It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago-she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time.
Mark Twain “Life On The Mississippi,” 1883
East meets West and Chicago is a tie that binds. The 2009 Expedition is but a memory, but one that will last in our minds and hearts. ”Why Chicago?” No longer will this question be asked. American History without Chicago? That is the better question. Another success in our journey through America (look out New York, we’re experienced now)!
Progressivism is the resounding theme of the trip. We began with Lincoln and his landmark decision to emancipate those bound in slavery. We visited the Chicago History Museum and heard outstanding lectures. We visited The Chicago Museum of Art, the Museum of Industry at the site of the Great White City and we walked the city streets taking it all in. We experienced Chicago at its heart. We continued on and into Hull House, Madison, and wrapped up our journey in Haymarket Square and the Chicago Stockyard. We saw first hand how the Progressive Movement was due large in part by bold events that took place in Chicago and this forward thinking is rooted in the culture of the city today. It is that culture, that spirit that we went to experience and Chicago most certainly delivered. A city of dreams and aspiration, a city of joy and of sadness, Chicago is a pillar among the nation’s greatest offerings and we saw them first hand.
A melting pot of ethnicity, Chicago is rich in culture and history. Not all of it pleasant, but all of it addressed. Few inequities took place in and around Chicago that did not make it to the forefront of discussion. Forward and Progressive thinkers were at home in Chicago and their contributions will remain cornerstones of American society. Where else could Jane Addams and Frank Lloyd Wright discuss over the dinner table the actions necessary to reshape a nation? It all happened in Chicago. Goodbye for now, Chicago, but we will be back and our students will be along for the journey.
