Immigration Web Quest

Introduction: Have you ever thought of yourself as anything other than American? If you trace your family’s Old World roots, what you find may be surprising. Unless you are Native American, chances are that your family has been “American” for only a few generations. America is called the New World because, compared to Europe, Asia, and Africa, America is merely a baby. The first successful settlement in the New World was Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, but America was not even a country until 1776.

Task (On-level & Honors): Select a group of immigrants to learn about. Take notes to answer the following questions:

§ Why and when did they leave their country to immigrate to the United States?

§ Where did they settle primarily?

§ What types of jobs did they take?

§ How did they assimilate—blend into American culture?

§ How did Americans and other immigrant groups react to them?

Cite your sources by clicking on bibliography under resources. The sources are web pages; follow the directions to cite each link.

You will type your answers to turn in for a grade. Tomorrow, you will present your findings to the class in groups.

v Honors: Pretend that you are an immigrant from the group you chose to learn about. Write a one-page (minimum) letter to a relative still in the Old World. Describe your experience.

Resources:

www.dictionary.com

Bibliography

Italian Immigrants:

The Great Arrival- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian3.html

L’Isola dell Lagrime- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian4.html

A City of Villages- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian5.html

Tenements and Toil- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian6.html

Working Across the Country- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian7.html

Under Attack- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian8.html

A Century in the Spotlight- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/italian9.html

Chinese Immigrants:

Searching for the Gold Mountain- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese2.html

Struggling for Work- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese3.html

Intolerance- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese4.html

Legislative Harassment- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese5.html

Exclusion- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese5.html

Building Communities- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese7.html

A New Community- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/chinese10.html

Irish Immigrants:

Irish-Catholic Immigration to America- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish2.html

Adaptation and Assimilation- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish3.html

Joining the Workforce- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish4.html

Religious Conflict and Discrimination- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish5.html

Racial Tensions- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish6.html

Irish Identity, Influence and Opportunity- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish7.html

Irish Contributions to the American Culture- http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/immig/alt/irish8.html

Conclusion: All immigrants had to endure some type of sacrifice to become American. Tomorrow, we will compare and contrast these immigrant groups with German immigrants in Texas that we read about in Paradise Called Texas. Do you think any of these immigrant groups considered America a Paradise? Do you think their ancestors, who are alive today, appreciate their sacrifice?