He was a Native American named Squanto. “They” were the Pilgrims, who’d arrived in Massachusetts in November 1620. Both are examples of the unlikely nature of the American story. The Pilgrims (known in England as the … >>