THE STORY: In 1896, Martin Gunther, a German immigrant, sends for his wife and children so that they may enjoy the advantages of America. The play covers fifty years of their life as Americans. Martin, a cabinet maker, proves to be a man of such strong principles that he gives up a $1,000 order rather than refuse to fill a $1.25 order of a scorned suffragette friend. Later he urges his son Karl to fight against his own German kin in World War I. Martin’s honesty and skill are rewarded by prosperous years, but he sacrifices all in 1933 trying to save his benefactor’s bank. In 1939, his grandson, Karl, embittered by his inability to find a job, is about to join an fascist organization, when Martin intervenes. While pleading for a renewed faith in Democracy, he is struck down by the mob. Martin dies, as he has lived, an American, fighting for that which gives meaning and richness to life—Freedom.
