Emancipation of All the Minorities in the United States of America: Address to be Delivered to the Polish-American League of Houston, Texas Page: 1 of 12

                                
EMANCIPATION OF ALL THE MINORITIES IN TIE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ADDRESS TQ hE DELIVERED TO THE POLISH-AMERICAN LEAGUE OF I(ESTON,   XAS
(Appropriate Introductory remarks)
The history of the United States is the story of immigration on
grand stale-.of thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children touring
into the Country from every corner of the world. Consequently, Aerila
has always had, lou the beginning, something in the nature of a "mAnoty
problem." That is to say, there have always been been a large number of
minority groups on these shores--minority groups whose customs, modej of
dress, language, color, and traditions, er any combination thereof, kfve
set them apart from the general mass of the people.
On the other hand, the Aerican "minority problem" has always been
different from that of every other country on earth because ours is
the only national population composed almost exlusively of minorities.
Moreover, the problem is considerably aleviated by the fact that all our
minorities have contributed so extensively to American culture as to
render themselves a major part of that culture.
an hittorical event of
I would call to your attention/the utmost importance to a large seg-
ment of the overall American community --- the arrival at Jamestown, Virginia,
some 342 years ago, of colonial vessels of the London Company bearing the
first Polish immigrants to American shores.
&e was the custom then, almost all the colonists had worked out their
passage by pledging themselves to labor for the company that owned the
settlement. Within two or three years, the Polish immigrants had repaid the
London Company for the passage by ship from Europe, and become free sitisens
of the community.