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Page 1: MARCH 26, 2016 Celebrating Greek Independence...MARCH 26, 2016 Celebrating Greek Independence ... Greek history, because they were not born into Hellenism, they willingly embraced

The National Heraldwww.thenationalherald.com

TH

E NATIONAL HERA

LD

Honoring the Hellenic Triumph of Liberty

MARCH 26, 2016

CelebratingGreek Independence

THODOROS VRYZAKIS, THE SORTIE OF MESSOLONGHI (1853), NATIONAL GALLERY

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Greek Independence Day2 THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016

The National HeraldA weekly publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC. (ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ

ΚΗΡΥΞ), reporting the news and addressing the issues of paramountinterest to the Greek American community of the United States of

America.

Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris

Assistant to Publisher, Advertising Veta H. Diamataris PapadopoulosSpecial Section Editor Constantinos E. ScarosProduction Manager Chrysoula Karametros

37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614Tel: (718)784-5255 • Fax: (718)472-0510e-mail: [email protected]

Democritou 1 and Academias Sts, Athens, 10671, GreeceTel: 011.30.210.3614.598 • Fax: 011.30.210.3643.776

e-mail: [email protected]

By Constantinos E. Scaros

When reflecting on the Greeks’struggle for independence fromthe Ottoman Empire, thenames that most readily come

to mind in delineating the Heroes of 1821include Athanasios Diakos, Rigas Feraios,Theodoros Kololotronis, and YannisMakriyannis, among others.

But there are countless others who wereinstrumental to the cause, and among them,quite notably, several who devoted theirlives – and risked them – for the cause, evenas they were not of Greek origin. These he-roes serve a special place in the annals ofGreek history, because they were not borninto Hellenism, they willingly embraced itvoluntarily.

Not least among these unsung heroes of1821 is Samuel Gridley Howe. Though heis most significant to Greek history for hisrole in the Greek War of Independence, itwould be an injustice to omit his remarkablelife and achievements beyond that cause.

JEFFERSONIANS IN ADAMS COUNTRY

Howe was born in 1801 to a family ofBostonians with English roots, but theHowes were distinctively Jeffersonian De-mocratic-Republicans in the land of JohnAdams Federalists. The Howes were partic-ularly inspired by Jefferson’s commitmentto liberty and found the spirit of indepen-dence manifested in the French Revolutionappealing. Howe’s father, Joseph, in fact,refused to allow his sons to attend HarvardUniversity, dismissing it as a “den of Feder-alists.” Accordingly, Samuel attended a rivalIvy League institution, Brown University,but then enrolled at Harvard Medical Schoolanyway, where he earned a medical degreein 1824 at the tender age of 23. By thatpoint, another revolution well underway –the Greek War of Independence – struck apassion within the young Howe.

THE GREEKS’ LAFAYETTEInspired by the English Lord George Gor-

don Byron, who also joined the cause anddied of illness in Messolonghi at the heightof battle, Howe sailed for Greece and joinedthe Greek Army as a surgeon.

Soon thereafter, Howe did not limit hiscontributions to the operating table, andhis military acumen, coupled with his brav-ery, landed him an important role on thebattlefield, and earned him the nickname“Lafayette of the Greek Revolution” – a com-parison to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis deLafayette, a Frenchman who fought noblyand valiantly in the American RevolutionaryWar, and had a close bond with Howe’s heroJefferson, as well as with George Washing-ton and Alexander Hamilton.

After helping the Greeks achieve theirindependence, Howe returned to the UnitedStates but did not abandon Greek interests.He helped to raise $60,000 in 1827 – anextraordinary amount of money at the time,the equivalent of $1.5 million today – inorder to help alleviate postwar famine andsuffering in Greece.

Howe also helped to form a colony forexiles at Corinth’s isthmus, which he ac-counted in his 1828 book Historical Sketchof the Greek Revolution.

Howe then headed to Paris to continuehis medical studies, and his spirit for revo-lutions leading to republican forms of gov-ernment compelled him to join the July Rev-olution of 1830, commonly known as theSecond French Revolution.

ABOLITIONISMHaving embraced the revolutionary

causes of two foreign countries, it was in-evitable that Howe would return to theUnited States and help his native countryachieve a type of revolution of its own: theabolition of slavery.

He helped found the antislavery news-paper the Boston Daily Commonwealth, andthe Howes’ home in Boston was a safe houseof the Underground Railroad, which helpedslaves escape the South and flee to a newlife in the North.

During the Civil War, Howe, now in hissixties, was called upon to put his medicalskills to great use once again. He traveledthroughout the United States and to Canadato check the physical condition of slaves thatwere emancipated by executive order, Pres-ident Abraham Lincoln’s EmancipationProclamation (slavery had not officially beenabolished yet – that would come via theThirteenth Amendment, ratified in 1865.

Howe was also instrumental in helpingescaped slaves reunite with other familymembers who had also escaped.

A CALL FOR TAXATIONThe federal income tax in the United

States was not officially established untilthe Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in1913, 37 years after Howe’s death. Untilthat point, the government ran on tariffsand special taxes collected during wartime.

But in 1865, immediately following theCivil War, Howe called for a progressive taxsystem in America (what is in place now),understanding that the wealthy would beopposed to it, but citing it as necessary forreconstruction of the nation.

