In the spring of 1918, as German troops were massing near the Marne River in France to mount a second spring offensive during World War I, more than two dozen delegates representing the Slovak League of America, the Czech National Alliance, the Union of Czech Catholics and other ethnic alliances met in Pittsburgh.
Their goal was to create a new, independent nation from part of the old Austro-Hungarian empire: Czechoslovakia.
Belle Vernon eighth grader Cassandra Lofgren researched what came to be known as the “Pittsburgh Agreement” as part of her National History Day project.
It was among a group chosen to be showcased by sites and organizations throughout Washington, D.C., after competing through the Maryland-based nonprofit that hosts National History Day each year.
“I know there are Czech people in my family background, and I wanted to learn more about their experiences,” said Lofgren, 14, of Rostraver.
Lofgren is a student in Belle Vernon Area Middle School teacher Ross Farmer’s social studies class.
“We’ve been doing National History Day for about 15 years now,” Farmer said. “It’s open to anyone, but recently we’ve had two classes of eighth graders specifically chosen to participate.”
Farmer said giving students the freedom to choose their own piece of history to investigate helps inject some extra variety into the lessons.
“You teach a lot of the same curriculum each year, but with National History Day, it gives both me and the kids the chance to pursue something different and unique.”
A fellow Westmoreland County student, Humna Anzaar of Franklin Regional Middle School, is awaiting the results of the competition at the national level, having taken the top spot at the state level.
Lofgren’s project, “Steel City Diplomacy: Tomas Masaryk, the Pittsburgh Agreement, and the Establishment of Czechoslovakian Independence,” is being showcased at the White House Historical Association’s website, WhiteHouseHistory.org. Other locations include Ford’s Theater, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Planet Word Language Arts Museum.
Three months after signing the Pittsburgh Agreement in May 1918, the Paris Peace Conference carved up Austria-Hungary and created the new nation of Czechoslovakia in January 1919. In 1920, Masaryk was elected the new republic’s first president, a position he held until 1935.
“The most surprising thing was finding out how long it took Tomas and the delegates to form the country,” Lofgren said. “It took a long time.”
A Pennsylvania Historical Marker at Penn Avenue and Seventh Street in Downtown Pittsburgh notes the location where the 1918 agreement was signed. The Pittsburgh area was second only to Chicago when it came to Eastern European migration in the early 20th century, with more than a half-million people making their way to the region.
For more on National History Day, see NHD.org.
