Vienybė lietuvninkų
Vienybė lietuvninkų (literally: Lithuanian Unity) was a Lithuanian-language weekly newspapers published in the United States from February 1886 to January 1921.
[1] Established by two Lithuanian American businessmen in Plymouth, Pennsylvania, the newspaper changed its editors and political orientation frequently.
Initially, it was a conservative pro-Catholic newspaper that supported unity among Polish and Lithuanian immigrants in the historic tradition of the old Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Attacked by the clergy as a "godless" publication, the newspaper suffered financial difficulties but the popularity of socialist ideas surged in the aftermath of the Lattimer massacre of mine workers in September 1897 and during the Russian Revolution of 1905.
[3] Initially, the newspaper advocated Catholic ideas and unity among Polish and Lithuanian immigrants in the historic tradition of the old Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (cf.
[8] After a conflict with Paukštys, Bačkauskas resigned in April 1888 and established his own newspaper Saulė [lt] in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania.
[13] Andziulaitis steered the newspaper towards democratic and even socialist ideas, publishing articles on workers' movement and critique of Catholic priests.
Milukas, a former student at the Sejny Priest Seminary, fled to United States to avoid the Tsarist police for violating the Lithuanian press ban.
To that end, he established a society that collected $5 (equivalent to $175 in 2024) per month from its members and paid for the contributions, firstly for those who lived in Lithuania.
He published articles on the liberation of Lithuania from the Russian Empire, but avoided getting involved in political disagreements among Lithuanian Americans.
[22] Therefore, the newspaper lost its Catholic character and began publishing articles on more liberal topics, including on capitalist exploitation and on the elections in the United States.
[25] In November 1897, Vienybė lietuvninkų was sold to Paukštys' relatives, but the new editor Petras Mikolainis [lt] continued its secular and nationalist ideology.
[27] In January 1901, the newspaper hired new editor Jonas Mačys-Kėkštas [lt] who published more of works of fiction and managed to increase the circulation.
The logo was replaced to show the handshake above the historical coat of arms of Lithuania surrounded by two flags (one unknown and the other of the United States).
In 1896, editor Kaunas adopted a much simplified logo that retained only the coat of arms of Lithuania and remained unchanged for about ten years.
Literary works included dramas by Aleksandras Fromas-Gužutis, poetry by Pranas Vaičaitis, the translated poem Grażyna by Adam Mickiewicz, short story by Maria Rodziewiczówna,[44] and the play William Tell by Friedrich Schiller.
[42] The newspaper helped organize protests in response to the Kražiai massacre of 1893 in Lithuania[47] and Lithuanian exhibition at the World's Fair in Paris in 1900.
[48] It also sent a protest letter to William C. Hunt, Chief Statistician for Population, requesting to add Lithuanians as a separate nationality in the 1900 United States census.