Howe’s humanitarian efforts also ex-tended to helping individuals afflicted withblindness and mental challenges.

ERA OF GOOD FEELINGThe “Era of Good Feeling” was a decade

in American history between 1815 and1825, which coincided with the presidencyof James Monroe – the only president to be(re)elected unopposed, other than Wash-

Greek IndependenceMeasured in Days, Years,and CenturiesBy Constantinos E. Scaros

This special insert is here just in time for March 25, the officialdate on which Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire, iscelebrated.

But there is less historical accuracy and significance about thedate than there is about the notion of eleftheria – liberty.

March 25, 1821 is the widely accepted date of independence,particularly because on that day the flames of revolution werefuriously fanned, and it also happens to be a day of primaryimportance in the Greek Orthodox faith – the Annunciation of theVirgin Mary (i.e., when the Archangel Gabriel told Mary that shewas going to give birth to the Son of God).

But sparks that ignited the revolution started long before that,and so 1821 in some respects is not even the historically accurateyear of origin – and in fact, Greece’s new government was notofficially established until 1832, under the auspices of the GreatPowers via the Treaty of London.

And even then, Greece was still subject to a monarchy, one thatdid not officially end until 1974.

Generally, so much of the glory of history is lost on adherenceto exact statistics, such as dates, which centuries ago could not beconfirmed as easily as they are today. Not to mention, suchobsession with memorization of facts and figures – anexcruciatingly dull and ultimately futile exercise – is what has ledmany a primary and secondary school student to develop anintense aversion to history, rather than an appreciation for it.

Accordingly, we hope that in this edition, even as the dates,facts, and figures in question are the best historically available,the attention will be on the essence of the pieces: how a proudnation of people rose up from the bonds of slavery and proclaimedtheir independence, and how they have struggled, but endured,before, during, and since the Greek War of Independence.

Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe:An Unsung Hero of 1821

Samuel Gridley Howe, an American-bornand educated doctor who in the operat-ing room and on the battlefield, helpedthe Greeks gain their independence.

Continued on page 6

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Greek Independence DayTHE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016 3

JOHN CATSIMATIDIS, Jr.

Happy and Joyous Independence Day

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TNH Staff

There are many “beginnings”to the Greek War of Independenceagainst the Ottoman Empire, themost prevalent being March 25,1821. But just as there are manybeginnings to independence – an-other being the formal issuanceof the Greek Declaration of Inde-pendence in January 1822 –there is the important notion thatwhile Greece gained its freedomfrom Ottoman oppression, it didnot relieve itself of subjection toa monarchy.

There were, in fact, sevenkings of Greece between 1832and 1974, the year in which theKingdom of Greece effectivelyended. They were:

OTTO 1 (1832-1862): Borna Bavarian prince in Austria in1815, Otto ascended to theGreek throne in 1832 as a resultof the Convention of London,established by the Great Powers(Britain, France, and Russia).He ruled as an absolutemonarch until the people de-

manded a Constitution, thoughthere was constant uproar alleg-ing that he manipulated electionresults through fraud.

Otto was able to hold power,despite incessant interferencefrom the Great Powers, by ap-peasing them and playing theirconflicting foes against one an-other. But when Britain pre-vented Greece from interveningagainst the Ottoman Empire in1950 in the Crimean War,Greece’s populous steadilyturned against King Otto, lead-ing to his deposing in 1862. Hedied in exile, in Bavaria, in1867.

KING GEORGE I (1863-1913): After King Otto’s depos-ing the year before, the GreatPowers and the Greek Parlia-ment were strongly in favor ofGeorge, a Danish-born prince(1845) becoming the next kingof the Hellenes. George tookpower in 1863 and his reignlasted 50 years. The longestreign in the history of the Greekmonarchy, King George’s half

century included the peacefulceding to Greece of the IonianIslands from Britain, and Thes-saly from the Ottomans.

Although King George wasassassinated, it does not appearthat his fatal shooting, in Thes-saloniki in 1913, was politicallymotivated. The killer, Alexan-

dros Schinas, was thought to bea deranged alcoholic “lone gun-man.” He got to King George be-cause the monarch often en-joyed taking walks by himself,without bodyguards.

CONSTANTINE I (1913-1917; 1920-1922): Constan-tine ascended to the throne fol-lowing his father’s King George,assassination. But the transferof power was not unexpected,as King George had planned tostep down anyway after 50years of rule, and turn over thethrone to his son. Constantine’sreign is identified by Greece’sNational Schism, which pittedthe pro-German Royalistsagainst the pro-AlliesVenizelists, whose leader, Eleft-herios Venizelos, supportedGreece’s entry into World War Ion the Allies’ behalf, while Con-stantine preferred for the coun-try to remain neutral.

Though Constantine won hisearly war of words with Venize-los, the latter, along with the Al-lies, managed to portray him as

a German sympathizer ratherthan a neutralist which, coupledwith the Allies’ threat to useforce against Athens, causedConstantine to abdicate thethrone in 1917 in favor of hisson, Alexander.

Born in 1893 at the TatoiPalace in Athens, Alexander roseto the throne just as theVenizelist forces were rapidlygaining power. With no real po-litical experience and with hisfather in exile, Alexander wasstripped of his powers and livedin semi-exile on Palace grounds.

