Frances Kellor Founded Modern America - Part 3

In this part Kellor:

1) Defeats scientific racism,
2) Greets Ellis Island generation
3) Founds the National Urban League

Enjoy!

John K. Press, Ph.D.

Frances Kellor Founded Modern America Video Series Introduced

Video introducing my Frances Kellor Video channel

Happy Birthday Frances Kellor

October 23rd, 1873, Alice Frances Kellor entered the world she would do so much to reshape.  Birthing a new American social order in the Progressive Era via the Americanization movement (1906 - 1921) and later connecting the world with her international arbitration work, this Founding Mother helped create modern America and a good deal of the current global order.

Every piece of Kellor's work defended social justice.  She founded the National Urban League. She worked in Southern African - American prisons when no one else considered it.  She pioneered women's basketball with the hope of reforming women.  She launched Service Learning in New York State.  She publicly led Presidential campaigns to show women capable.  She ran immigrant media in America.  She got women's voting on national political party platforms for the first times. She launched an alternative form of government in America. She developed multiculturalism in practice and modern culturally- neutral citizenship.

Repeating the pronoun "she" at the beginning of the above sentences highlights Kellor's function as a transgender lesbian.  Upon going to college, she changed her above name to Frances Kellor.  In many photos she is dressed as a man.  And, took the masculine role in her 47 year relationship with Mary Dreier.

As a gift to Kellor, on this occasion of her 128th birthday, I wish to offer you a birthday gift.  If you'd read a copy of her biography and tell someone about this LGBT role model, I'll give you a free copy of Founding Mother: Frances Kellor and the Creation of Modern America; just email me your name and address.

In honor of her, visit www.franceskellor.com.  Happy Birthday!!

John K. Press, Ph.D.

Capsule, Kellor, and You!

My two most recent books concern the formation of identity in modernity.  “Capsule: A Search for Identity in Modern Japan” follows Adam and John as they systematically discuss sources of identity on psychedelics.   “Founding Mother: Frances Kellor and the Creation of Modern America,” looks at ways in which Kellor (1873 – 1952) presaged, promoted, and formed our modern sense of American identity.

The quintessential characteristic of modernity is choice.  You can live as a gay Buddhist all the while working as a corporate executive, voting Republican, and have surrogates create multiple children for you.  You could also stay single, vote Democrat, and spend the majority of your time improving your drinking skills.  Nothing fetters your self-invention in this modern world. 

In its valuing of choice, modernism contradicts traditionalism.  In traditional societies men and women know their roles. They have children.  The men work and the women raise the children. In this sense, child-free transgender persons represent the final frontier of modernity, of the Western modern experience.  They have become the essential Americans.  No tradition binds them.

Kellor lived with a woman, had no children, and dressed as a man.  And, she ran the Americanization movement that greeted immigrants from 1906 – 1921.  100 million Americans trace their heritage to Ellis Island.  During Ellis Island’s hey day she ran New York’s Bureau of Industries and Immigrants; the official governmental agency in charge of immigrant affairs.   This is only one way that this LGBT role model created America’s modern self-image.

The definition of American identity Kellor promulgated eschewed traditional American sources of identity.  Rather than our old Protestant definition, she taught that Americans were those who participated in political activism.  Her multicultural parades showed that being American required no particular sets of beliefs.  To her, as to us, our national identity solely stems from our label as a democracy.

This lack of judgment made a world safe for modern gender benders with alternative life styles like Kellor.  So from where do we get our moorings today? 

In Capsule Adam and I discuss our lack of belonging.  He lives in Japan and so is clearly out of place.  And, I am bewildered by the dizzying array of choices my life presents.  In a backdrop of adventure in Japan, we ponder if marriage, LGBT lifestyles, travel, nationalism, our personal stories, our work, or many other sources of identity could provide us with a fulfilling sense of community, belonging, meaning in live, or identity. 

To understand Capsule’s conclusions, you must read the book.  But know that the search, the fact that we must self-identify fuels every fun moment.  And, Kellor necessarily launched the search that the Capsule chronicles.  Once we have left our traditional moorings, we get faced with choice.  Founding Mother helps us understand where our modernity comes from.  Capsule helps chronicle the adventure that being let loose from roles entails. Both help us to understand who are and might become in this modern world.  

Frances Kellor Interrupted

The new edition of Founding Mother has been published.  The last blog post, simply relayed the new introduction.  As book introductions went, it rocked the house.  As a blog post, it ran a bit long. And, due to my occupied by publishing, it stayed up for months.  For all of those who were considering becoming regular readers, I apologize.  I am back.  Now if you want the new introduction, just buy the new version of Founding Mother.  The blog is back.

In the interim, I have also published another book, Capsule: A Search for Identity in Modern Japan.  This project also kept me from writing Kellor blog posts.  And, as this blog provides my main word-based source of expression, I will introduce those interested in Kellor to capsule at a later date, on this blog.  Suffice it to now say, that both Kellor and Capsule converge in the theme of my publishing company, Social Books; the attempt to understand what holds society together.

Today, I launched another phase of my Kellor promotion campaign.  I began bringing Kellor and my other books to the streets of New York.  I set up a table and chair and offered such information to the Columbia University community.  I sold zero books in my hour and a half selling.  But, I met some very interesting people.  I have always been attracted to the extravagant, eccentric folks in the world.  And, if nothing else, selling Founding Mother on the street seems to introduce one to eccentrics.