Slovakia is bordered by the Austria on the West, Czech Republic and Poland on the North, Ukraine on the East and Hungary on the South.

Hungary occupied and exploited the Slovak people for over 1,000 years. Slovaks were equal to serfs in the Hungarian feudal system. The Hungarians demanded that all new born children be given Hungarian names. In all Slovak schools, only the Hungarian language was taught and spoken.

Thankfully, the Slovaks continued to speak the Slovak language in the privacy of their homes. By doing so, the language survived.

It was customary for Slovak boys, when they reached the ages of 16-18, to leave Slovakia to avoid conscription into the Hungarian army. Most leaving Slovakia went through either Italy or Germany. These young Slovaks came to the United States acquired jobs and either mailed money back to their parents or paid to have their mothers, fathers, brothers and/or sisters brought to the "New Country".

Bremerhaven, Germany (located on the North Sea, top and center)
was a popular escape route to the U.S.

The Slovaks were allowed to leave Slovakia until it became apparent to the Hungarians that they were losing their Slovak serf labor.

After World War I, Hungary surrendered their upper Hungarian area to help form what was then called Czechoslovakia.

Then the Czechs ran the country from Prague. The Czechs considered themselves to more cultured than the Slovaks since the Slovaks were mainly miners and farmers. Once again, the Slovak people were not recognized as equals.