In 1920, he died in a freak acci-dent, from complications afterbeing bitten by a monkey, whichhe was trying to save from hisown dog’s clutches.

Constantine returned to the

throne as Venizelos’ popularitysurprisingly dwindled, but un-successful fairings versus Turkeyresulted in his support plum-meting yet again, and he abdi-cated the throne in 1922. Hedied four months later in Italyin 1923, in exile.

ALEXANDER I (1917-1920)See Constantine I (above).

GEORGE II (1922-1924;1935-1941; 1944-1947)

King George II, born at theTatoi Palace in 1890, the first-born son of King Constantine Iand older brother of KingAlexander. He did not succeedhis father originally, because hefollowed him into exile in 1917.Upon ascending to the thronein 1922, King George’s reignwas tumultuous and twice in-terrupted. Shortly after Georgebecame king, the Greek Parlia-ment questioned the future ofthe monarchy, and asked him tostep down. Upon his refusal,Parliament formally disposedhim in 1924.

Ioannis Metaxas rose topower in 1935 and broughtGeorge back to Greece. In theyears that followed, with Georgeas king and Metaxas as rulingdictator, Greece experiencedseveral years of intenserightwing authoritarian gover-nance.

Because George II, unlike his

grandfather, King George I, haddecided Allied sympathies, andbecause of Metaxas’ famous“OXI!” to Benito Mussolini’s fas-cist Italy, Greece suffered an at-tack from Nazi Germany, andGeorge went into exile again in1941.

George returned again in1944, as the tide of World WarII was turning, and died at thePalace on April 1, 1947, thenews of which some thought tohave been an April Fool’s joke.

PAUL I (1947-1964): Withthe exception of King George I,King Paul, who was also GeorgeI’s grandson and the youngerbrother of Kings George II andAlexander, enjoyed the most sta-ble reign of all the Greek mon-archs. Assuming the throneupon his older brother George’sdeath, Paul who was also bornin Athens, took over the throneat a good time for stability – asthe communist forces were de-feated in the Greek Civil Warand the nation looked to endpolitical conflict and rebuildeconomically. During the 1950s,Greece experienced growth andhad stability, but by the early1960s public fervor emerged fora republic, with the monarchyin general – not necessarily Paulin particular – falling out of fa-vor.

Amid resentment for themonarch interfering in politics,King Paul died in 1964 inAthens, from complications ofstomach cancer.

CONSTANTINE II (1964-1967): Born in Athens in 1940,King Paul’s 24-year-old son roseto the throne in 1964, followinghis father’s death, becoming theyoungest ever person to ascendto the Greek throne, by onemonth over his uncle, KingAlexander.

Young Constantine’s reignwas short and erratic, with anti-monarchy fervor still festering,a group of rightwing colonelsmanaged a coup in 1967, andthe ruling Junta forced Constan-tine into exile that year. He re-mained head of state until 1973,when dictator Georgios Pa-padopoulos ended the monar-chy. After the Junta was over-thrown in 1974, ConstantineKaramanlis called for a referen-dum, in which the Greek peopleoverwhelmingly voted againstthe restoration of the monarchy,and the era of Greek kings hadcome to an end.

Greek Independence Day4 THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016

By Stavros T. Stavridis

On March 25 Greekscelebrate their na-tional holiday afterwaging a fierce strug-

gle for liberation from Ottomanrule.

Two British newspapers –The Morning Chronicle andDaily News – published two ar-ticles titled “Anniversary ofGreek Independence” and“Greek Independence. Phil-Hel-lenic Dinner. Message from Mr.Gladstone” on April 8, 1861 andMarch 30, 1898, respectively,

capturing the celebrations ofGreek national day in GreatBritain.

The Chronicle supported theWhig Party in Parliament andceased publication in 1862.Charles Dickens wrote short sto-ries for it in 1834. British Whigsbelonged to a political party ofthe 18th and early 19th cen-turies that sought to restrictroyal authority and increase par-liamentary power.

On the other hand, the DailyNews gave expression to the Lib-eral point of view. Charles Dick-

ens was its founding editor andmerged it in 1912 with theMorning Leader and for a shortperiod of time it became knownas the Daily News and Leader.Originally the News waslaunched to compete with theChronicle.

The former celebration wasstaged at the London Tavernwith some 120 guests includingrepresentatives from the leadingGreek firms in London. Other at-tendees included ColonelTzames Karatassos, Rev. Archi-mandrite Morphinos of theGreek Church, Spyridon Tri-

coupis, the Greek Minister inLondon, and Greek residentsdomiciled in England.

The attendees saluted to thehealth of Queen Victoria, KingOtto, and Queen Amalia. A rev-olution in October, 1862 re-sulted in Otto leaving Greece af-ter nearly 30 years on thethrone.

References were made toLord Henry John TemplePalmerston’s speech where thelatter had no qualms with Creteuniting with the newly estab-lished Hellenic Kingdom.

Palmerston was an experiencedpolitician who served as Secre-tary of War 1809-1828, ForeignSecretary 1830-34, 1835-41 and1846-51, Home Secretary 1852-55 and Prime Minister 1855-58and 1859-1865 in a long distin-guished career in British politics.

