Mini-unit: Immigration

Your name: Jacqueline Arenas

Mini-unit title: Immigration to America, late 19th - early 20th century

Course: U.S History

Grade level: 7th

Abstract: In this unit, we will explore one of Americas most popular

immigration wave that started in both in Ellis Island with European
immigrants flocking to New York and in Angel Island with Asian immigrants
entering San Francisco. We will learn from personal memoirs of immigrants
what it was like to go through both Ellis Island and Angel Island as first time
immigrants. The influx of immigration was due to the booming economy with
both factors changing American culture, economy, status, traditions, and
environment completely. Because of its grand effect on U.S. History, we will
analyze the hardships immigrants faced when coming into the country when
they were not entirely welcomed as well as the obstacles placed by nativists
and the U.S. government to control immigrants from entering. The wave of
immigration in the late 1800s and early 1900s would change the outlook of
America for the years to come.

Essential question: What is immigration and how did it shape American life
during the late 1800s and early 20th century?

Standards:

Arizona Social Studies Content Standards:

Strand 1: American History Concept 1 - PO 8. Describe two points of
view on the same historical event.
Concept 7 PO 1. Examine the reasons why people emigrated from
their homelands to settle in the United States during the late 19th
century.
PO 2. Describe how the United States was positively and negatively
affected by factors and events resulting from the arrival of a large
numbers of immigrants.
PO 4. Discuss the relationship between immigration and
industrialization.

Arizonas College and Career Ready Standards (ACCRS):

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text; provide an objective
summary of the text. (7.RL.2)
 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze
the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (7.RI.4)
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well
structured event sequences.
o b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and
description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
o c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to
convey sequence and signal shifts from one-time frame or
setting to another.
o d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details,
and sensory language to capture the action and convey
experiences and events.
o e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the
narrated experiences or events. (7.W.3)

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Identify key motives for migration to the U.S. from Europe and Asia
Discuss the growing nationalist sentiment in America and backlash
against immigrants
Compare Ellis Island immigration patterns and experiences to those at
Angel Island
Analyze personal accounts and identify historic correlations in the
readings

Reference Books and Websites:

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882, I, Chap. 126; 22 Stat. 58. 47th Congress;
Approved May 6, 1882.

Keene, Jennifer D., Saul Cornell, and Edward T. O'Donnell. Visions of America:
A History of the United States. 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Stamp, Jimmy. "Pioneering Social Reformer Jacob Riis Revealed How The
Other Half Lives in America." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 27
May 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

Wills, S. (n.d.). Immigrant Voices: Discover Immigrant Stories from Angel

Island. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://www.aiisf.org/immigrant-
voices/stories-by-author/954-behind-the-scenes-stories-from-angel-island-
interpreters/
 DAY 1

Title of lesson: Introduction to Immigration

Type of lesson: Day 1/Anticipatory Set
Your Name: Jacqueline Arenas
Length of lesson: 50 minutes

Overview: Introduce topic of immigration through a classroom discussion

on how the concept is defined. In addition, we will take a citizenship test
immigrants take to assess our skills.

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Identify key motives for migration to the U.S. from Europe and
Asia
Compare Ellis Island immigration patterns and experiences to
those at Angel Island

Arizonas College and Career Ready Standards for Literacy in

History/Social Studies (ACCRS):
N/A

Arizona Social Studies Content Standard(s):

PO 1. Examine the reasons why people emigrated from their
homelands to settle in the United States during the late 19th century.
PO 4. Discuss the relationship between immigration and
industrialization.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:
Paper, pencil,
Keene, Jennifer D., Saul Cornell, and Edward T. O'Donnell. Visions of
America: A History of the United States. 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson,
2013. Print.

Procedure to Teach the Lesson:

Beginning (anticipatory set)
Teacher wearing something traditional from her
background/heritage/ethnic group
Ask students to divide into 4 groups of 4-6 students, each
placed on each corner of the classroom. (2 min)
Each group must create their own culture (things they like
collectively such as food, how they dress, what kind of genre
music they listen to, holidays, economy, countrys
environment, etc.) (10 min)
 They will list their ideas and collectively decide on the main
characteristics of their group, all having copies of their
decisions (5 min)
Afterwards, they will all rotate around the class, from group to
group, assembling new groups completely different from
before and with members from all groups and they will all
share their main groups made-up culture (5 min)
The new group will discuss their differences and similarities,
collectively. How are they different? (5)

End (closure)
How did the experience feel? Did anyone feel alienated from
their new groups? Discuss
Use the experience to introduce topic about early European
immigration through Ellis Island and Angel Island briefly. Do
you know how immigrants got to the United States? Could you
do it? Consider the differences in nationality and culture and
discuss (18 min)
For homework, they will ask parents/guardians Where does
our family/traditions come from? Students will write 2-5
sentences detailing their findings.

Assessment: Students will take a citizenship test alike to the ones

immigrants took in the 20th century. (10 min)

DAY 1 APPENDIX
Citizenship Test:

Intro Assignment: Citizenship Test

People who apply to become United States citizens must answer 10 to 15 randomly
selected questions about American history and our government. Below you will answer
10 of the 100 possible questions.
May the odds be ever in your favor.

1. What do the stripes on the American flag represent?

___________________________________________________________________

2. How many states are there in the Union?

a. 52 b. 50 c. 40
3. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?

