Students will examine and interpret a population chart published in 1898 — depicting changes in the makeup of the United States across time in three categories, “foreign stock,” “native stock,” and “colored” — as well as an 1893 political cartoon about immigration. Students will also explain the causes and effects of population change in the late 19th century.

Created by NHPRC Teacher Participant/Creator: Michael Freydin: Adaptable to other grades. Cumulative assignment for the end of the year. During previous lessons, student have evaluated their own place in history, and in our nation’s history. This final project builds on their understanding of history by conduct an interview to connect neighborhood/family history to world history events.

Created by NHPRC Teacher Participant/Creator: Sean McManamon to meet NYC Social Studies Scope and Sequence  for World History. Adaptable to other grades. Cumulative assignment for the end of the year. Assignment asks students to connect family history interview to World History periodization.

Created by NHPRC Teacher Participant/Creator David Richman for his AP World History course. Adaptable to US History. Adaptable to other grades. Assignments ask students research the effects Executive Order 9066 had on families of Japanese descent, to analyze primary sources, and to create an illustrated story book detailing Ms. Wakatsuki’s time spent at Manzanar, a Japanese internment camp.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify the factors that prompted African American and European immigration to American cities in the late nineteenth centuryExplain the discrimination and anti-immigration legislation that immigrants faced in the late nineteenth century

A PowerPoint presentation that takes students through a choose-your-own adventure style activity simulating the life choices of Jewish immigrants to the United States in the late 19th/early 20th century.

America by the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa, a PBS documentary series produced by the Harlem-based Futuro Media Group, reveals how dramatic changes in the composition and demographics of the United States are playing out across the country.

This course explores the experiences and understandings of class among Americans positioned at different points along the U.S. social spectrum. It considers a variety of classic frameworks for analyzing social class and uses memoirs, novels, and ethnographies to gain a sense of how class is experienced in daily life and how it intersects with other forms of social difference such as race and gender.

This course examines the social, cultural, political, and economic history of the United States, from the Civil War to the present. It uses secondary analysis and primary documents, such as court cases, personal accounts, photographs, and films, to examine some of the key issues in the shaping of modern America, including industrialization and urbanization, immigration, the rise of a mass consumer society, the emergence of the US as a global power, and the development of civil rights activism and other major social movements.

From its colonial beginnings, the US has had a highly diverse society, originating from around the globe.  Changing immigrant populations have continually challenged the country and fed intense debate & political efforts to restrict arrivals. Use the links to explore immigration impacts, migrants’ experiences, American nativism & changing laws.  Own Your History®  (OYH) MULTIMEDIA  ANTHOLOGYOYH anthologies collect a range of materials for exploring OYH topics. They parallel and supplement the OYH school modules which have been published as OER Resources. Groups of all ages can explore & discuss these rich and varied collections for sharing reflections on aspects of U.S. history and deepening historical knowledge. They are available  in the OER Commons, as well as through the OYH website, https://www.ownyourhistory.us/multimediaresources.

From its colonial beginnings, the US has had a highly diverse society, originating from around the globe.  Changing immigrant populations have continually challenged the country and fed intense debate & political efforts to restrict arrivals. Use the links to explore immigration impacts, migrants’ experiences, American nativism & changing laws. 

Created by NHPRC Teacher Participant/Creator Kenneth Porter for his Senior Leadership class. We all have different stories, reasons and various paths that we personally took or our relatives traversed to arrive at this nation of ours. This assignment tasks the student with researching the story of a relative/guardian who emigrated to this country. The student will learn the when, the what, the why and the how behind their story, in order to reveal to the student more about their own story.

This lesson provides students with an introduction to Angel Island. The lesson begins with students completing a timeline of Chinese immigration to America. The progression of events will help them understand the escalation of anti-Chinese sentiment in America culminating with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first law that restricted immigration based on nationality.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 8.7, 8.8, HS.1, HS.2
Historical Knowledge: 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.63, HS.64, HS.65
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.30, 8.31, 8.32, HS.67, HS.69
Social Science Analysis: 7.28, 8.33, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74

Often throughout American history former refugees rise to be community leaders dedicating their lives to helping others. Refugees often overcome key obstacles including language and culture to become important activists addressing social and political problems. Refugees offer key perspectives on the application of civic virtues and human rights. In this lesson students will hear from three refugee students about their experiences. Then, students will be asked to:Identify and describe obstacles student refugees encounter while assimilating at school.Identify reasons why refugees go on to develop a strong sense of civic duty and desire to give back to their communities. Research and identify ways they can take civic action to build a better community.

