I'm An American -- Pitirim Sorokin

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0074

Overview

Description: On December 21, 1941 Dr. Pitirim Sorokin spoke with Henry Nichols, of the Boston Immigration and Naturalization Service, about the responsibilities of being an American citizen. The author of "Crisis of Our Age" declares Americans were unaware of how close they were to an international Holocaust until the news broke today. He describes the American spirit as the ability to confront crisis without fear or emotional loyalty. Dr. Sorokin says the country has changed in two weeks from a peaceful nation extending a helping hand to one preparing for war. He shares how he emigrated from Russia and started his career in America. The professor declares mankind is in a state of emergency. He believes this is true because Hitler is a threat to democracy, the dignity of man and sacredness of life. Dr. Sorokin suggests heroic action as the way to help Europe and avoid the same situation on American soil. He also suggests ways in which America can become invincible. The professor ends the segment by declaring duty and sacrifice to the individual makes everyone's life full and worth living. Dr. Sorokin adds nations that have used this philosophy were successful at getting through difficult times while others failed.

Pitirim Sorokin (b. Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin) was born on January 21, 1889 in Turya, Russia. When Sorokin was three-years-old, his mother passed and his family split up. He and his brother worked as itinerant artisans wandering the Komi homelands. When Sorokin was 14, he joined an organized resistance against the Czar. Because of his quick mind and love of ideas, the aspiring sociologist won a series of competitive scholarships that eventually paid for his college education. Dr. Sorokin earned his Magistrant of Criminal Law and PhD degrees by 1922. He had also been jailed six times for political defiance. Nevertheless, he advanced politically and academically by founding the first sociology department at the University of St. Petersburg. Dr. Sorokin was also a secretary in the post-Czarist government. In 1924, he immigrated to America and found employment at the University of Minnesota. He wrote six books in six years, with four of them defining the field of sociology at the time. Dr. Sorokin went on to become the chair of Harvard’s first Department of Sociology, serving for three decades.
Date: Broadcast: 1941 December 21
Format: WAV

Physical Details

Language: English
Genre/Form: Radio broadcasts.

Rights & Restrictions

Conditions on Access: This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
Copyright: NBC Universal
Conditions on Use: Contact NBC Universal at www.nbcuniarchives.com for permission to duplicate and use this film or sound recording.

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: In process
Recorded Sound Provenance: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased digital copies of these sound recordings from the Library of Congress in March 2018.
Recorded Sound Notes: More information about Dr. Pitirim Sorokin:
http://www.asanet.org/pitirim-aleksandrovich-sorokin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitirim_Sorokin

More information about I’M AN AMERICAN:
https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/historians-mailbox/im-american
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/16/557338355/im-an-american-radio-show-promoted-inclusion-before-world-war-ii
Recorded Sound Source: Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)
File Number: Source Archive Number: RWC 5385

Record last modified:: 2024-02-21 07:27:12
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn621024

Download & Licensing

Request Copy
See Rights and Restrictions
Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Requires Research Visit
Plan a Research Visit

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

I’M AN AMERICAN premiered in 1940 on the eve of WWII. The NBC radio broadcast was spearheaded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a “deeper consciousness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship and more tolerance for fellow american of all birthplaces”. The weekly program featured distinguished foreign-born citizens discussing their naturalization process, the meaning of “democracy” and reminding all Americans of the value/privilege of U.S. citizenship. Sound recordings of I’M AN AMERICAN are available from the NBC Radio Collection in the Library of Congress.

Date: 1940-1944

Learn About The Holocaust

My Saved Research

I'm An American -- Pitirim Sorokin

Overview

Physical Details

Rights & Restrictions

Administrative Notes

Download & Licensing

In-Person Research

Contact Us

Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

Learn About the Holocaust

Further Your Research

About the Museum's Collections

Plan a Research Visit

Ask a Research Question