| VUS.8 |
The student will demonstrate knowledge of how the nation grew and changed from the end of Reconstruction through the early twentieth century by |
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a) |
explaining the relationship among territorial expansion, westward movement of the population, new immigration, growth of cities, and the admission of new states to the Union; |
Explain that in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, economic opportunity, industrialization, technological change, and immigration fueled American growth and expansion.
Summarize the following information related to immigration to America from the end of Reconstruction through the early twentieth century:
• Prior to 1871, most immigrants to America came from northern and western Europe (Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden). During the half-century from 1871 until 1921, most immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe (Italy, Greece, Poland, Russia, and present-day Hungary, Serbia, and Montenegro), as well as Asia (China and Japan).
• Like earlier immigrants, these immigrants came to America seeking freedom and better lives for their families.
• Immigrants made valuable contributions to the dramatic industrial growth of America during this period. Chinese workers helped to build the Transcontinental Railroad. Immigrants worked in textile and steel mills in the Northeast and the clothing industry in New York City; Slavs, Italians, and Poles worked in the coalmines of the East. They often worked for very low pay and in dangerous working conditions to help build the nation’s industrial strength.
• During this period, immigrants from Europe entered America through Ellis Island in New York harbor. Their first view of America was often the Statue of Liberty, standing nearby, as their ships arrived following the voyage across the Atlantic.
• Immigrants began the process of assimilation into what was termed the American “melting pot.” While often settling in ethnic neighborhoods in the growing cities, they and their children worked hard to learn English, adopt American customs, and become American citizens. The public schools served an essential role in the process of assimilating immigrants into American society.
• Despite the valuable contributions immigrants made to building America during this period, immigrants often faced hardship and hostility. There was fear and resentment that immigrants would take jobs for lower pay than American workers, and there was prejudice based on religious and cultural differences.
• Mounting resentment led Congress to limit immigration through the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Restriction Act of 1921. These laws effectively cut off most immigration to America for the next several decades; however, the immigrants of this period and their descendants continued to contribute immeasurably to American society.
Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.
“America’s Racial and Ethnic Divides: Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation.” Washington Post. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/meltingpot.htm>. This site contains information on the immigrant experience.
Countries of the World. http://www.theodora.com/wfb/>. This site offers much statistical information on many countries.
Decades of Immigrants. Public Broadcasting Service. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/chicago/sfeature/sf_nations.html>. This site contains information on immigration to Chicago.
“East Meets West: Chinese-Americans and the Transcontinental Railroad” The History Net. <http://americanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa120101a.htm>. This site contains information on the transcontinental railroad.
ElllisIsland: Through America’s Gateway. International Channel Networks. <http://www.i-channel.com/education/ellis/>. This site contains information on Ellis Island.
LibertyState Park: The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. <http://www.libertystatepark.com/immigran.htm This site contains information on Liberty State Park.
Lutz, Valerie Anne. “Immigrants in the Coal Region.” American Philosophical Society Library Online. <http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/exhibits/wallace/immigrants.htm>. This site contains information on immigrants working in the coal region.
“Nativity of the Population and Place of Birth of the Native Population: 1850 to 1990.” U.S. Census Bureau. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0029/tab01.html>. This site contains census figures in chart form.
Sarna, Jonathan D. and Jonathan Golden. “The American Jewish Experience through the Nineteenth Century: Immigration and Acculturation.” National Humanities Center. <http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/judaism.htm>. This site contains information on the Jewish immigrant experience.
Selected Images of Ellis Island and Immigration, ca. 1880-1920. Library of Congress. <http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/070_immi.html>. This site provides photos of immigrants.
“U.S. Immigration History. Rapidimmigration.com. <http://www.rapidimmigration.com/usa/1_eng_immigration_history.html>. This site contains information on U.S. immigration history.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning: History and Social Science Released Items for Virginia and United States History. Virginia Department of Education 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/Release2003/History/VA-RIBs_g11vush-1.pdf>.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Virginia and United States History. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint10VUS.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in Virginia and United States History. |
