"The Czech Catholics and Freethinkers in Chicago during the second half of the XIXth century"

Abstract

The paper explores cultural and religious dimensions of the social life of the Czech Catholic and Freethinking migrant community in Chicago during the second half of the XIXth century. In the first place I outlined the brief history of the estabůishing the Czech community in Chicago.

Then I assessed the role of the education, cultural organizations and the religion in preserving the national identity of the Chicago Czechs. Last but not least, I presented the relationship between the Czech Catholics and Freethinkers from the perspective of their religious life and how this relations reflected on their everyday life.

Keywords

• Chicago Czechs
• Freethinkers and Catholics
• national identity
• cultural organizations
• Czech schools
• adaptive strategy
• the Czech periodical press in the USA