Highlights Archives
Recalling Women for a Peaceful Christmas
Under the slogan "No More Shopping Days 'Til Peace," a group of Wisconsin women organized Women for a Peaceful Christmas (WPC) in1971. Inspired during a time when the women's movement, the peace movement, and the environmental movement were in full swing, the group sought to highlight ways women's spending contributed to the waste of natural resources. The nation's involvement in Vietnam also profoundly influenced their thinking. The group's genesis and legacy unfold in the Winter 2009–2010 issue of Wisconsin Magazine of History in Nancy Unger's article, "Women for a Peaceful Christmas: Wisconsin Homemakers Seek to Remake American Culture."
 WPC did not propose a holiday boycott. Group founder, Nan Cheney, said, "Boycott Christmas? Never! We women do not ask abandonment of the peace, love and joy the season brings." Instead WPC urged Americans to examine their priorities and turn away from the conspicuous consumption that had begun to characterize the holidays. They advocated the purchase of only essential goods and services, and discouraged the purchase of products and services from businesses that profited from the war. As an alternative, WPC offered suggestions for a return to traditional activities like baking and making homemade presents. The movement spread to almost every state, with members ranging in age from teenagers to grandmothers.
As the founders of WPC anticipated, they didn't have a particularly big impact on the economy with its pervasive encouragement of over consumption. They did demonstrate that a small group of wives and homemakers could bring their message to thousands of people across the country. The group's legacy is evident in the ongoing activism of those who participated. Many members of WPC continue to promote peace and protect the environment today.
In the Wisconsin Historical Society archives, you can find original items created by WPC. Artifacts include a button, bumper sticker and an illustrated booklet of ideas for homemade gifts that presents activities intended to make the world a better place. There are also hand-written letters from around the country that document requests for materials. View images from the collection.
Making a Case for Historical Archaeology
Archaeologists are able to reconstruct a slice of life from the past beyond the information found in existing written records or accounts of settlers and land surveyors. The process is not unlike that used in the forensic examination of crime scenes today. Instead of relying on written records created for a specific purpose, archaeological inquiry examines mundane objects from everyday life that belonged to those who inhabited the places and events under exploration. In "Investigating Farmstead Life in 19th-Century Racine County: the Past as a Crime Scene and the Case of Historical Archaeology," Paul Reckner demonstrates how archaeologists are able to piece together a story that unlocks mysteries of the past.
Recalling the Milwaukee Anarchist Scare of 1917
Michael Gordon tells the story of the small Italian anarchist community that thrived in the working-class neighborhoods of Bay View, Wisconsin, in his piece, "To Make a Clean Sweep: Milwaukee Confronts an Anarchist Scare in 1917." The anarchists might have led quiet lives and gone largely unnoticed had not the Reverend Augusto Giuliani, pastor of the Italian Evangelical Church in downtown Milwaukee, decided to hold a series of open-air "loyalty" rallies there soon after the United States entered the European War in 1917. Catholics in the neighborhood were livid that the former priest now denounced their religion. Giuliani incensed the anarchists when he urged them to support the government, which they believed caused much of their misery.
In a clash with police on September 9, 1917, someone fired a revolver, and in seconds police shot and killed two men, wounding several others. Police arrested 11 Italians from the crowd and charged them with conspiring to murder Giuliani and several of the officers. On November 24, 1917, a horrific bombing at the Milwaukee police station killed 10 people. Although police believed the bombing was in retribution for the arrest of the 11 men accused, prosecutors never charged anyone with the bombing and the case went unsolved. A jury convicted the 11 men in December 1917. Despite receiving 25-year state prison sentences, the defendants' famous Chicago attorney, Clarence Darrow, successfully argued their case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. All were eventually released and deported.
Depicting the "Dignity and Nobility of Men Who Work"
The work of one of the country's most highly regarded muralists, featured in vivid color, is presented in Bobbie Malone's retrospective "Arthur Covey's Kohler Murals: Honoring the 'Dignity and Nobility' of Men Who Work." Walter J. Kohler commissioned the seven stunning murals in the early 1920s to depict foundry workers at their labors. Located in the entrance of Kohler Co.s administration building, they remain as beautiful and vibrant as they were when Covey painted them.
An Excerpt from Encore! The Renaissance of Wisconsin Opera Houses
The magazine also includes an excerpt from Encore! The Renaissance of Wisconsin Opera Houses, by Brian Lehay Doyle with photographs by Mark Fay. Published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, the book focuses on the histories of 10 Wisconsin opera houses and theaters, and offers a broader look at the evolution of American theater.
:: Posted December 17, 2009
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