"To Foster the Love of One's Country...": Lithuanian-American Athletic Clubs from the Early Twentieth Century to World War Twol.

Several hundred thousand Lithuanians had settled in the USA before 1914. Among the most distinctive features of this emi- gration wave was the dense network of voluntary associations. Based on archival materials and the periodic press of the time, this article aims to reveal the role of sports clubs in the social fabric of Lithuanian-Americans from the early twentieth century to World War Two. It tries to find out about the functions of sports clubs in the expat community and their relations with other Lithuanian organizations. The article aims to demonstrate that sports clubs were part of the Lithuanian-American society. They did not confine themselves to just sports but took care of the all-round education, the solidarity of their members. They were involved in and contributed to all kinds of local initiatives and initiatives common for all of the Lithuanian-Americans, aspirations for the independence of Lithuania. By setting standards of behavior and rules by which the members had to commit themselves through organizational discipline and responsibility, Lithuanian-American societies developed important organizational habits for their members, improved their own image and that of the Lithuanian community. Sport and entertainment events organized by clubs helped overcome the barriers among the members of different clubs, which enabled better cooperation, a generation of resources, and the strength-ening of the Lithuanian community. Such societies became part of a network through which information circulated and issues of concern common for Lithuanian-Americans and the Lithuanians across the world as well as Lithuania were conveyed, thereby contributing to the development of what we could refer to as diaspora awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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