Latest / Voices Of Life / Did You Know? - October 18: Alaska Purchase, Puerto Rico Acquired, and the Feast of Saint Luke

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Did You Know? - October 18: Alaska Purchase, Puerto Rico Acquired, and the Feast of Saint Luke · Voices Of Life

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  There are stories we remember, and there are
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  stories we forget. There are moments that changed
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  a nation, changed a church, changed a generation.
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  And sometimes, the most fascinating stories are
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  the ones we never learned. Welcome to Voices
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  of Life. Did you know series? A journey through
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  history, where remarkable people, extraordinary
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  events, faith, freedom, courage, sacrifice, and
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  even the unexpected, come together. From the
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  pages of American history. to the story of the
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  church, from famous names to people whose names
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  have nearly been forgotten. Every episode asks
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  a simple question. Did you know? Your host, Pastor
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  David. Hello friends, this is Pastor David and
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  welcome to another Voices of Life Did You Know
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  episode. Today is October 18th, a date where
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  American history, global politics, and Christian
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  tradition all meet on the same calendar square.
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  Three major events rise to the surface. The day
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  the United States formally took possession of
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  Alaska. The day American flag was raised over
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  Puerto Rico. And the feast day of St. Luke the
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  Evangelist, the beloved physician and author
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  of both Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
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  Each of these moments tells us a story about
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  vision, responsibility, and faith. So let's walk
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  through them together. Did you know that on October
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  18, 1867, the United States officially took possession
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  of Alaska? A land so vast and remote that many
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  Americans once mocked it as Seward's Folly. Russia
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  had controlled what was known as Russian America.
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  But by the 1860s, the empire was strained. As
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  the historical record explains, Russia faced
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  financial burdens from Crimean War. geographic
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  isolation and concerns that Great Britain might
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  seize Alaska during a future conflict. Selling
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  the territory to the United States offered both
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  protection and diplomatic advantages. The Secretary
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  of State, William H. Seward, negotiated the purchase
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  with Russian Minister Edward D. Stoeckle, securing
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  nearly 600 ,000 square miles for $7 .2 million
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  in gold. less than two cents per acre. The formal
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  transfer took place in Sitka on October 18th.
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  The Russian flag was lowered and the American
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  flag was raised over the territory, though the
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  Russian flag famously became tangled on its way
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  down. Critics laughed at the purchase, calling
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  Alaska a frozen wasteland, but history proved
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  otherwise. Gold discoveries, rich fisheries,
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  timber, minerals, And later, oil and natural
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  gas transformed Alaska into one of America's
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  most resource -rich regions. Its strategic location
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  became vital during World War II, and Alaska
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  ultimately became the 49th state in 1959. The
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  Alaska Purchase reminds us that visionary leadership
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  often looks foolish at first until time reveals
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  its true value. Did you know? Then on October
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  18, 1898, exactly 31 years after the Alaska transfer,
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  the United States raised the flag over Puerto
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  Rico, ending four centuries of Spanish colonial
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  rule. Puerto Rico's strategic location made it
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  one of Spain's most important Caribbean holdings.
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  But tensions between the United States and Spain
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  escalated after the destruction of the USS Maine
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  and Havana Harbor in Cuba, leading to the Spanish
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  -American War. American troops landed at Guanica
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  on July 25, 1898, and after several engagements,
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  Spain agreed on an armistice. On October 18,
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  Spanish forces completed their evacuation, and
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  the American flag rose over San Juan. General
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  John R. Brooke became the first U .S. military
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  governor of Puerto Rico. It's important to note
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  that the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended
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  the war and legally transferred Puerto Rico,
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  Guam, and the Philippines, the United States,
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  was signed later on December 10, 1898. After
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  the takeover, Puerto Rico underwent major political
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  changes. In 1900 was the Foraker Act established
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  a civilian government. In 1917, the Jones -Shafroth
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  Act granted U .S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans.
