Guam!

uscitizenpod: Guam!




Today we talk to Annie Marie Rivera Montes, who is a native of Guam and a teacher (retired) of the Chamorro culture. Guam is a territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point (in terms of jurisdiction) and territory of the United States, along with Northern Mariana Islands. The inhabitants of Guam are called Guamanians, and they are American citizens by birth. Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamorros, who are related to other Austronesian natives to the west in the Philippines and Taiwan. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guam)

USCIS 100:91. Name one U.S. territory.
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Virgin Islands
* American Samoa
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Guam

Learn more about Guam, the Mariana Islands, and the Chamorro at
Guampedia: Guam’s Online Encyclopedia
https://www.guampedia.com/

Although Guamanian serve in the military at a rate that is three times higher than the rest of the country, their vets' struggle to receive medical services
WATCH: America By the Numbers: Island of Warriors https://www.pbs.org/video/america-numbers-island-warriors

CONTACT: VA.gov or your U.S. congress members. Tell them that you support increased healthcare services for vets, especially those from Guam and the U.S. territories.

This interview was recorded in the Kaiser Vallejo Rehabilitation Center, where Annie Marie's husband and my father where recovering from their strokes. Unfortunately my father passed away the next day. PLEASE learn more about strokes at Stroke.org

My Father, Gene Gagliardi

Gene P. Gagliardi

July 11, 1935 to July 2, 2018
Trinidad, Colorado

Beloved husband of Elinor, Gene is survived by their children: Jennifer, Gene (Guadalupe), Geralie (Darin), Brian (Pam), Daryl (Cheryl), 8 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, his siblings John, Roseanne, and Patsy, plus many nieces and nephews, most notably James and Sandy.

Gene was a high school All American Football player and two-sport Division I athlete at University of Illinois, where this Phi Kappa Theta brother met his Kappa Delta sweetheart, Elinor. Upon graduation, they married and he served as a naval officer on the USS Hancock. After the Navy, Gene taught Biology, PE, and Driver's Ed and coached Football along with multiple sports at Riordan, Serra, Piedmont Hills, St Mary's Moraga, Santa Clara University, San Jose City College, before retiring from Independence High School where pioneered the intramural program. As a man and as a mentor, his highest value was teamwork and his greatest success came when his students, players, and family succeeded. We all were inspired by his love and fidelity, integrity and piety.
He will be deeply missed.

Friends and family
are invited to the following:

Visitation: Darling-Fischer Garden Chapel, San Jose, Sunday July 8, 4-8pm
Funeral Mass: St Victor's Church, San Jose, Monday July 9, 10 am

In lieu of flowers, please donate to St Victor's Parish School, San Jose, CA

Podcast with my Dad: Election Results 2016
Ten civics questions (one extra credit questions) slightly modified which review the results of the November 8, 2016 General Election. Special Guest Star: my father, Gene Gagliardi.
mp3: https://goo.gl/G3jbKq
pdf: https://goo.gl/hnWXMV (download only)

NOW I FEEL FREE: Yard Goats hold naturalization ceremony on Fourth of July

WTNH News8: Yard Goats hold naturalization ceremony on Fourth of July

The Hartford Yard Goats are celebrating the holiday in the most patriotic way possible. The team welcomed 50 new U.S. citizens to the park.

8 US Supreme Court cases - Loving v Virginia

VOA Learning English: 8 US Supreme Court cases - Loving v Virginia

VOANews: Mixed-Race Marriage Was Illegal in the U.S. Until 1967

Historic High in US Acceptance of Christian Refugees

VOANews: Historic High in US Acceptance of Christian Refugees

United States government records show that nearly 68 percent of all refugees arriving in the country over the past nine months are Christian. That information comes from the U.S. State Department. The acceptance rate represents a 16-year high for Christian refugees. Yet some Christian activists are unhappy about the latest numbers. They note that the number of refugees accepted is much lower than that of recent years. (read more)

Words in This Story

church – n. a Christian religious center; a building where Christians meet for religious services

mobilization – n. coming together for action

console – v. to soothe

proportion – n. the correct measure of something

persecute – v. to treat someone cruelly or unfairly especially because of race or religious or political beliefs

preference – n. wanting something more than another thing

factor – n. something that influences or produces a result

USCIS 100:99 July 4th, Slavery, and Fredrick Douglass

Happy Independence Day Week! Today we will listen to an old podcast from uscitizenpod: USCIS 100:99 July 4th, Slavery, and Fredrick Douglass

We will first read about Q99 from the USCIS M638 quick civics lesson. Then we will discuss the Declaration of Independence, the Compromise of 1850, and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. Then we will listen to a short reading from Fredrick Douglass speech: “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” Note that Negro was a common term for Black or African-Americans, but it is not often used today. Let's get started.