On February 16, 1830 LordPalmerston remarked “I ventureto predict that, if Crete is not in-cluded in the kingdom ofGreece, we shall run the risk ofwar on account of that islandbefore many years are past.” Anumber of rebellions occurredin 1841, 1858, 1866, 1878,1889 and 1897 where the Cre-tan population demanded enosiswith Greece.

The Greek celebrants appre-ciated the support of the threeprotecting powers (Britain,France and Russia) that playedan important role in helpingGreece attain its independence.He mentioned how the Italiansattained their freedom and in-dependence and hoped that hisfellow Greeks would emulatethem. Most of Italy was underAustrian rule and with papal au-thority centered on Rome. It wasGiuseppe Mazzini, GiuseppeGaribaldi, and Count CamiloCavour, who played an impor-tant role in the unification of theItalian states by 1861. In fact,Cavour concluded a secret pactwith France by provoking warwith Austria. France assisted theItalians in their unification of thenorthern states (Lombardy, Tus-cany, Parma, Modena and Venicejoining Piedmont) and Garibaldicaptured the Kingdom of TwoSicilies and Papal states in 1860.

It is interesting to note thatthose comments may have re-ferred indirectly to Greeks livingoutside the Hellenic Kingdomunder Ottoman rule in theBalkans and Asia Minor. He pos-sibly envisaged the Europeanpowers rendering their moralsupport to Greece like they af-forded to Italy when the timecame for the unredeemedGreeks to seek union with themother country. The territorialexpansion of the Hellenic King-dom was based on the megaliidea.

Other references describedthe celebration as the "festivalof festivals.” The Greeks throughtheir own efforts on land andsea, and with great determina-tion defeated the Turks. Mentionwas made of the Holy Alliance(Britain, France, and Russia)

who played their part in destroy-ing an Ottoman-Egyptian navalfleet at Navarino. There was alsopraise of George Canning, LordByron, Frank Hastings and Com-modore Gawen Hamilton fortheir contribution to Greece’s lib-erty and also proposed a toastto the “Greek commercial inter-est.”

The second celebration ofMarch 30, 1898 took place some12 months after the Greco-Turk-ish war of 1897. This functiontook place at the WestminsterPalace Hotel with Lord RobertLoyd-Lindsay Wantage as chair-man of the evening proceedings.Lord Wantage was one of thefounders of the British Red Crossand presided over meetings ofthe Greek Relief Committeedealing with Thessalian and Cre-tan refugees. He was pleased ofthe “recent escape of the King[George of Greece] from thehands of the assassin.” It wasalso stated that Britain hadceded the Ionian Islands toGreece without seeking anycompensation whatsoever.

William E. Gladstone, ex-British Prime Minister 1868-74,1880-85, 1886 and 1892-94,John Morley MP, Herbert Glad-stone , the youngest of son W.E.Gladsone, and Sir Charles Dilkehad all sent congratulatory let-ters that were read out at thisgathering. British politicians C.J.Monk, John Dillon, George

Shaw Lefevre, and others madespeeches regarding Greek inde-pendence.

Monk proposed a toast wherehe desired success for the Greekcause and was disappointed thathe “had not met to celebrate theautonomy and independence ofCrete.” He hoped to celebrateCretan union with Greece nextyear and did not place muchfaith in the European Concert.However, he expressed his sat-isfaction that Britain had notwithdrawn from the Concert andthat the European powers wouldappoint Prince George of Greeceas Governor of Crete. PrinceGeorge became High Commis-sioner in December 1898.

F.S. Stevenson believed in the“great future of Phil-Hellenism[and] urged… co-operation withother nations, among there weremany Phil-Hellenes.” He pointedout that “Russia had its Pushkin,and France its Victor Hugo” and“expressed a hope that theymight see in the future a greaterGreece that would transcend thegreater classics of antiquity.”

On the other hand, Dillon, anIrish nationalist, was critical ofthe European powers for notsupporting Greece in its recentwar with the Ottoman Empire.He was an ardent Philhelleneand supported Irish Home Rule.It might be argued that Dilloncould have seen similarities inthe plight of both Greeks and

Irish under Turkish and Britishauthority.

Lefevre, a former LondonCounty Councillor, HaggerstonDivision in 1897, stated that ifGladstone had been in theHouse of Commons over thepast two years, it is possible thatthe Cretan issue may have takena different direction. W.E Glad-stone’s action could have in-spired Europe to have taken agreater interest in “Cretan op-pression.” He could have alludedto Gladstone’s strong anti-Turk-ish position regarding the Bul-garian horrors in 1876 and Ar-menian massacres in 1894-96under Sultan Abdul Hamid 11.It must be noted that the vener-able Gladstone was diagnosedwith cancer in early 1898 andall the attendees prayed for hisgood health. He died at hishome in May 1898.

Both articles capture themood of Greek national day cel-ebrations with the variousspeakers highlighting particularevents that contributed to Greekindependence. The second pieceis completely dominated byBritish Phihellenes who are verysympathetic to the Greek causeand mindful of the plight ofThessalian and Cretan refugees.

Stavros T. Stavridis is ahistorical author, history pro-fessor, and historical consul-tant.