___________________________________________________________________

4. What are the three branches of our government?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

5. How many changes or amendments are there to the U.S. Constitution?

a. 27 b. 13 c. 9

6. Who has the power to declare war?

________________________________________________________________

7. What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?

________________________________________________________________

8. Name one right guaranteed by the first amendment.

________________________________________________________________

9. How many U.S. Supreme Court justices are there?

________________________________________________________________

10. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
 a. Puerto Rico and Guam
b. Alaska and Puerto Rico
c. Hawaii and Alaska

BONUS QUESTION

What are the colors of the American flag and what does each symbolize?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Answer Key
1. 13 original colonies
2. B-50
3. England
4. Judiciary, Legislative, and Executive
5. A-27
6. Congress
7. Bill of Rights
8. Freedom of speech/press/religion or peaceable assembly
9. 9
10. C-Hawaii and Alaska
Bonus: Red stands for courage, white stands for truth, and blue stands for justice.
 DAY 2

Title of lesson: Immigration to America

Type of lesson: Lecture
Your Name: Jacqueline Arenas
Length of lesson: 50 minutes

Overview: Continue talking about immigration, we will delve into the

different ports of entry immigrants came through as well as the challenges
and advantages immigrants faced as they settled in the United States.

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Identify key motives for migration to the U.S. from Europe and
Asia
Discuss the growing nationalist sentiment in America and
backlash against immigrants

Arizonas College and Career Ready Standards for Literacy in

History/Social Studies (ACCRS):
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text; provide an objective
summary of the text. (7.RL.2)
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze
the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (7.RI.4)

Arizona Social Studies Content Standard(s):

Concept 7 PO 1. Examine the reasons why people emigrated from
their homelands to settle in the United States during the late 19th
century.
PO 2. Describe how the United States was positively and negatively
affected by factors and events resulting from the arrival of a large
numbers of immigrants.
PO 4. Discuss the relationship between immigration and
industrialization.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:
PowerPoint
KWL Chart
Chinese Immigrants in Mexico Article

Procedure to Teach the Lesson:

 Beginning (anticipatory set): Ask students what does
Immigration mean?
o Students list what they think immigration is based on
their knowledge and write on KWL chart what they know
of immigration from the 1900s
o Define immigration straight from the dictionary. Ask how
they associate immigration historically according to what
they have been taught before or seen on the media? Is it
usually one-sided? Can they relate to the way its
portrayed on the media?

Middle: PowerPoint
o SLIDE 3 Introduction: Statue of Liberty and symbolisim (5 min)
o SLIDE 4, 5, 6, and 7 New Arrivals process: Ellis Island, Angel Island and
Paso del Norte (5 min)
o SLIDE 8 Activity: Discuss with your group about immigration centers(5
min)
o SLIDE 9 Immigration centers(3 min)
o SLIDE 10 Immigrants building their homes/ neighborhoods(5 min)
o SLIDE 11 Amadeo P. Giannini(2 min)
o SLIDE 12 Tenement life(3 min)
o SLIDE 13 Activity: Analyze Jacob Riis photos of tenements/
neighborhoods (10 min)
o SLIDE 14 Finding Work(3 min)
o SLIDE 15 Opposition to immigrants(4 min)
o SLIDE 16 Assign Chinese through U.S.-Mexico Border article(2 min)

End (closure)
o SLIDE 17 Nativist gave rise to nationalism question(1 min)

Assessment: Students will complete a KWL chart by the end of the lesson
where they will write what they know about 1900s immigration, what they
want to know, and what they learned by the end of the lesson

DAY 2 APPENDIX

Powerpoint (sent separately)

Lecture Notes

Lecture Notes
Pass out KWL worksheet and ask students what they know about immigration in
general? What do they know about immigration from Europe? Asia? Ellis Island?
Allow 5 minutes for students to write what they know and what they want to learn
from this topic in their KWL worksheet (2 min)
 SLIDE 2 (2 min)
So. what does Immigration mean?
Define immigration straight from the dictionary. Ask how they associate
immigration historically according to what they have been taught before or seen
on the media? Is it usually one-sided? Can they relate to the way its portrayed on
the media?
SLIDE 3 (5 min)
Introduce picture: immigration is summed by this picture of Ellis Island, not
altogether accurate.
(land of opportunity). Explain how the Statue of Liberty symbolized freedom for
the immigrants who were leaving their homeland (religious persecution, political
freedom, etc.) (also, statue of liberty completed by 1886)
o Relate to other waves of migration, ei: Irish with the potato famine and
Germans in the 1840s
Explain that in the late 1800s and early 1900s the U.S was the land of
opportunities
o Previous unit: Industrial Revolution in both manufacturing and agriculture
propelled the U.S. economy. Jobs were available everywhere in cities and
forced many to abandon their homeland to seek prosperity
SLIDE 4, 5, 6, and 7 (5 min)
New arrivals were processed through govt-run immigration centers
o Busiest on the East coast was Ellis Island in NYC harbor (1892) with
millions of European immigrants processed
o West coast processed primarily Asian immigrants through Angel Island in
San Francisco Bay (1910)
o Souths main processing center at El Paso, TX with most of the
immigrants being Mexican who settled in the Southwest

