Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Obama's neighbourhood...and more (May, 8)

Obama's house is a beautiful Georgian revival mansion and is both distinguished and stunning. It is located a couple of blocks from several idyllic Chicago parks such as Elm Park and Houston Playground Park.
Obama's house, 5046 South Greenwood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/barack-obamas-house  

Obama's house is a large red brick house located in a residential area within Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood.  The mansions in this area were built by Chicago merchants after the Great Fire (1871), and this district has now become now popular with wealthy African-american families.

6,400 square feet included six bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a wine cellar for 600 bottles. It was renovated in high style: antique Chinese washbasins, mahogany bookshelves, a granite kitchen floor.
                                                            DID YOU KNOW?
Chicago is the adopted hometown of President Barack Obama, who started his political life, his family and launched himself into the White House from the South Side.
You should stand  on the South side of East Hyde Park Boulevard if  you want tosee the house from that side due to Secret Service protection on the North side! 

                             INTERESTING AND FUN FACTS ABOUT OBAMA 
                    http://www.fun-facts.org.uk/american-presidents/barack-obama.htm

While some of my French students were enjoying a bit of the American way of life at the U.S.Cellular Field to see a baseball match, I decided to go and visit the Du Sable Museum of African American History by myself, which is located at 740 East 56th Place, Chicago, Illinois 60637 in the south of Chicago, to the North of the Museum of Science and Industry. I daresay that the reason why I originally  thought of the city of Chicago for a field trip (3 years ago to be precise) is the re-election of Barack Obama in 2012. As a matter of fact, I made my students observe and react about Obama's path to the "White" House. At the time, he was symbolizing a totally new profile of American presidents-a "Black" man, the first Non-white politician to reach presidency and lead a multi-cultural nation that has to cope with the issue of Diversity, and still divided on racial an ethnical matters. I sincerely believed that, whatever one's feelings about politics and no matter one's own biased (political) opinions, it could be a great opportunity for French students to experience this "switch" of History, what is more of American History, and take some of them on the lands of this big nation in order to somehow live American History and Society directly from the inside. So I had planned to go to this museum and collect some cultural documents such as (activity) books, posters, card games...

Exhibition on Chicago Trip at George Sand Public Open House on Sat. 13 in Room B1 (table with blue cloth)




Le musée DuSable porte le nom d'un pionnier dont la paternité de la fondation de la ville de Chicago n'a été officiellement reconnue qu'en 1968. Fils d'un marin Français et d'une mère Africaine, ancienne esclave, originaire du Congo, Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable est né à Port-au-Prince à Haïti en 1745. Eduqué en France, à Paris où il poursuit des études, il ne trouve pas sa place dans cette société hiérarchisée et rêve d'un monde plus égalitaire. Il s'embraque donc pour le Nouveau Monde en 1762 et, après un passage par la Nouvelle-Orléans, il se pose sur les rives du Lac Michigan où il fait la connaissance des Indiens de la tribu Potowani qui lui réserve un accueil chaleureux et respectueux. L'entente est telle que les Potowani le désigne comme son représentant et son porte-parole auprès des Anglais (il épousera d'ailleurs une des leurs en 1788: Catherine).

                                                         LE SAVIEZ-VOUS?

 Doué pour les affaires, il aménage en 1784 un immense domaine comprenant sa résidence et plusieurs bâtiments dont deux granges, un poulailler, un moulin et des fermes, des écuries et du bétail et, plus singulièrement, une boulangerie et une crèmerie, bâtissant ainsi un véritable complexe commercial pour l'époque, sur le rive nord de la rivière Chicago. Et même si, en 1800, il vend sa propriété pour s'établir à St-Charles dans le Missouri, il demeurera celui qui a crée ce lieu de vie -premier comptoir commercial, fréquenté non seulement par les autochtones, mais également les trappeurs et les marchands de passage qui venaient s'y ravitailler et vendre leurs marchandises. Un lieu de vie suffisamment prospère pour se transformer en colonie permanente qui verra sa population s'accroître de 5000 habitants en 1800 à 1 000 000 en 1890, 3 400 000 en 1930 et, enfin, 2,7 millions   de nos jours [Chicago est la troisième grande ville des Etats-Unis après New York (8, 2 millions) et Los Angeles (3, 8 millions). Pour information: Paris compte 2, 23 millions].

Plaque installée en 1912 sur un édifice installé à l'angle des rues Pine et Kinzie (John Kinzie, marchand de fourrure qui récupèrera la propriété) à Chicago, près du lieu où avait été construite son campement. On peut y lire:

"Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite has been dedicated a National Historic Landmark. This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America ... - 1977, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior" ...

Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable [1745 -1818] ... popularly known as "The Father of Chicago", was the first known settler in the area which is now Chicago, Illinois. Du Sable was recognized by the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago as the Founder of Chicago on October 26, 1968..."



Le mémorial le plus récent consacré à DuSable est un imposant buste en bronze datant de 2009 (19 octobre) sculpté par Erik Blome et qu'on trouve sur le côté est de l'avenue Michigan, au nord de la rivière. La sculpture est un don des membres de la communauté haïtiano-américaine de Chicago.




                                                                       
                                                                                  DID YOU KNOW?









http://www.womensmemorial.org/Education/BBH1998.html









http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/philip-cohran-41
http://www.philcohran.com/pc_aud_fr.htm 


http://www.dusablemuseum.org/exhibits/details/free-at-first-the-evolution-of-the-association-for-the-advancement-of-creat 

 

HAROLD LEE WASHINGTON, FIRST AFRICAN AMERIACN MAYOR OF CHICAGO

Watch the animation on the site below!

http://www.dusablemuseum.org/exhibits/details/a-slow-walk-to-greatness-the-harold-washington-story
POSITIVE AND INSPIRING AFFIRMATIONS
https://youtu.be/p9JDqtZsni4

DID YOU KNOW?



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