Description
Book SynopsisJust before the turn of the twentieth century, immigrants from eastern and southern Europe who had settled in mining regions of Minnesota formed a subculture that combined elements of Old World traditions and American culture.
Trade Review“The culture of the Iron Range Fourth of July is a fascinating topic, and Nemanic has begun to elucidate its importance.” * Minnesota History *
“Nemanic begins by explaining how Independence Day developed nationally as a holiday and how it shifted from one of carnivalesque rituals that inverted the social order to one that focused on conformity and stability. Celebrations in the Iron Range, however, were slower in making this shift, which Nemanic explains by pointing to the region’s ethnic diversity, class tensions, and harsh physical environment.” * Michigan Historical Review *
“The author uses the historical background of the American Revolution and early nineteenth-century Independence Day festivities to situate her twentieth-century Iron Range celebrations within rowdy Old World carnival traditions of resistance. Native-born members of the middle class were equally determined to transform the holiday into a venue of unity and decorum....” * The Annals of Iowa *