SLIDE 8 Discuss: Had you heard of Ellis Island, Angel Island, and/or Paso del Norte? (5
min) What if I told you that through the U.S.-Mexico border, countless of Chinese
immigrants crossed? Write in a piece of paper if you think Im telling the truth true or not
We will tally the votes and leave it up on the board. We will come back to this in a
couple slides
SLIDE 9 (3 min)
Immigration centers officers interviewed and examined immigrants. People with
contagious diseases or legal problems could be turned away
SLIDE 10 (5 min)
New York City is home of Ellis Island, the place where immigrants were
processed for clearance. Many stayed in NY = gateway and main stage for major
cultural change.
 o Most of the immigrants at Ellis Island were from South and East Europe
o Czechs, Greeks, Italians, Hungarians, Poles, Russians, etc.
Immigrant neighborhood with others from same country
o Speak native language, eat food from home, practice customs, published
newspapers
o Founded schools, clubs, places of worship (Jews in NY perform Yiddish)
o Immigrants opened local shops and small banks, offered credit and small
loans (helping newcomers)
SLIDE 11 (2 min)
1904 Italian immigrant Amadeo Peter Giannini started Bank of Italy in SF, now
Bank of America
SLIDE 12 (3 min)
Now, many of these neighborhoods included tenements which were poorly built,
overcrowded apartment buildings (will get back to this on later slides)
o Shortage of affordable housing forced poor families into tiny, unsafe and
unsanitary apt.
o Overcrowded, no garbage collection meant trash on streets, scarce
running water, poor ventilation=diseases (cholera, tuberculosis)
High child mortality rates, fires, crime
SLIDE 13 (analyze Jacob Riis photos) (10 min)
A Danish immigrant named Jacob Riis came to America in the late
1800s with just $40 on his pocket. With much luck and hard work,
he became a journalist and showed Americans what life was like in
tenements
With your group (students are seated in groups of 4-5 kids at each
table/arrangement of desks) discuss the images you see. List the
things you think from each picture that describes it as a tenement
We will discuss as a class the things we observe

SLIDE 14 (3 min) Finding Work: shift from agriculture work back home to not
affording farmland in U.S.= living in cities and working manufacturing and industrial
works
o Most of this jobs were low-payed, unskilled jobs in garment factories, steel
mills or construction
o Long hours, deplorable conditions, low wages
o They are the ones constructing those tall buildings, highways and
railroads that people enjoy
SLIDE 15 (4 min)
Opposition to immigrants with labor unions claiming new immigrants take jobs
from native-born Americans (sounds familiar, doesnt it?)
o Americans also called themselves nativists believed too many immigrants
were being allowed
 o Racial and ethnic prejudice was on the rise (majority of the immigrants
practiced different religions such as orthodox, catholicism, and judaism)
o Sentiment of immigrants harming American society would not learn
American customs
o Nativist became violent towards immigrants and pushed for laws to limit or
exclude them altogether, and even though the govt refrained to do so for
the most part, the bulged targeting a specific group of immigrants
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act bans Chinese entry to the United States for the next
10 years
o Gets renewed after 10-year limit and continues not allowing Chinese entry
for decades
SLIDE 16: Continuation of Chinese through U.S.-Mexico border (2 min)
o Assign for homework article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mexicali-
chinatown_us_589bcd59e4b09bd304c00a99
SLIDE 17
o Nativists gave rise to nationalism. Think about how nationalistic ideas
affected the immigrants, compare it to current events if possible. Dont
forget homework, annotate the most important things from the article

KWL Chart

KWL Chart
What do I want
What do I know? What did I learn?
to find out?
Chinese Immigrants in Mexico Article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mexicali-
chinatown_us_589bcd59e4b09bd304c00a99
DAY 3

Title of lesson: The Different Experiences of Immigrants

Type of lesson: Discussion
Your Name: Jacqueline Arenas
Length of lesson: 50 minutes

Overview: As a class, we will define nativism and how it affected the

growing immigrant population in the United States as well as the
root of it

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Compare Ellis Island immigration patterns and experiences to
those at Angel Island
Analyze personal accounts and discuss highlights of their
readings
Arizonas College and Career Ready Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies (ACCRS):
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text; provide an objective
summary of the text. (7.RL.2)
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze
the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (7.RI.4)

Arizona Social Studies Content Standard(s):

Strand 1: American History Concept 1 - PO 8. Describe two points of
view on the same historical event.
Concept 7 PO 1. Examine the reasons why people emigrated from
their homelands to settle in the United States during the late 19th
century.
PO 2. Describe how the United States was positively and negatively
affected by factors and events resulting from the arrival of a large
numbers of immigrants.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:
Primary sources
Pencil
Sticky notes

Procedure to Teach the Lesson:

Beginning (anticipatory set):
o Break students into 7 groups of 4 (2 min) give
instructions (2 min)
o Students will be assigned into groups of 4, totaling in 7
groups for our fishbowl discussion. All four students must
participate in the discussion by rotating into the
discussion. Participants cannot leave the fishbowl
without contributing at least 2 relevant comments to the
discussion. Students outside of the fishbowl will have
sticky notes in which they will write
comments/answers/opinions about the discussion to pass
on to the member who is in the fishbowl to help them
out.

Middle:
o Give students all four documents. They must read them
within their group and take notes about what they
believe is the overarching theme of all documents. They
will be allowed to use their lecture notes from the day
 before for the discussion. Together, they will write down
questions and possible answers for the discussion (15
min)
o Pose question: (1 min)
Explain how did immigrant experiences differ
between Angel Island and Ellis Island? What were
the causes? Why did this happen?
o Students will discuss the issue in a fishbowl, rotating
with their classmates so everyone shares their opinion
and questions. Teacher will act as moderator when
discussion stops (20 min)
Possible questions to ask in the middle of discussion
Should immigration be restricted?
Key elements you see different between the
childrens experiences
How can you imagine their travesty to reach shore?
Both children are boys and travelled with only their
father, what does this tell you about society during
that time? Was there favoritism towards men?
How do the children experiences growing up in
America attest to the belief of the land of
opportunity?