DOWNLOAD MP3

exerpt from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Fredrick Douglass

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?

I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelly to which he is the constant victim.

To him, your celebration is a sham;
your boasted liberty, an unholy license;
your national greatness, swelling vanity;
your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless;
your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence;
your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery;
your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings,
with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast,
fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages...




TimelessReader1: Meaning of July 4th for the Negro - Frederick Douglass Speech - Hear the Text

Listen to and read text from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, written by abolitionist and former slave: Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass presented this speech on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, NY. This speech concludes with a poem, a peace prayer, written by William Lloyd Garrison

For more info:

See zinnedproject.org: Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom

Watch actor Danny Glover read abolitionist Frederick Douglass's "Fourth of July Speech, 1852" on October 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. Part of a reading from Voices of a People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove.)

Citizenship Resources for Independence Day

uscitizenpod: Independence Day Citizenship Interview with Lien Ho (2017)



uscitizenpod: A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs for Independence Day
New for 2016: 24 questions based on the N-400r plus 10 civics question.

uscitizenpod: US Citizenship Podcast Independence Day Quiz (video)
Celebrate Independence Day with uscitizenpod. Here is a quiz based on USCIS 100:08, 09, 61, 62, 63, 64, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.



SI.edu/USCIS: Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship

This web resource provides online videos and activities on the 100 civics questions from the naturalization test and highlights museum objects from the Smithsonian Institution. Visit the “Establishing Independence” and “Symbols and Holidays” themes for information on Independence Day.







USCIS: For Independence Day
USCIS highlights some of the resources for learners and teachers that are related to this important holiday.

NEW: Civics Questions Playlist 

USCIS helps you prepare for the civics test by posting a new paylist: one video for each civics and history question asked by different examiners.  For Independence Day, check out 100:08, 09, 61, 62, 63, 64, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.  Good job, USCIS!

USCIS: Lesson Plans and Activities

Visit this page to find lesson plans, student handouts, and answer keys on a variety of topics, including Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence (Beginning Level), American Symbols and Celebrations (Beginning and Intermediate Levels), Establishing Independence (Intermediate Level).

USCIS: Independence Day 2015 - Declaration of Independence

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (uscis.gov) thanks everyone who participated in our video project to celebrate the nation's 239th birthday on July 4. To find naturalization ceremony photos and immigrant stories posted by some of the more than 700,000 people each year who become U.S. citizens, check #newUScitizen and #newAmericans on social media.

Follow American English at State on FaceBook

More Resources

American English at State: Celebrate Independence Day (pdf)
Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 because on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, officially breaking bonds with England and forming a new independent nation, the United States of America.

JenniferESL: Lesson 26 - Red, White & Blue Idioms - Happy Fourth of July!

Learn six idioms based on the colors red, white, and blue.  MORE PRACTICE

Rachel's English: 4th of July Traditions
Happy 4th of July! This is the day we celebrate America’s independence. Study vocabulary, pronunciation, and phrases as we study REAL English conversation and learn about 4th of July traditions in the US.

TED-ED: What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis (video)
In June 1776, a little over a year after the start of the American Revolutionary War, the US Continental Congress huddled together in a hot room in Philadelphia to talk independence. Kenneth C. Davis dives into some of the lesser known facts about the process of writing the Declaration of Independence and questions one very controversial omission.

US News: 15,000 people became Americans on Independence Day 2017

Immigrants from around the world celebrated their new American citizenship in over 65 naturalization ceremonies across the United States.


VOANews: Ahead of Independence Day Holiday, Children Take Oath to Become US Citizens
One of the themes of this year's Smithsonian Folk Life Festival is immigration. As part of the festival events, a group of 25 children were sworn in as U.S. Citizens, just ahead of America's Independence Day holiday. VOA's Elizabeth Cherneff reports.Originally published at - https://www.voanews.com/a/independence-day-holiday-children-take-oath-become-us-citizens/3923713.html

VOANews: Americans Reflect on Meaning of Independence Day
Savoring freedoms and hoping others worldwide will soon be able to do the same

VOA Learning English: America's Birthplace: Independence National Historical Park (mp3 and article)
This week, our U.S. National Parks journey takes us to the eastern city of Philadelphia, an important place in American history.