GALVANO & XANTHAKIS, P.C.150 Broadway, Suite 2100, New York, NY 10038-4489 • Tel.: (212) 349-5150

LONG LIVE HELLASGOD BLESS AMERICA

Long Live the Heroesand the Memory

of March 25th 1821

ANTHONY XANTHAKIS

Greek Independence Celebrations in London: 1861 and 1898

Celebrated novelistCharles Dickens was affiliated with both the MorningChronicle and the DailyNews, two Britishnewspapers that wroteabout the GreekIndependencecelebrations in Britain in 1861 and 1898.

The 1862celebrantstoasted to thegood health ofOtto, the firstKing of theHellenes.

After the Revolution – Independent, Not Quite Democratic

KING GEORGE I (1863-1913)

CONSTANTINE I (1913-1917; 1920-1922)

ALEXANDER I (1917-1920)

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Greek Independence DayTHE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016 5

The Order of AHEPA Salutes the Heroes of 1821

Supreme President John W. Galanis and the entire AHEPA Leadership

join you in celebrating 195 years of freedom!

Join AHEPA today by visiting our web site at AHEPA.ORG

94 Years of Service to the Community

Often imitated; Never duplicated

The Order of AHEPA Since 1922

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By Harry Mark Petrakis

For Greeks in Greece andthose in the Diaspora in coun-tries across the world, March25th is a day nearly as reveren-tial as the holidays of Christmasand Easter. In 1821 in Greece,that date marked the beginningof the War of Independence, astruggle that lasted ten yearsand which, finally in 1832,gained much of Greece its free-dom from the Ottoman Empireafter almost 400 years ofbondage.

In my father’s parish in the1930s, on the South Side ofChicago, preparations to com-memorate that event beganmonths ahead in our parochialschool. Under the tutelage ofstern teachers, through weary-ing daily rehearsals, we memo-rized the heroic poems andpracticed the ethnic dances.Meanwhile, our mothers refur-bished the ethnic costumes,white pleated skirts and tasseledslippers for the boys, longbeaded and colorful dresses forthe girls.

On March 25, as the schoolauditorium filled with parentsand friends, we performersgathered backstage, nervousand trembling, trying to retainthe opening lines of poems thatthreatened like frightened birdsto flee from our minds. Finally,prompted by the hissed warn-ings of our teachers, we lurchedinto the glare of the footlightsand cried out the martial po-ems.

There was the great warhymn to liberty by the patriotRigas Feraios, burned to deathfor treason by the Ottomans in1798. “Better one hour of free-dom than 100 years ofbondage!"

Another poem expressed thelament of the warrior Athana-

sios Diakos, before his execu-tion, “How strange that deathshould come for me now, whenall the earth is bursting intoflower.”

The audience caught up inpatriotic fervor, many crying,would join in reciting the lines.

At the time I was bewildered atthe emotion many older Greeksdisplayed, such as a familyfriend, Barba Nikos, gnarled andancient, who with tears stream-ing down his cheeks whenspeaking of those centuries ofbondage told me, “The moun-tains wept, my son.”

As a boy I recited those po-ems and danced the dances, butwithout any real grasp of thehistory the event represented.When I grew older and read thebiographies and journals of thatperiod, I began to understandthe crucible of suffering of that

enslavement. Four hundredyears were not simply threewords in a poem, but a burningtestament to generation aftergeneration who lived and diedin bondage. Children bornslaves, growing into maturity asslaves, and dying as slaves… soendless a period of captivity thatthe memory of a nation oncefree seemed to recede furtherand further into the past alongwith the hallowed names ofMarathon and Thermopylae.

This was a dreadful fate fora small country that had sprunginto existence centuries earlierlike a flower in the desert. Theclassical scholar Edith Hamiltonwrote of Greece:

“Five hundred years beforeChrist in a little town on the farWestern border of the settledand civilized world, a strangenew power was at work…Athens had entered upon herbrief and magnificent floweringof genius which so molded theworld of mind and of spirit thatour mind and spirit today aredifferent…What was then pro-duced of art and of thought hasnever been surpassed and veryrarely equaled, and the stampof it is upon all the art and allthe thought of the Westernworld.”

Recognizing the legacy ofthis civilization, other countriesdenounced the Greek enslave-ment. In England at the begin-ning of the 19th Century, thepoet Lord Byron, lover of theGreek spirit who would join theGreeks and give his life fightingin their cause at Missolonghi,wrote lines that moved othersto an understanding of theplight of Greece. The mountains look onMarathon.And Marathon looks on the seaAnd musing there an houralone,I dreamed that Greece mightstill be free.For standing on the Persian’sgraveI could not deem myself a slave.

The years of the revolt weremarked by fierce battles, brutal-ities, and massacres by both theGreek and Ottoman sides. Theforces of Turkey and Egypt wereled by seasoned generals, whileon the Greek side, a disparateassemblage of farmers and mer-chants rose to lead forces of therevolt, leaders with names aslong and obtuse as those in anyRussian novel.

From the rugged, mountain-ous Mani came PetrobeyMavromichalis and his greatwarrior clan. There wasTheodoros Kolokotronis, great-est of the Greek leaders whowhile in exile on the island ofZante would take his sons to thepeak of the mountain and pointto the mountains of the Pelo-ponnesus and tell them theywere ordained by God to bringfreedom to their land. From theWestern mainland came the il-literate Yannis Makriyannis,who after the revolution wouldteach himself to read and writeso he could record his experi-ences.