End (closure)
o We will close our discussion by responding whether we
think it was justified for the US government to complicate
and stall immigration processes at Angel Island and not
in Ellis Island, taking into consideration that the Chinese
Exclusion Act was in place and it stipulated specific
processes for Chinese immigrants. (7 min)

Assessment: On a sticky note write what you learned from todays

discussion. Were you surprised by some of the accounts we read? Did you
know or have any background knowledge about immigrants experiences in
both Ellis and Angel Island? (3 min)

DAY 3 APPENDIX

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 Document

An Act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese.

Whereas in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers
the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof: Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That
from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after
the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and
during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or having so come after the expiration of said
ninety days to remain within the United States.

Behind the Scenes: Stories from Angel Island Interpreters (optional)

Between 1910 and 1940, Angel Island, the port that processed one million immigrants, employed a team
of investigators, stenographers, and interpreters. Many of the immigrants coming through Angel Island
were from Asia, and interpreters were brought in to translate for the applicant and help the inspector
determine if the applicants testimony was valid and truthful. With the Chinese Exclusion Acts in effect,
many Chinese immigrants were finding creative ways to find ways to work the system and land in the
United States. Angel Island investigators evaluated the testimonies from not only the applicant, but also
from the applicant-identified family members that had already landed in the U.S. If the stories given by
an applicant and a family member didnt match up, the applicant would be denied entry.

Yet, finding flaws and truths within these stories would not be possible without the interpreters, who had
to know a wide array of Chinese provincial dialects. The interpreters had little decision-making power,
but were vital in the processing of immigrants. In a series of interviews done in 1976 by Paul Chow, Him
Mark Lai, Genny Lim and Judy Yung, interpreters shared their stories of working at Angel Island. The
interviewees wished to remain anonymous, due to the delicate nature of their work as interpreters.
Interpreters were meant to be impartial, and unbiased within the entire process itself. As we learn more
about their lives, we see how difficult it would have been to be truly impartial throughout it all.

Interpreters started out their day by taking the ferry to Angel Island. Most interpreters worked a typical
day of 8:30am to 4:00pm, and worked on multiple cases through the day. Their duty was to translate the
testimony given by an arriving immigrant, which would assist the inspector in determining the validity of
that immigrants whole file. For example, some Chinese immigrants would claim family already in the
U.S. that wasnt their truthful family back in China. Some family members resembled the applicant
quite a bit, so it was difficult to immediately claim invalidity. Interpreters had to tell the inspector what
specific dialect the person spoke, and if the person spoke a different dialect than that of their supposed
relatives, they were caught in a lie.

Although the interpreter played a key role in each case, they never saw the whole of a case. Interpreters
were shifted around, they would hear from one family petitioner, then another interpreter would hear from
the actual applicant, then another interpreter would hear from the next family member. Most simple cases
had two to three interpreters, but this number went up with the complexity of the stories. If there is a lot
of family on record, the testimony can get really long, and require more interpreters. Even if a family
member had already given testimony for a previous applicant, they were brought in again to give another
testimony, to ensure it matched. Inspectors would check these testimonies to find any inconsistencies, as
some would try to fake family connections to get in.

While the process of testifying was elaborate and long, interpreters recalled that it was not intentionally
loud or scary. In contrast to the hard-hitting investigators on television dramas, the investigators rarely
yelledrather, they asked many hard questions, bound to trip an applicant up if they do not have their
story in place. One interpreter remembered the intricate questions they had to translate:
Out of most of my cases, they always started out with the location of the village, how the father got back
to the village, who met him at the pier. Then they get into the description: How many rows of houses in
the village? Was there a fish pond in the front? Was the bamboo fence in the back? Who lived in the house
in front of you? What row house you live in? Who lived in the front? Who lived in the back? Who lived in
the side? Then a description of inside the house. Of course, the houses were all standardized: the room
with the big doorway, the door facing south, small door facing north, something like-that. Did they have a
clock? Where was the clock hung? Where was the family altar located?

The immigrants showed great agency in finding ways to support their communities in the testimonies that
all applicants had to go through. Interpreters stated that they often could tell that the cases were false,
stating that on the very nature of the situation, you know that a lot of them were false. We might as well
admit it. But, since it was not the interpreters job to make judgment calls, it was up to the investigator to
draw conclusions.

While the interpreters were told to be unbiased, some of them still attempted to be kind to the people
giving the life changing testimonies: It wasnt our jobs, but sometimes they might seem nervous. You
just tell them to take their time and answer your question.

Investigators werent the only people with decision making powers, though. In each case, a board sat to
evaluate the applicant and the case as a while. A board was comprised of an inspector, a board member,
and a stenographer, who took all the testimony down. Even the stenographer could raise their voice if they
felt like the investigator was making a wrong judgment. Quite the contrast to interpreters, who stated, we
dont have a voice whatsoever. We were supposed to be very impartial. And even in their translation, the
interpreters felt as if the investigators could see through any lies in translation.

The interviewed interpreters recalled chief inspector P.B. Jones and the power he held over all
investigators. Jones was quite intimidating, and kept the other investigators in check when they would
slip up. Slipping up could mean incorrectly evaluating a case, or even getting to close to a Chinese
interpreter. One recalled,

If the Chinese interpreters were too friendly with these inspectors, pretty soon they [P.B. Jones and other
investigators] might suspect something is going on between you two guys. So I stayed away from them.

Unfortunately, this great divided power structure was deepened by the racial hierarchies occurring in the
workplace. Investigators tended to be white, while interpreters were Chinese. The Chinese interpreters
were still often seen as foreigners, and there may have been suspicion held on their allegiance. Casual and
positive relations between the positions were few and far to come by, even when some Asian investigators
got hired.

