Lithuanians came to America to find what they were denied in Eastern Europe: freedom from tyranny, freedom to worship and to live as they chose.
Through centuries of bloody invasions and cruel oppression, their land was denied to them, yet in the anthracite coalfields of Pennsylvania, these immigrants worked to build communities of proud American citizens who continued to celebrate Kucios as well as Kaledos, eat blynai and šaltibaršcia, decorate marguciai, and pray the rosary in their native language. In Schuylkill County, they built the first churches, first schools, and first communities established by Lithuanians in the United States. No matter the hardships - grueling work in coalmines, contempt and violence against recent immigrants, prejudice, or condescension toward foreign names and accents - they believed in their country, the United States. Their stories are essential America.