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  So citizenship, just because a land becomes a
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  territory, does not automatically grant citizenship
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  to all people until there is actually an act
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  of Congress. Unless it becomes a state, of course.
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  And in 1952, Puerto Rico adopted its current
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  Commonwealth status. Today, Puerto Rico remains
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  a U .S. territory. Its people are U .S. citizens,
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  yet the island lacks voting representation in
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  Congress and does not vote for president unless
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  residents move to the United States. So a lot
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  of differences with that. The actual technical
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  name for Puerto Rico as far as its territory,
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  it's called an associate state. And I learned
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  about this from a good friend of mine that was
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  born and raised there. So associate states are
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  not equal to... U .S. Virgin Islands. They have
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  a different system of government on their islands.
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  So it's kind of interesting. Each territory,
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  Guam there, Puerto Rico, they all have different
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  types of government on how things work. But the
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  one thing that struck me about Puerto Rico is
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  there was a time in the past few decades where
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  they got a lot of pharmaceutical manufacturers
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  to move there and employ people, which was great.
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  But interestingly enough, they were not allowed
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  to export pharmaceuticals directly from Puerto
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  Rico. The pharmaceuticals would have had to come
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  back to the United States mainland and then be
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  exported. So as an associate state, it doesn't
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  have that right. There's a lot of other things,
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  but it's just interesting, though. Get some time,
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  look up what an associate state is for the territory
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  of Puerto Rico so you can understand things more
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  clearly. The story of Puerto Rico highlights
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  a powerful truth. Acquiring territory is easy.
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  Determining the rights, representation, and future
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  of its people is far more complex. Did you know
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  that on October 18th is also the feast day of
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  St. Luke the Evangelist, traditionally recognized
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  as the author of both the Gospel of Luke and
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  the Acts of the Apostles. Luke is mentioned in
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  Paul's letters to the beloved physician. and
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  a faithful co -worker. Christian tradition identifies
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  him as a gentle believer from Antioch, though
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  the gospel itself does not name its author. Early
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  Christian writers preserved the attribution and
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  it remains central to Christian understanding
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  today. Luke's gospel is known for its emphasis
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  on God's compassion for all people, especially
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  those marginalized by society. Some of the most
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  beloved teachings of Jesus appears only in Luke.
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  The Good Samaritan, redefining what it means
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  to be a neighbor. The Prodigal Son, revealing
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  the heart of a forgiving father. And Zacchaeus,
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  showing how encountering Jesus transforms conduct
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  and character. Acts continues the story, tracing
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  the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to
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  Rome, including Pentecost, the conversion of
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  cell, the Gentile mission, and Paul's missionary
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  journeys. Luke's writing reminds us that the
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  gospel is not confined by borders, cultures,
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  or backgrounds. It is a message of salvation
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  for all people. As we close today's Did You Know
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  episode on October 18th, we note that This day
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  gives us three powerful reminders. From Alaska,
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  we learned that vision requires patience and
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  sometimes courage to endure criticism until the
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  fruit appears. From Puerto Rico, we learned that
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  leadership carries responsibility, especially
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  toward the people whose lives are shaped by national
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  decisions. And finally, from St. Luke, we learned
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  that the heart of the gospel is compassion, a
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  compassion that crosses boundaries. heals wounds,
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  and calls us to live our wonderful lives with
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  love of Christ in all practical ways. May these
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  stories encourage you today to think boldly,
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  act responsibly, and walk faithfully. I'm Pastor
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  David for Voices of Life, a ministry of the Church
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  for Life. Blessings to you, and I'll see you
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  next time. Stories of courage and failure, faith
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  and doubt, freedom and sacrifice, and people
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  who face moments that change the course of history.
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  But history isn't just about what happened then.
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  It's about what we can learn from it now. Thank
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  you for joining Pastor David in Voices of Life.
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  Until our next journey through history, keep
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  asking questions, keep learning, and remember,
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  you never know what you might discover when you
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  simply ask. Did you know? This is Voices of Life.
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  Until next time.