To watch more of our civil war programming, visit our website. You are watching American History tv all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Now i look at highlights of the cspan cities to her cities tour, as we learn about cities around america. To learn more about the stops on our 2015 tour him a visit citiestour. I got started in oklahoma. That place is one third indians, one third negroes, and one third white people. I hit the road when i was 13 years old, all kinds of odd jobs around the country. They picked up a lot of songs. Your land] land is is your land, this land is my land, from california to the new york island. From the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters, this land was made for you and me. Woody guthrie is most famous for the writing of this land is your land. He was born in 1812 in oklahoma. We are very proud to have his work back in oklahoma, where we take it belongs. He was an advocate for people who were disenfranchised, for those people who were Migrant Workers from oklahoma camera oklahoma, kansas, and texas. He found himself in california literally starving. He found this vast difference between the people who were the has and havenots. In Guthrie Center was opened april 1917. The plan was to have this Research Facility in tulsa. Grew into the idea of opening up those archives to a new generation and teaching people about what he costs important part of American History, this museum came to be. We consider it a place to inspire people. Investigate what what he did with his talents, and then inspire people to go do something of their own. When the sun comes shining, i was strolling. Many of the people who were displaced were just looking for a better way of love better way of life. Farms duee lost their of thedrought and all winds that blew their soil away. And they had nothing. They were promised this garden of eden. Plenty of work. Come to california and we will have plenty of work for you. Then when they arrived they found out that its not what was really going on. They had been the victims often times of a marketing ploy by large landowners who were trying to get very cheap labor because they knew if they had overabundance of labor that they did not have to pay them very much. The workers did not have rights. When woody saw that, it did not seem right. In our country plenty where so many have so much, to allow families to struggle so horrifically and degrade them in a way that makes them feel less than human. It was just not acceptable. This area of the center focuses on the dust bowl experience and dust bowl era since that was such an important part of who woody was and started his work. It is a significant thing for us to mention. It is an important part of our history as oklahomans. We want to make sure our young people understand the resilient people they came from and the way they persevered in the face of this Natural Disaster that was actually manmade. Had the plains not been cloud like they were and over cultivated, the dust will would not have occurred like it did. In this area, we have some dorothy lane photos with woodys writings as a complement about the dust bowl migrants and what they were dealing with. A sketch of him going to california. One of his scrapbooks, one of my favorite pages, a short notation in answer to articles posted about him. He just says i will do everything i can to help the folks from oklahoma, dont you worry. I think that really speaks for who he was and what he was intending to do. Also, we have lyrics woody wrote. Lyrics to tom joad, a nod to John Steinbeck and the joad family. Woody guthrie he woke her up out of bed and he kissed goodbye to the mother that he loved everybody might be just one big soul it looks that way to me wherever you look in the day or night thats where im going to be, maw wherever little kids are hungry and cry wherever people aint free wherever men are deprived of their rights thats where im going to be [applause] if you aint got the do re mi talks about the way people would be greeted at the border and told if they did not have money, they would not get into california. Many of the very young and old died because of dust pneumonia. Woody recorded very few songs of his own. We have a listening station that features 46 of his songs in his own voice. Most of the time when people hear Woody Guthrie songs, they are not woody singing them. They are someone else. He spent his time traveling. He spent his time in the Migrant Worker camps, in Union Organization rallies. So he did not spend a great deal of time in recording studios, that is what makes the recordings he did make so significant and important to us. Woody guthrie have a little fun the price is up the rain come down gonna raise me a family woody definitely had themes to his writing. Woody wanted to make sure his people were well represented in his artwork and lyrics. There are some sketches here, the city of los angeles, no children wanted. We have the hoovervilles over here and the shining city in the background. He said one consolation left is that children raised in the city of the sun will always be the brightest. He felt the one way the Migrant Workers could create workers rights was to unionize. At this time, that was a dangerous concept. Today it is like yes, i will join a union. At that time, not so much of an option without facing some kind of violence. In these lyrics, 1913 massacre, he talks about a party where some Union Members were joining during christmas and the boss been created a panic by saying there was a fire and then locked the doors. It was in calumet, michigan. Woody guthrie one of them screams and says theres a fire a lady, she hollered, there is no suchy thing keep on with your party there is no suchy thing i think woody would go back into history and research other events that were pertinent to the struggles the workers were still facing. In the first line, he says, take a trip back with me to 1913. So he makes it clear he is going back. He is telling the story of this massacre that happened in 1913. He is pointing out this fight they are facing for workers, for displaced oklahomans, the problems they are facing are still alive today. And these people who faced this disaster should not be forgotten. Again, woody was an artist. He used his artwork sometimes in a playful way. Other times, for social commentary. Oftentimes, a combination of both. He has almost a little story he tells about the hand, the worker. The hand thinks it over and the hand cusses the boss out. The boss yells, cops law and order comes and the hand is charged with trying to overthrow the u. S. Government. And then, join the c. I. O if you have the struggles, join the union. We are in the center dedicated to this land is your land. That is the song most people recognize as a Woody Guthrie song. It is an important thing for our country. We wanted to make sure it was given its proper credit here. This land is your land celebrated its 75th birthday february of this year. We had the original handwritten lyrics on display. Most people recognize the song as a singalong from our Elementary School days, usually that did not involve singing the fourth and the sixth verses which were much more social commentary about how things could be improved in our society. Yes, woody thought we had a beautiful land. He brings this beautiful landscape of the things he thought as he traveled from coasttocoast. But he also wants to point out things about the people and how we are treating the people, and how we should be taking care of each other better. Woody guthrie there was a big high wall there that tried to stop me the sign was painted private property but on the backside it didnt say nothing this land was made for you and me the idea of a land owner seeing people starving outside this beautiful land he had and saying, no, you have to keep out, this is private property, did not go along with what woody thought demonstrated our beautiful country and what we have to offer our citizens. Woody guthrie this land was made for you and me i think it is important to note woody was a class warrior in a day wheso many artists were not. He gave a voice to the voiceless. Woody guthrie the fog was lifting this land was made for you and me throughout the weekend, American History tv is featuring highlights. Learn more about the cities at cspan. Org. You are watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Up next, part of a symposium focusing on 9045 in asia and the pacific. Discusses Joseph Stalin and the soviet union in the pacific war. The study of for strategy and politics posted this event. David thank you for this invitation. I began my work on the soviet army,
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