Students will examine the responsibility of citizens through an analysis of the short film "Standing Up for Others." In the film, Japanese Americans draw parallels between their experience during World War II and the experiences of Muslim Americans and asylum-seeking migrant children.  

Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. This course connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns.

This inquiry examines the 20th century history of migration from Mexico to the United States and recent efforts to limit the movement of people across the southern U.S. border. The inquiry takes its inspiration from a 2018 podcast episode by Malcom Gladwell titled, “General Chapman’s Last Stand.” The podcast is part of Gladwell’s Revisionist History series (http://revisionisthistory.com). In the podcast, Gladwell tells the story of General Leonard F. Chapman Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, who went on to serve as the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from 1972 to 1975. Chapman is credited with reforming the INS into a more efficient and effective agency, but Gladwell argues that Chapman’s efforts also led to an unintentional increase in unauthorized immigrants. In 1970, 760,000 Mexican immigrants, or 1.4% of Mexico’s population, lived in the U.S. By 2008, there were 12.7 million Mexican immigrants in the U.S. which amounted to 11% of all people born in Mexico; an increase of almost 800% in less than 30 years. The question of how and why this happened is the central focus of this inquiry.

This is a multi-format ethnographic field collection project, undertaken during the New Deal, that includes sound recordings, still photographs, drawings, and written documents from a variety of European ethnic and English- and Spanish-speaking communities in Northern California.

Starting with the Gold Rush, Chinese migrated to California and other regions of the United States in search of work. As several photographs show, many Chinese found work in the gold mines and on the railroads. They accepted $32.50 a month to work on the Union Pacific in Wyoming in 1870 for the same job that paid white workers $52 a month. This led to deep resentment by the whites, who felt the Chinese were competing unfairly for jobs. White labor unions blamed the Chinese for lower wages and lack of jobs, and anti-Chinese feelings grew. The cartoon "You Know How It Is Yourself" expresses this sentiment. Several political cartoons in this topic are graphic representations of racism and conflicts between whites and Chinese. "Won't They Remain Here in Spite of the New Constitution?" shows a demonized figure of political corruption protecting Chinese cheap labor, dirty politicians, capital, and financiers. "The Tables Turned" shows Denis Kearney (head of the Workingman's Party of California, a union that had criticized Chinese laborers) in jail, being taunted by Chinese men. In 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the Chinese Exclusion Treaty, which placed strict limitations on the number of Chinese allowed to enter the United States and the number allowed to become naturalized citizens. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited immigration from China (The Act was not repealed until 1943). The two-part cartoon from the July-December 1882 issue of The Wasp reflects how some citizens saw the situation. After the Act was passed, anti-Chinese violence increased. One illustration depicts the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885, a Wyoming race riot in which 28 Chinese were killed by British and Swedish miners. The "Certificate of Residence" document illustrates that Chinese individuals were required to prove their residence in the United States prior to the passage of the Exclusion Act. The poster offering a reward for Wong Yuk, a Chinese man, makes it clear that the United States was actively deporting Chinese. Despite discrimination and prejudice, this first wave of immigrants established thriving communities. Photographs taken in San Francisco's Chinatown show prosperous businesses, such as the "Chinese Butcher and Grocery Shop." Wealthy merchants formed active business associations, represented by the image "Officers of the Chinese Six Companies." The Chinese celebrated their heritage by holding cultural festivals, as shown in the photograph from 1896. The photographs "Children of High Class," "Golden Gate Park," and "Chinese Passengers on Ferry" are evidence that some Chinese adopted Western-style clothing while others wore more traditional attire.

Signed on May 6th, 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law to explicitly limit immigration based on race. This lesson is designed to go further in exploring the causes and effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act through analysis of primary and secondary sources. The purpose is to showcase the conditions in the US that led to a rise in xenophobia, and in turn, race-based policies that defined the Chinese American and Asian American experience in the United States. The lesson will also have students engage in critical thinking through research and a class discussion comparing and contrasting the Chinese Exclusion Act and current immigration policies or proposed immigration policies.

2021 Social Science Standards Integrated with Ethnic Studies:
Civics and Government: 5.1, 6.4, 7.5, 8.7, 8.8, HS.1, HS.2, HS.9, HS.10
Economics: 7.8
Geography: 5.13, HS.51
Historical Knowledge: 5.22, 6.20, 6.21, 8.22, 8.25, HS.52, HS.64
Historical Thinking: 7.25, 8.31, HS.68
Social Science Analysis: 5.26, 5.27, 6.24, 6.26, 8.34, 8.36, HS.72, HS.73, HS.74