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The “Land of Opportunity” as a melting pot… Still a work in progress…
August 18, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The United States has often been considered both a “land of opportunity” and a “melting pot”. It is certainly reasonable to expect that if these are complimentary characteristics, they need to be complimentary (i.e., go hand in hand). While the blending of both will likely be an ongoing pursuit, steady progress over time should remain in focus, necessitating regular self-assessments. One such gauge of progress is to track those who have reached either of the two pinnacles of opportunity… the highest offices of the land: President or Vice-President. While early “outsiders” such Marquis de Lafayette, Albert Gallatin, and Alexis de Tocqueville gave America a glowing report card in regard to our pursuit, the reality is, many start well but eventually grow weary or lose focus. So, how are we doing?
This very question came to mind as I viewed the front page of a recent acquisition – an issue of the National Post (Canada) dated August 8, 2000. It had a full banner headline which surprised me: “GORE FIRST TO PICK JEWISH RUNNING MATE”. Until the 21st century, had the U.S. never had a Jewish-American on a presidential ticket for a major political party – let alone one who had served as either VP or POTUS? I guess I should have known this, but to be honest, I’m still waking up to such things. So, digging a little deeper, I discovered that whereas the ethic groups most prevalent in America during its early, formative period were a healthy blend of English, Irish, African, Germanic, Jewish, and Scottish, only those within the melting pot with a Jewish heritage have yet to reach the top steps of the ladder labeled “Land of Opportunity”. Interesting.
While there are many ways to measure growth… and whereas those with slavery in their family tree have had more than their fair share of roadblocks along their opportunistic trek, rather than be discouraged, we need to keep assessing honestly and responding intentionally. As for me, I’m thankful for newspapers like the National Post which serve as a reminder of the quest before us.
The reason I collected it: Predicting the 21st century from a perch in 1929…
June 12, 2023 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Who hasn’t given some thought to what life would be like in 50 years, or 75 years. A few enterprising newspaper publishers have as well, and the Daily Mail of London, January 1, 2000 is a great–and quite rare–example.
You see, this is actually a newspaper published in 1928. This is a futurist newspaper. We’ve handled a few, but they are exceedingly scarce. It was printed based on their perception of what life, news, entertainment, politics, and culture would be like 72 years in the future. What is most intriguing is that this future date is already in our distant past, so it is interesting to see what people in 1928 thought life would be like in 2000. In general, their hopes would prove to be disappointing to any reader who might have lived until 2000.
From beginning to end, this 24-page tabloid-size newspaper is all about the future. It had to be an exhausting project, but it certainly resulted in a most intriguing addition to any newspaper collection. 