These were rough, passion-ate men, quick to take offenseand quick to anger. Their per-sonal ambitions sometimesclashed with their country’sstruggle. What was never re-lated in those years when we re-cited the heroic poems was thatduring the period of the revolu-tion, the Greeks fought two sav-age civil wars to determinewhich leaders would holdpower.

In 1825, the Sultan’s ally, thedreaded Ibrahim Pasha invadedGreece with an army of Egypt-ian mercenaries. Setting aprecedent for the scorched-earthpolicy Gen. William TecumsehSherman would carry outdecades later in the AmericanCivil War in his march throughthe South, Ibrahim Pasha’s armyburned and ravaged the land.None of the Greek leaders andtheir forces could stand againsthim. When it appeared that therevolution would be lost, a seabattle changed the course of thewar.

At the Bay of Navarino, inOctober 1827, a Turkish-Egypt-ian fleet of eighty ships laymoored beside a combined Eng-lish, French, and Russian fleet.These countries were sworn toremain neutral in the struggle,but a muddled exchange of or-ders from the English Admiraltyto the English Admiral EdwardCodrington set off an exchangeof cannon fire which, by the endof the battle, saw the Turkish-Egyptian fleet totally destroyedby the larger guns of the AlliedFleet.

While warfare on land con-tinued for several more years,the loss of its fleet preventedany Turkish victory. In 1830, thegreat powers imposed a peacesettlement on the adversariesthat liberated sections of Greecewhile leaving sections still en-slaved. My parent’s island ofCrete, which had struggled val-orously during the revolution,was excluded from the newGreece, a decision that doomedthe Cretans to another 85 yearsof bondage before joiningGreece in 1915.

The Greek Nobel prize poetGiorgos Seferis wrote that wher-ever one travels in Greece,mainland or islands, one sensessomething of the soul of a landwhere even the stones seem tospeak. Through the bloodiedcenturies of its history, the Greekpeople have survived wars, mas-sacres, famines, the invasions ofPersians, Romans, Venetians,Turks, Fascists, Nazis, militarydictators…all have passed butthe land and the people remain.

Into the present, as Greecenow struggles against an enemymore insidious than any of theinvaders it has repelled in thepast, I recall those March 25thevents of my childhood, the fer-vor, tears and joys of those cel-ebrations of Greek freedom aftercenturies of enslavement. Andwith all my heart I hope onceagain that the durable peoplewho inhabit that small, lovelyand long suffering land find thewill and means to liberate them-selves from the tyranny of thisnew bondage.

The novels and stories of HarryMark Petrakis are available inboth print and e-book editions.Visit harrymarkpetrakis.com

Greek Independence Day6 THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016

Although Greek Independence Day is usually associated with March25, 1821, it was on January 27, 1822, that the Greek Declaration ofIndependence was formally issued in Epidaurus by the Greek NationalAssembly, declaring Greece a free and independent state.

The War of Independence lasted until May 1823.

THE GREEK DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (1822)We, descendants of the wise and noble peoples of Hellas, we

who are the contemporaries of the enlightened and civil ized nationsof Europe, we who behold the advantages which they enjoy underthe protection of the impenetrable aegis of the law, find it nolonger possible to suffer without cowardice and self-contempt thecruel yoke of the Ottoman power which has weighed upon us formore than four centuries,- a power which does not listen to reasonand knows no other law than its own will, which orders and dis -poses everything despotically and according to its caprice. Afterthis prolonged slavery we have determined to take arms to avengeourselves and our country against a frightful tyranny, iniquitous inits very essence, – an unexampled despotism to which no otherrule can be compared.

The war which we are carrying on against the Turk is not that

of a faction or the result of sedition. It is not aimed at the advantageof any single part of the Greek people; it is a national war, a holywar, a war the object of which is to reconquer the rights of individ-ual liberty, of property and honor, – rights which the civilizedpeople of Europe, our neighbors, enjoy to-day; rights of which thecruel and unheard-of tyranny of the Ottomans would deprive us-us alone – and the very memory of which they would stifle in ourhearts.

Are we, then, less reasonable than other peoples, that we remaindeprived of these rights? Are we of a nature so degraded andabject that we should be viewed as unworthy to enjoy them, con-demned to remain crushed under a per petual slavery and subjected,like beasts of burden or mere automatons, to the absurd caprice ofa cruel tyrant who, like an infamous brigand, has come from distantregions to invade our borders? Nature has deeply graven theserights in the hearts of all men; laws in harmony with nature haveso completely consecrated them that neither three nor four cen-turies – nor thousands nor millions of centuries – can destroy them.Force and violence have been able to restrict and paralyze themfor a season, but force may once more resuscitate them in all thevigor which they formerly enjoyed during many centuries; norhave we ever ceased in Hellas to defend these rights by arms when-ever opportunity offered.

Building upon the foundation of our natural rights, and desiringto assimilate ourselves to the rest of the Christians of Europe, ourbrethren, we have begun a war against the Turks, or rather, unitingall our isolated strength, we have formed ourselves into a singlearmed body, firmly resolved to attain our end, to govern ourselvesby wise laws, or to be altogether annihilated, believing it to be un-worthy of us, as descendants of the glorious peoples of Hellas, tolive henceforth in a state of slavery fitted rather for unreasoningani mals than for rational beings.

