Repaying an Old Favor

[Jim Koepke]

During the 19th century some Native Americans sent money to people of Ireland to help during the potato famine. Now the Irish are returning the favor to help the tribes who helped them.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/coronavirus-ireland-native-american-tribes.html

One thing we can feel and see during the difficulties of this pandemic is there are many great people all over the world.

jtk

[Pete Costa]

Thank you for sharing this Jim, it's a great reminder of our common humanity.

Pete

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That's cool!

[Bill McNiel]

Jim,
Thanks for posting this. In this time it was truly uplifting to see that there really are great people, performing true acts of kindness.

Your post made me both happy and sad.

[Bill Carey]

Great post Jim. Thanks for posting it.

[Edwin Santos]

Thanks for sharing that good story.

The reference to the Trail of Tears death march is a reminder of the cruelty that the Native American people suffered at the hands of the US Government, and in particular President Andrew Jackson.

Where many might have come out of such an experience consumed with bitterness, these Native American people found empathy for others who were suffering across the ocean. Yes, that's humanity.

[Peter Mich]

That brightened my morning. Thank you.

[michael langman]

A great uplifting post Jim. Makes a difference at this time. Thanks for posting it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow, that's some history I was unaware of! Thanks for sharing this touching story!

[Edwin Santos]

I know this is straying a bit off the original post, but for anyone who might be interested in reading about the Trail of Tears and the general treatment of Native Americans at the hands of both the US Government and US public, here is a good, short summary from history.com:

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears

Maybe it will be eye opening, hopefully sobering. I don't recall any of this history being contained in the curriculum of the classes I had in High School, so I try to share it where possible. I love history.
Edwin

[Mel Fulks]

Edwin, one reason Jackson wanted the Indians removed ,according to current history, is the natives were kind to those
who had escaped from being held in slavery and took them in as tribe members. So it was hard ,or impossible to get them
back.

[Jim Koepke]

One of my hobbies through life has been coin collecting. My pursuit of this hobby has wained since it tends to get more expensive as one looks for new material.

In the history of American coinage is the issuance of Hard Times Tokens by merchants and others due to a shortage of 'hard currency'. This came at the time of Andrew Jackson's second term in office. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_times_token

Another area of interest is Civil War coinage. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_token <

These include merchant and private tokens, usually 1¢ value. There are also those who collect confederate coinage. The 1861-O half dollars struck at the New Orleans Mint were mostly struck after the south seceded from the Union. There were also dies made for the reverse side of the half dollar and dies for the 1¢ coin. There are two 1¢ coins, one in copper one in silver, in my collection struck from these dies after they were defaced.

jtk