There were not just divides between white investigators and Chinese interpreters. There were also class
systems at hand, and not all Chinese people at Angel Island were on the same playing field. Chinese
workers were also present in the kitchen, but rarely interacted with interpreters, and even went in on
different boats in the morning. And, apart from actual translating, interpreters rarely saw the conditions of
the applicant immigrants: I didnt see any of the barracks. Surprise, the whole year, the only thing I saw
was the interpreters room, the hallways, the board room.

Despite the class divides within the diversity of Chinese people within Angel Island, interpreters were
occasionally offered bribes. They tried not to take them, since they had no decision making power, but
one interpreter recalls, If you didnt accept, they think you find it too little. And they say youre
uncooperative. And no love for country or countryman. Some interpreters would even receive Lai See
(traditional Chinese red-envelopes, filled with money), to emphasize the connection between Chinese
people and to offer respectful money. More often than not, though, the detainee would ask the interpreter
if the inspector would take bribes. Interpreters would try to warn the applicant not to do so, saying, Oh,
no, no, no, Dont waste your money.

Although cases were rare, interpreters were also called to translate under special conditions. These
conditions included riots within detainee communities. In one instance, kitchens were accused of buying
bad, low-quality rice, and the applicants rioted in anger. Interpreters were called in to calm people and
smooth the situation out. While it was a high-intensity situation that resulted in no change, the detainees
protest also again shows major agency, this time in speaking up over their living conditions. An
interviewed interpreter also recalled tensions within immigrant detainee communities. In another instance,
a woman was caught stealing all the soap. When she refused to confess, the other applicants staged a riot
that again had to be calmed by interpreters.

Interpreters were also needed when applicants sent their objections to court to appeal. Around half of
applicants were denied the first time, and many appealed, since they had a better chance of landing after
going through the process. This does not mean that the appeal process was easy, though. It was costly, and
detainees werent well informed about the processthey had little contact with their attorneys or outside
family members, aside from the letters that the petitioner could write. Interpreters were assigned to scan
these letters, to ensure that they did not include any coaching information for the attorney. Yet, because
the interpreters were not required to directly translate, but rather just give the letters approval, the
interpreters often let them through: Even if there was coaching information, you pretended not to see it.
Interpreters often knew when applicants were playing the system, but rarely spoke up on the matter.

This may be because of the nature of the work they were doing. The interpreters interviewed did not have
a major stake in the work; for them, it was a temporary position. One stated that, You werent learning
anything. Its just like people in translation business. They never like to stay in translation. Further, some
interpreters didnt believe in the surrounding culture of immigration, how the laws were passed, and how
the applicants were treated. At the end of the day, interpreters saw the struggle of the immigrants passing
through Angel Island, and had to personally recount the stories of many of them. They directly translated
the lives of many applicants that wanted so badly to immigrate to the United States, and some interpreters
felt deeply for these people. In the interviews conducted years later, an interpreter recounted his true
feelings about the immigration system:

Theres no question in my mind, but the Chinese immigrants who came through Angel Island really went
through quite an ordeal. Theres no doubt about it. The fact that youre incarcerated so long and put up
with all that testimony and so on [W]ere Chinese. We only had a Chinamans chance. It was all
because of the Exclusion Act.

Ellis Island account

Seymour's Story
My name is Seymour Rechtzeit and I was born in Ldz, Poland, in 1912. My family is Jewish, and I
first began singing in our synagogue. By the time I was 4, I was called a wunderkind, or wonder
child in English. Soon I was singing in concerts all over Poland.
My family decided that I should come to America, where there would be more opportunities for me.
The Great War (which you know as World War I) had just ended, and it was a bad time in Europe. I
had an uncle living in America, and he sent two tickets for my father and me to sail across the
Atlantic Ocean. The rest of my family stayed in Poland. The plan was that my father and I would earn
enough money to eventually bring them to America, too.

In Danzig, a city on the shore of the Baltic Sea now known as Gdansk, we boarded a ship called The
Lapland. It was 1920, and I was on my way to America.

Crossing the Atlantic

Riding on a big boat across the Atlantic Ocean may sound like fun, but it wasn't. The two-week trip
was miserable! Our beds were in steerage, way down in the bottom of the boat. It was lined with
bunks, one on top of the other. It was uncomfortable and crowded. I went up on deck all the time, just
to have space to move around.

We hit many bad storms at sea. It rained hard, and I was often wet and shivering. By the time we
sailed into New York Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, I had a very bad cold. Still, I was up on deck
in my good white suit, cheering along with everyone else at the awesome sight of the statue.

Back then, immigrants had to pass a medical examination before they were allowed to enter the
country. Many people were sent back to where they came from. I was 8 years old and I was ill. I
didn't know what was going to happen to me in America.

Ellis Island
At Ellis Island, my father, who was not sick, stood in long lines as part of the entry process. Officials
asked him lots of questions about where he came from, what he did for a living back in Poland, and
what his plans were in America. All immigrants had to answer these questions. Only then could the
newcomers leave Ellis Island and take a ferry to New York and finally set foot in America.

When the doctor examined me, he discovered I had a cold. He said I could not go with my father,
though I cried and begged. I was terrified to be all alone in this strange place.

Detained
I stayed on Ellis Island for a few days, until I was feeling better. I had no toys with me. I didn't know of
such things. But there were other sick boys to keep me company. Some of them spoke Yiddish, my
language. We ate in a huge dining room. The food was different it was American style. But it was
good, especially the milk.

