Pittsburgh Agreement (The)
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Signed here, on May 31, 1918, this document declared the intent of Czechs and Slovaks to form a new democratic nation in Europe, free from outside rule. Later that year, Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, an author of the agreement, became the 1st president of Czechoslovakia.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On May 31, 1918, in the closing months of the First World War, Czech and Slovak leaders meeting in Pittsburgh signed an agreement declaring their intent to join together in a new, self-governing democratic nation free of imperial rule. Among its authors was Thomas Garrigue Masaryk, who later that year became the first president of Czechoslovakia. The document drew strength from the large Czech and Slovak immigrant communities of America.
Why it matters
The Pittsburgh Agreement shows how immigrant communities in the United States helped shape the map of postwar Europe, turning American cities into forums for the birth of new nations.
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Related people
- · Thomas Garrigue Masaryk
Related events
- · Pittsburgh Agreement
- · Founding of Czechoslovakia
Themes & tags
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