Ten months have elapsed since we began this national war; theall-powerful God has succored us; although we were not adequatelyprepared for so great an enterprise, our arms have everywherebeen victorious, despite the power ful obstacles which we have en-countered and still encounter everywhere. We have had to contendwith a situation bristling with difficulties, and we are still engagedin our efforts to overcome them. It should not, therefore, appearastonishing that we were not able from the very first to proclaimour independence and take rank among the civilized peoples ofthe earth, marching forward side by side with them. It was impos-sible to occupy ourselves with our political existence before wehad established our independence. We trust these reasons mayjustify, in the eyes of the nations, our delay, as well as console usfor the anarchy in which we have found ourselves.

The Greek Declaration of Independence

The National Herald salutes the Greek-American community

and Greek Independence Day

Join the Greek Independence Day Parade, April 10, 2016 – 5th Avenue, New York City!

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ington – and is greatly attrib-uted to Monroe’s visit to Bostonin 1817 to meet with fellow De-mocratic-Republicans.

Among those prominent inperpetuating that sentiment wasHowe, and his contributionsadded further meaning to whatthe “good feeling” was all about– it was gratitude for liberty that

Americans enjoyed, and a senseof duty to help their fellow hu-man beings achieve it in otherparts of the world, as Howe didfirst in Greece and later inFrance, before returning to helpspread that liberty to Americanslaves.

Accordingly no list of the He-roes of 1821 would be completewithout the name of SamuelGridley Howe.

Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe:An Unsung Hero of 1821Continued from page 2

Samuel GridleyHowe portrayedas an Evzone in a painting by his son-in-law John Elliot.

Remembering March 25,1821When it All Began

THEODOROS VRYZAKIS, GRATEFUL HELLAS, NATIONAL GALLERY

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By Dr. Dimitra Kamarinou

Now that issues emergealong the Greek borders andTurkey seems to get an increas-ingly distinctive role in the com-ing history, it is useful to remem-ber which military anddiplomatic events contributed tothe establishment of Greece’scurrent territorial status.

Greece was established as afully independent, sovereignstate by the London Protocol ofFebruary 3, 1830, via an agree-ment between the three GreatPowers (Russia, United King-dom, and France). Followingthe assassination of IoannisKapodistrias, Greek ForeignMinister to Russia, in 1831, theKingdom of Greece under KingOtto was internationally recog-

nized by the Treaty of Constan-tinople (1932), which set theboundaries at a line runningfrom Arta to Volos.

In 1862, King Otto wasforced to leave Greece and KingGeorge I, a pro-British king,took the throne. As a reward,the United Kingdom ceded theIonian Islands to Greece (Treatyof London, 1864). The practicalreasoning was that the islandsdid not have great strategic im-portance and their maintenanceof ownership was too expensive.

During the Russo-TurkishWar of 19877-78, revolts werestaged in Thessaly and Epirusbacked by the Greek Army. Theincorporation of most of Thes-saly and the Arta Prefecture toGreece was the result of theConvention of Constantinople

(1881). In 1897, Greek irregulars

crossed the border into the Ot-toman territory, then, Macedo-nia and another Greco-Turkishwar broke out. The Ottomansdefeated the badly trained andill-equipped Greek Army.Through the intervention of theGreat Powers, Greece lost onlya little territory along the borderto Turkey, but was forced to payheavy reparations, and theGreek economy came under in-ternational supervision.

Crete, however, where sincedecades regular revolts werestaged, was finally establishedas an autonomous state underPrince George of Greece as itsfirst High Commissioner.

Well-prepared due to Eleft-herios Venizelos’ reforms, the

Greek state after the BalkanWars almost doubled its size.During the Balkan Wars (1912-13) Greece was allied with Bul-garia, Serbia, and Montenegroagainst the Ottoman Empire.During the First Balkan War,Greece occupied much of Mace-donia, including the strategi-cally important port of Thessa-loniki. The Greek Armyadvanced a few hours ahead ofthe Bulgarian Army and TahshinPasa, ruler of the city, surren-dered to Greece. It was decisiveevent for the future of Thessa-loniki, as both Bulgaria andGreece wanted to include thisharbor in their territory.

Following the fall of the cityof Ioannina, the Greeks ad-vanced into Northern Epirus.The Greek Navy shouldered themain naval efforts of the Balkanallies and took possession of allthe Aegean islands, except forthe Italian-occupied Dode-canese. In May 1913, the Treatyof London was signed and theOttoman Empire borders wereshifted to the Evros River. Butthe chief point of friction, whichwas the partition of Macedonia,remained unsolved. Serbia andGreece formed an alliance.

In June 1913, Bulgarialaunched a surprise attackagainst them. Following the en-try of Romania and of the Ot-toman Empire in the war, theBulgarian position becamehopeless. The war was con-cluded and the Treaty ofBucharest (August 1913) con-firmed the Greek gains of Mace-donia, Epirus without NorthernEpirus, and Crete.

In 1918, Greece officially en-tered the First World War on theside of the Triple Entente, theunderstanding linking Russia,France and United Kingdom, thepowerful counterweight to theAlliance of Germany and Aus-tria-Hungary. The war endedwith the Treaty of Sèvres(1920). Western and EasternThrace and the islands of Imbrosand Tenedos were assigned to

Greece. Turkey was forced totransfer to Greece the exerciseof her rights of sovereignty overSmyrna and a considerable Hin-terland. Within five years’ timethey could be incorporated intothe Kingdom of Greece.