There was a long gate that led to the boats that took people off the island, across New York Harbor,
to the city. Every day, we boys would walk to the gate and look out over the water. We wanted to see
America. It was like being in a jail. We felt sad and wondered if we would ever get through that gate
and onto a boat for that final journey to our new country, the United States.
Life in New York
My cold soon went away, and then the officials told me that my father and uncle were coming to get
me.

As I stepped off the boat from Ellis Island, I felt a rush of joy. All around me were hundreds of families
greeting their relatives, welcoming them to America.

That was the beginning of my new life in New York. Right away, I started singing in concerts and
earning money to help bring the rest of my family to America. I sang in school, too. I sang "My
Country 'Tis of Thee" and "The Star-Spangled Banner." I learned quickly.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/relive-boys-journey-america/

Angel Island account

Born in Toisan, Guangdong Province, China in 1910, artist Tyrus Wongs legendary career has
included work as a painter, a film production illustrator, a greeting card designer, and a kite
builder. He is best known for his contributions to the Walt Disney Studio feature film Bambi,
where he created the movies visual style.

Immigration to the U.S.

Life in China was hard for Wong Gaing Yoo (Tyrus) and his family. Meat was only eaten during
holiday times. Meals during the rest of the year consisted of fish heads, vegetables and rice. The
shared home was small, with a kitchen area, living room, and loft. A divider separated the
building, with Gaing Yoo, his family, and their chickens on one side, and a woman and her pig
on the other. It was decided that the boy would immigrate to the United States, in the hopes of
finding better opportunities. He left his mother and sister, and never saw them again.

Traveling with his father who used the name Look Get and had immigrated as a merchant (a
class allowed by the Chinese Exclusion Act), Gaing Yoo immigrated to the United States in 1920
via the ship, the S.S. China. He immigrated under the name Look Tai Yow. The boy and his
father shared a first class room with another man. During the month-long trip across the Pacific
Ocean, the young Tai Yow spent his time getting seasick, walking around the ship, observing the
American passengers racing each other, and watching Chinese passengers cooking and gambling.
The ship made stops in Hong Kong, and Kobe, Japan, but Tai Yow and his father didnt off-
board.

The S.S. China arrived in the United States on December 30, 1920. Upon arrival at the Angel
Island Immigration Station, Tai Yow was separated from his father, and held on the island for a
standard interview. Because he was young and could climb, Tai Yow was given the top bunk in
the sleeping quarters, where it was hot. When he realized he couldnt complain to his father
about the heat, he became upset and cried. This led to Tai Yows introduction to chewing gum, as
he was given a piece to comfort him by a guard. Instructed to chew but not swallow it, Tai Yow
passed time chewing and experimenting with the gum (at one point, he placed the gum on the
radiator). Tai Yow also wiled away the time on the stations swing. When the lunchtime whistle
blew, Tai Yow ran to the lunch barrack, and would eat his meal in the allocated 30-minute time
period. As Tyrus recollected, It was just like jail.

Tai Yow was interviewed by three U.S. Immigration inspectors on January 27, 1921. A
stenographer and and an interpreter were also present at the hearing. Although it felt as if he had
been on the island for a long time, Tai Yows hearing came relatively quickly, possibly because
his father had slipped something under the table to the authorities.

Tai Yows inquiry hearing included questions about his father, his mother, his siblings, his house,
his school and his village. Father Look Get and brother Look Chy Haon were interviewed in
Sacramento, CA on January 18,1921. Satisfied that Tai Yow was indeed the son of Look Get, U.
S. Immigration released the boy to his father, and an identification document for Tai Yow was
issued on January 31, 1921.

School Years
Although he was an educated man, Tyruss father was not able to get an American job in the
United States. Rather, he worked with other Chinese immigrants. Some of his jobs included
working as a Chinatown dealer for the Four Seasons, and helping to negotiate for Chinese stores.
Once released from Angel Island, Tyrus and his father went to Sacramento. They lived with a
half dozen other people at a Rubin House, which was located in an alley. According to Tyrus,
Each family had a tiny room there, and (shared) a community bathroom.

Tyrus said that Look Get was a very very good father. Education was important to Look Get.
He recited and explained poetry to the boy. Knowing that Tyrus loved drawing, his father taught
him to paint, draw, and write calligraphy with a brush. Look Get was a watercolorist; he had
Tyrus practice with a brush every night before going to bed using water, a brush, and newspaper
(as funds were limited).

After American school in Sacramento, Tyrus attended Chinese school. There was little time for
play. His father discouraged him from playing baseball, as he was concerned that the boy would
break his fingers and ruin his life. Although his American teacher told him he was a nice and
smart boy, Tyrus was only interested in drawing, and indifferent to school, especially despising
arithmetic. With his father now in Los Angeles, he skipped school. He received poor marks, and
wasnt able to be promoted. When Look Get received Tyrus dismal report card, and had it
translated, he immediately sent for the boy. Realizing he needed to keep a closer eye on his son,
Look Get arranged for Tyrus to attend school in southern California.
While attending Benjamin Franklin Jr. High School in Pasadena, one of Tyruss teachers
recognized his talents. He told Tyrus about art school, and how he could attend the school on a
scholarship. When Otis Art Institute offered a one-year scholarship to Tyrus, he accepted and
became a full-time student. Believing in his sons talents, Tyrus father borrowed money for him
to continue his studies at Otis. Eventually, Tyrus was able to attend Otis on a full scholarship. In
his fourth year, Tyrus won a scholarship for being a top student, which greatly pleased his father.

