Seizing america’s promise: one man’s life in the early twentieth century
Date
2009
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
At the dawn of the twentieth century the United States of America was a
symbol of opportunity and hope to many around the world. Hundreds of thousands of
immigrants entered the U.S. seeking for themselves and their children a better life than
what they had known. Great changes occurred in the country, in part caused and
supported by the huge influx of immigrants. Urban populations swelled, the industrial
revolution occurred, settlement of western states expanded, and the country entered
World War I.
In order to understand these historical events, it is necessary to understand the
experiences, actions, and decisions of the people who lived through them. The stories
are varied, but the details are sometimes lost as a single narrative of the country’s past
unfolds. By examining individual stories, we can achieve a more complete
understanding of the past, and that, in turn, can help us better interpret events of today.
This is the story of Victor Francis Lotrich. He was one of the many who
entered the U.S. as an Eastern European immigrant and struggled to find his place in
the “land of opportunity.” He immigrated with his parents when he was just three
years old, and though he grew up in America, finding his place in it was difficult. He participated in the events that helped shape the country, and his life was one of the
countless that built the foundation for the present.
This thesis contains his story, some of it in his own words. The story is told in
the context of the external events that shaped his life, and it examines the choices he
made based on his circumstances. His decisions, in turn, affected the lives of his
descendents. His story is one piece in the larger story of our country’s past.