The Aegean islands, whichGreece possessed since the FirstBalkan War, were officially in-corporated into the Greek state,but the treaty was never ratifiedby the parties. Therefore, theGreek Asian Minor campaignwas launched. The Greek armytook control of the Asia Minorand advanced inland. The Greekfront was defeated in 1921 atthe Battle of Sakarya and theTurkish army of Kemal Ataturkentered the city of Smyrna onSeptember 1922, resulting inthe massacre of the Greek and

Armenian populations. The war ended with the

Treaty of Lausanne. River Evroswas now the border betweenthe two countries, leaving EastThrace and Asia Minor toTurkey. Imbros and Tenedoswould be part of Turkey undera special autonomous adminis-trative status to accommodatethe Greeks, who were addition-ally excluded from the widepopulation exchange betweenGreece and Turkey. A total of1,300,000 Greeks from theTurkish territory moved toGreece, whose total populationat the time did not exceed the4,500,000. Italy maintained theoccupation of the Dodecaneseislands until 1947, when theywere finally united with Greece,despite objections from Turkey.

Greek Independence DayTHE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016 7

By Eleni Sakellis

There is no figure in historyas singularly fascinating as LordByron. A profoundly intelligentman and a brilliant poet, hecould have lived a life of luxurymerely resting on the laurels ofhis great poetical works, but in-stead he devoted himself andhis fortune to the cause of Hel-

lenic freedom. He was born onJanuary 22, 1788 and ten yearslater inherited his title and landsfrom his uncle, the 5th BaronByron. Numerous biographiesare available describing the“mad, bad, and dangerous toknow” Lord Byron, but for thepeople of Greece, Byron will al-ways be a hero who gave his life

for a cause that he adopted ashis own. His travels in Greeceinspired him to write his mostfamous poems. Here are a fewworks by and about Byron toread in honor of his 228th birth-day.

Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage isloosely based on Byron’s expe-riences during his Grand Euro-pean Tour from 1809 to 1811.

The narrative poemwritten in four can-tos features the firstappearance of theByronic hero. Attrac-tive, charming, intel-ligent, world-weary,adventure-seeking,moody, and with ahealthy disdain forauthority figures,this hero is an out-sider and an ideal-ized version of By-ron himself. Thepoem was first pub-lished in 1812 andcaused a sensation.As Byron noted, “Iawoke one morningand found myself fa-mous.”

Don Juan is con-sidered by mostscholars to be By-ron’s masterpiece.The narrative poemfollows the title

character through one adven-ture after another, romantic andotherwise, but mostly romantic.The third canto includes the sec-tion entitled The Isles of Greecewhich highlights Byron’s viewson Greece’s suffering under Ot-toman oppression.

The Giaour is an extraordi-nary work based on Byron’s

travels in Greece and theBalkans, inspired by the folktales and beliefs in vampiresfrom the region. Leila, a youngwoman from Hassan’s haremloves the Giaour. She is tossedinto the sea and drowned by hermaster who is then killed by theGiaour, who then enters amonastery to tell his tale. Theword “giaour” is a derogatoryTurkish term meaning unbe-liever.

On a Voiceless Shore: Byronin Greece by Stephen Mintalooks specifically at Byron’s trav-els in Greece that so dramati-cally influenced his work andhis life. Byron was able to ap-preciate not only the Greece ofclassical antiquity, but also theenduring spirit of the peopleand their yearning for a free,modern Greece. His attitude to-wards the people and his sup-port during the Greek War of In-dependence changed the courseof history and gave a deepermeaning to his life. The bookincludes a map of Byron’s trav-els for those who would like tofollow in the famous poet’s foot-steps on their next trip toGreece.

Byron’s contributions toworld literature were enough tocement his status in history, By-ron however, transformed him-self into a hero, sacrificing hislife for Greece and the cause offreedom at the age of 36 in1824. His death at Messolonghireverberated throughout theworld and bolstered EuropeanPhilhellenism in the fight forGreek Independence, ensuringByron’s special place in thehearts of Greeks everywhereand forever after.

How Greece Gained and Lost Territoryin the Century Following its Gaining Independence

Following the assassinationof Ioannis Kapodistrias in1931, the Kingdom ofGreece becameinternationally recognized.

Symi, seen here, along with the other Dodecanese Islands, were finally united with Greece in1947, despite Turkey’s objections.

Lord Byron and Greece

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Greek Independence Day8 THE NATIONAL HERALD, MARCH 26, 2016

Drs. Spiro & Amalia Spireasand

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And we saw thee sad-eyed,The tears on thy cheeks

While thy raiment was dyedIn the blood of the Greeks.

Yet, behold now thy sonsWith impetuous breath

Go forth to the fightSeeking Freedom or Death.

From the graves of our slainShall thy valour prevailAs we greet thee again-

Hail, Liberty! Hail!

(A translation in English by Rudyard Kipling in 1918)

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Lyrics: Dionysios Solomos, 1824Music: Nikolaos Mantzaros, 1828

Adopted: 1864