Tyrus graduated from Otis in 1935 at the top of his class. During the Great Depression, he
participated in the Federal Arts Project, a branch of the Roosevelt administrations Works
Progress Administration. He created two paintings a month, for exhibition at public libraries and
government buildings.

Bambi
In 1938, Tyrus was hired by the Walt Disney Studios, working on animated shorts as an in-
betweener. Hearing that the studio was in pre-production for the feature film Bambi, Tyrus
painted and submitted several striking landscape paintings with deer. The paintings caught the
attention of Walt Disney, who was intrigued by the mysterious quality of the sketches. Walt
wanted a different look for the movie, and Tyrus sketches became the basis for the films visual
style. Instead of focusing on minute details such as tiny flowers, branches, and logs, Tyrus kept
things simple, creating the atmosphere and the spirit of the forest. His study of Chinese art
inspired him to draw with simplicity. It was a revolutionary concept, and worked well for the
film. In 2001, Tyrus was named a Disney Legend for his contributions to Bambi.

Later Career
Tyrus left Disney Studios in 1941, and joined Warner Brothers in 1942. At the studio, he worked
as a production illustrator and sketch artist, painting pre-production art for many live-action
films, including Rebel Without a Cause, Calamity Jane, Harper, The Wild Bunch, Sands of Iwo
Jima, Auntie Mame, April in Paris, and PT 109. He was also loaned out to different studios.
During slow times at the studio, Tyrus also worked with his uncle at a ranch, picking tomatoes
and asparagus.

The relationship between the Warner Brothers employees and management wasnt always
amicable. While employed at the studio, Tyrus once chose to strike along with his fellow co-
workers. He landed in prison for the evening, along with other strikers, reminding him of his
time on Angel Island. It was a sleepless night in jail for Tyrus, as his bunkmate (the head of the
strike) snored.

During an interview in February 2010 conducted by AIISFs then-Executive Director Eddie

Wong, Tyrus was asked what he was most proud of in terms of his varied artwork. He replied, in
terms of commercial success, he is proud of his Christmas card designs for Hallmark. He is also
proud of the paintings he sold to individuals through the years.
 DAY 4

Title of lesson: The Rise of Nativism

Type of lesson: Inquiry
Your Name: Jacqueline Arenas
Length of lesson: 50 minutes

Overview: Students will discuss the rise of nationalism during the

outpour of immigrants in Unites States coming through Ellis Island
and Angel Island

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

Discuss the growing nationalist sentiment in America and
backlash against immigrants
Compare Ellis Island immigration patterns and experiences to
those at Angel Island

Arizonas College and Career Ready Standards for Literacy in

History/Social Studies (ACCRS):
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text; provide an objective
summary of the text. (7.RL.2)
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze
the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. (7.RI.4)

Arizona Social Studies Content Standard(s):

Concept 7 PO 1. Examine the reasons why people emigrated from
their homelands to settle in the United States during the late 19th
century.
PO 2. Describe how the United States was positively and negatively
affected by factors and events resulting from the arrival of a large
numbers of immigrants.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:
5 primary documents
Inquiry chart

Procedure to Teach the Lesson:

Beginning (anticipatory set): Teacher will ask students if they
have ever heard the term nativism (5 min)
 o Students should say they have. We touched upon it
during our lecture. Teacher will scaffold to guide them to
the answer if they arent sure
o Pose question: Why did the belief of nativism grow in the
United States as immigrants started arriving?
Middle: (6 min per document=30 min)
o Students will receive an inquiry chart where they will fill
out their predictions for starters after reading Document
A
o Students will be given the other 4 documents one at a
time to read and fill out chart as they read each
document to make predictions/spark inquiry

End (closure): (5 min)

o Discussion: Did you stick to your first hypothesis or did
the documents altered your opinion? Let students discuss
in their assigned groups.

Assessment: Students will turn in their inquiry charts with their predictions,
writing a paragraph of why their opinions changed if they did, or why their
hypothesis remained the same. The paragraph must be at least 5 sentences
and must use at least one quote from the documents we read today. (10
min).

DAY 4 APPENDIX

Inquiry lesson chart

According to this document, why did

nativism grow in the United States?
What were their arguments?
Provide evidence from the document to
support your claim.
Hypothesis: Why did Americans
feel the need to identify as
nativist when immigrants were
coming into the United States?

Document
A

Documen
t B
 Document
C

Document
D

Documen
t E

Document A: Excerpt from a popular book, The Passing of the Great Race, by
Madison Grant, published in 1916 by Charles Scribner's Sons.

These new immigrants were no longer exclusively members of

the Nordic race as were the earlier ones who came . . . the new
immigrants [contain] a large . . . number of the weak, the
broken and the mentally crippled of all races drawn from the
lowest [levels] of the Mediterranean basin and the Balkans,
together with hordes of the wretched, submerged populations of
the Polish Ghettos. Our jails, insane asylums and almshouses
are filled with this human flotsam [wreckage] and the whole
tone of American life, social, moral, and political has been
lowered and vulgarized by them.

Document B: Excerpt from Our Country, by Reverend Josiah Strong (1885).

immigration not only furnishes the greater portion of our criminals, it is also
seriously affecting the morals of the native population. It is disease and not health
which is contagious. Most foreigners bring with them continental ideas of the Sabbath,
and the result is sadly manifest in all our cities, where it is being transformed from a
holy day into a holiday. But by far the most effective instrumentality for debauching
[corrupting] popular morals is the liquor traffic, and this is chiefly carried on by
foreigners
Document C: Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts made this statement in
1891. The occasion was a debate in the U.S. Senate over a proposed Literacy Act that
would restrict future American immigration to those who could read and write.

