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Snapshot 1973 – Henry Kissinger – 1st ethnic Jew & 1st naturalized U.S. citizen to become Secretary of State…
June 7, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
When it comes to politics and ethnicity, gender, religion, etc., U.S. firsts are noteworthy. A few which stand out are John F. Kennedy (1st Roman Catholic President), Barack Obama (1st black President), Kamala Harris (1st female and 1st black Vice-President), Antonin Scalia (1st Italian-American Supreme Court Justice), Hiram Revels (1st former slave to serve as a U.S. Senator), etc. The list of such significant milestones is almost endless.
Although it took place during my lifetime, to my loss one failed to capture the attention of my (then) 14-year-old mind. However, thanks to a collector’s request to see if we had coverage of the tragic death of singer-songwriter Jim Croce, my digging within our archives turned up a September 22, 1973 News and Observer (Raleigh, NC) which not only had a report on his death, but also featured the front-page headline: “KISSINGER CONFIRMED IN 78-7 VOTE” – telling of his becoming both the first Jewish-American AND first naturalized citizen to be confirmed as Secretary of State. He was sworn in the following day. Quite historic. Such “finds” are nearly a daily occurrence in the lives of our Rare & Early Newspapers’ staff – just one more reason to love this collectible!
Some things actually do change…
July 10, 2017 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
One of the things that struck me while discussing the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution with my children earlier this month was the insight of the American forefather’s demonstrated in their framing of the foundation of this new experiment in self-rule. While some might point to the flaws found within many of the founding documents, procedures, underlying beliefs, and early practices to poke holes in our current state of government, truth be told the seeds of change were sewn throughout the fabric of this new society – avenues which have allowed for peaceful and rightful adjustments to be made over time. Sure, there were times when peaceful change took a backseat, however, many changes have occurred through the prescribed method for making country-wide adjustments: the amendment process. This truth came to light recently when I came across a headline (Los Angeles Times, June 11, 1979) announcing a Supreme Court decision regarding the rights of the handicapped (see images). Was their prior decision regarding the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 correct? How about this related-decision? How were the rights of the handicapped perceived prior to the 1973 decision? Now? Sometimes the changes made over time are quite dramatic. At other times, the adjustments have as much to do with how we describe things, such as the 1990 Amendment which replaced all appearances of the word “handicapped” with “disabled.” Things really can and do change over time.
As a side note, I also happened to notice that on the same day, The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by Madalyn Murry O’Hair aimed at having the inscription, “In God We Trust” eliminated from all U. S. coins. Wikipedia notes: “”In God We Trust” as a national motto and on U.S. currency has been the subject of numerous unsuccessful lawsuits. The motto was first challenged in Aronow v. United States in 1970, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled: “It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency ‘In God We Trust’ has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise.” Yes, somethings do change, but others, at least for now, remain the same. However, thanks to the wisdom of those who have gone before us, “We, the People” have a given means for expressing our views and may continue to do so until those who wish to silence dissent rule the day. 