Target Students: 10th grade
Historical thinking skills: Corroboration and close reading
Guiding question: How did Americans react to the immigrants at the turn of the century?
Background: The 10th graders have started a unit on the Progressives at the turn of the century. To start this unit, I gave a lecture setting up a framework for the students to be thinking about but also gave them some background information about the era. In specific relation to the issue of immigration, we talked about the rise in immigrants to the country between the years of 1880 and 1920. We briefly touched on the hardships many immigrants faced upon arriving in the country but I wanted to give the students a chance to see if from the American’s perspective and the Progressive perspective. I would also hope to tie this lesson to conversations currently happening in the country around immigration, but for this lesson probably not beyond picking out the similarities.
Continue reading “Wretched Refuse of the Teeming Shore: America’s longest love/hate relationship”