Czech Texans

In the 1840s, the Austrian Empire, which included Czech lands, was still run by a feudal system, despite the wave of democratic ideals permeating western Europe.

This led to the Revolutions of 1848, which did little to improve the economic status of peasants who still found it difficult to gain wealth.

[4] The revolutions, together with factors such as religious persecution and mandatory military service, fueled a wave of emigration from Austria beginning in 1852.

[4][5] Immigrants to America were unfamiliar with the concept of American democracy due to their lack of experience with democratic ideals.

Lesikar wrote articles for periodicals published in various parts of the United States as well as in his native land, and his writings encouraged many Czechs to come to America.

[7] In January 1861, as tensions between northern and southern states over slavery reached a breaking point, a convention was called in Austin, TX to draft a secession document, which was then approved by a vote of the citizens in February.

Texas became a member of the Confederacy in March 1861, and in April 1861, the first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter, SC.

Another alternative that arose in Fayette County was to form a stay-at-home company of troops; most were unofficial and served only to allow members to avoid official conscription.

In addition to the regular farm responsibilities, families also had to produce homemade commodities to substitute for increasingly expensive goods such as coffee and sugar.

The city of West hosts Westfest every Labor Day, which includes a Koláče baking contest and a Taroky tournament.

Most of the party halls offer a lunch or dinner with Czech foods such as klobása (sausage), sauerkraut, and koláče, as well as live entertainment with traditional polka music and dancing.

[10] The available literature about Texas Czechs and their history has expanded with advent of self-publishing, which has made it possible for amateur historians to distribute their works.

One author has declared Mr. Albert Blaha of Houston "the Father of Texas Czech History", saying that "He is our own František Palacký.

[14] Drawing on Boas's model for interviewing speakers of the language and digitally cataloging the dialects, John Tomecek founded and Lida Cope of East Carolina University developed the Texas Czech Legacy Project at the University of Texas at Austin to document and preserve the dwindling language.