. . . the qualities of the American people . . . are moral far more than
intellectual, and it is on the moral qualities of the English-speaking
race that our history, our victories, and all our future rest. There is
only one way in which you can lower those qualities or weaken
those characteristics, and that is by breeding them out. If a lower
race mixes with a higher in sufficient numbers, history teaches us
that the lower race will prevail. The lower race will absorb the higher
[We] are exposed to but a single danger, and that is by changing' the
quality of our race and citizenship through the wholesale infusion of
races whose traditions and inheritances, whose thoughts and whose
beliefs are wholly alien to ours. . . . There lies the peril at the portals
[gates] of our land; there is pressing in the tide of unrestricted
immigration. The time has certainly come, if not to stop, at least to
check, to sift, and to restrict those immigrants.

Document D:
Source:Puckmagazine, April 28, 1880

Reproduced by permission of Punch Ltd.

Document E: Excerpt from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

An Act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese.

Whereas in the opinion of the Government of the United States the

coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order
of certain localities within the territory thereof: Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after
the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and
until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the
coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is
hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful
for any Chinese laborer to come, or having so come after the
expiration of said ninety days to remain within the United States.

DAY 5: ESSAY

Directions:
Using your notes throughout the unit as well as the assignments done in class, write an
essay answering this question: What setbacks did immigrants face as they resettled in America
and how did immigration change American society?

Essay must be 5-7 paragraphs with each paragraph having AT LEAST 5 sentences. Use
evidence from your notes to prove your point! Your paper must be organized and clear with your
ideas, relevant and correct information including social studies vocabulary. Conventions such as
sentence formation, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, indentation, etc. does count towards
your grade.

Must be turned in next Monday at the beginning of class.

Model Essay:
Exploring the wave of immigration that the United States encountered during the early
20th century, many factors caused the surge. During the late 19th century, the United States
became a safe haven for many people in Europe and Asia who were seeking a better future. The
United States entered a period of prosperous finances which propelled mass production in
factories, where laborers were needed to manufacture the products at a cheap price. The demand
for employment and the booming economy caused immigrants to flock ashore via Ellis Island
and Angel Island, thoroughly altering society by bringing their cultures and merging them into
American society. But along with the growth of immigration flowing into the United States,
Inadvertently, the industrial revolution was one of the main reasons why immigrants
started coming to the United States. Individually, the native countries were obviously going
through some crisis that forced people to leave, but the strong economy the United States had
due to the industrial revolution made it the obvious destination to seek prosperity. But the high
demand for employment and the huge influx of immigrants helped create neighborhoods that
centered on specific nationalities and religions, where cultures could be practiced and kept much
easier. The communities created a safe space for immigrants where they could keep their customs
and help each other in times of trouble and could even conserve their native language.
Unfortunately, the fact that they conserved their traditions and cultures created in some
Americans resentment that would push them to actively pursue after immigrants.
The concept that the United States had a place for everyone in its economy gained them
the nickname land of opportunities, but sadly many struggles awaited newly arrived
immigrants. Native-born Americans would often antagonize them by pushing them out from
jobs, or harassing them. Immigrants were also discriminated due to their different cultural
practices and religion, often not being safe outside of their own homes. The United States
government also antagonized immigrants by creating policies that targeted them specifically.
Acts such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the literacy test needed for voting were one of the
few government-led policies that antagonized immigrants who were either trying to enter the
country or already living within.
To keep themselves safe, immigrants preferred to stay among people of the same or
similar culture, which is how these immigrant neighborhoods thrived. The fact that many people
who were disliked by some Americans ended up living in the same neighborhood facilitated
things such as housing discrimination and the poor socioeconomic status immigrants often had.
Unintentionally, the union of similar cultures and backgrounds created national hubs such as
Little Italy and Chinatown, were native-born Americans thought they could contain the foreign
cultures. This onslaught attack against immigrants had them trying to assimilate by taking
English classes and learning their rights as citizens - a new concept of culture began as
immigrants combined the best of both worlds. Unsurprisingly, of course, cultures started to
merge even when specific groups had been segregated from society, and the idea of merging
cultures started.
The late 19th and early 20th century wave of immigration was one of the biggest to shape
the United States and alter culturally the nation. The wave of immigration is evidence of the
financial strength the United States had during the time and the potential its workforce had. The
possibility of better paying jobs and the abundance of them due to the industrial revolution was
one of the biggest incentives behind immigrants relocation, but that did not mean they did not
struggle facing native-born Americans and a government that selectively wanted them.
Rubric:

3 2 1 0

Structure Response includes Weak topic sentence Missing key No topic sentence
strong topic or concluding components of or key
sentence and sentence. response. components for
powerful Lack of fluency response
conclusion. Main between sentences
body includes all
key components

Argument Argument includes Argument lacks No connection No argument

comparison strong connection between students made
between students between students opinion/point of view
opinion/point of opinion/point of view and historical
view and historical and historical info. info. No evidence
information. Limited evidence used to strengthen
Rationale given used to strengthen argument.
using strong argument.
evidence from class
resources.

Historical Direct analysis of Some analysis of No analysis of No historical

historical evidence historical evidence, historical evidence. evidence used
Analysis and its impact on but response lacks Little historical
your response. depth. evidence used in
Specific historical Historical facts not response.
facts used from properly cited but
class resources are appropriately
properly cited and chosen.
used in argument.

Spelling/ 1 pt for correct Spelling and

spelling and grammar errors
Grammar grammar