Our Brothers Across the Ocean: The Czech Sokol in America to 1914 [1]

This article provides an overview of the growth and development of the American Sokol movement from its origins in 1865 until the outbreak of the First World War, focusing on the role of the American Sokol in the infrastructure of Czech-American society, and its understanding of its national mission. The similarities and differences between the Sokol organizations in America and the Czech lands, especially on the issues of Free Thought, women’s rights, socialism and relations with non-Czech gymnastic organizations, are examined in order to highlight the perceptions and misapprehensions each held about the other. The article concludes with an assessment of the organization’s effectiveness in maintaining the national identity of the Czech community in the United States.