History paper by Rothblatt, Raul
Joseph Goldmark and How the Ideals of 1848 Transformed the United States
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
The defeat of the 1848 revolutions brought many ‘48ers to the United States. These immigrants became integral to the various political and social reform movements occurring throughout the US at this time. This study will look at the impact of one man in particular, Joseph Goldmark. He was one of the most prominent heroes of 1848, a leader of the student rebels in Vienna and a co-author of the liberal constitution of 1849.
The idea of “emancipation” in Europe turned into the fight for emancipation in the US and a passionate support for Abraham Lincoln. For Joseph Goldmark, the ideals of 1848 animated not only his political and professional life, but also that of his children. His son-in-law, Louis Brandeis (wife of his daughter Alice) became one the most important jurists in US history. He worked closely with another daughter, Josephine Goldmark.
The halls of the Supreme Court of 1930 did not seem distant from the heady revolutionary days of the Hapsburg Empire of 1848 to Josephine Goldmark. She published Pilgrims of '48: One man's part in the Austrian revolution of 1848 well after the Great War.
This study will remind us of the influence of the ‘48ers on science, law, religion, and connect Hungarian history to the Progressive movement of the early 20th century.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Raul Rothblatt graduated the University of California, Berkeley with a double major in Music and Political Science, receiving honors in both. He then studied classical composition at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with composer György Orbán, followed by a Masters in Musical Theatre Composition from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. For the last twenty years he has actively supported Hungarian culture through playing bass with Életfa Hungarian Folk. He is also the manager and cellist of Kakande, a West African band lead by traditional musician (a.k.a. djeli or griot) Famoro Dioubate of Guinea. Raul is a co-founder of Jumbie Records.
Raul Rothblatt was the Executive Director of the Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance 2007-2011 and successfully protected an Abolitionist home in Downtown Brooklyn from destruction via eminent domain abuse. In 2010, he co-founded Alliance Guinea, a non-profit made up of Guineans and friends of Guinea working to promote civil society in that country. He is currently the Vice President of Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform.
Raul’s love of Hungarian culture was nurtured by his mother, born and raised in Budapest and his grandmother who wrote Flavors of Hungary.