Us & Them: Immigration and the Construction of Race

Lesson Plan on Race in America

This lesson could be used as an introductory activity prior to beginning the Choices unit: U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World.

Objectives:   Students will:

•  Understand racial thinking in an historical context.
•  Analyze the role of race and racism in immigration policy.
•  Identify their own racial thinking, as well as prevalent racial thinking in America today.

Handouts:    

• Student Handout #1: Thoughts on Immigration [Quote from Ben Franklin]

NOTE: "Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind" is available at the following URL.

bc.barnard.columbia.edu/~lgordis/earlyAC/documents/observations.html

• Student Handout #2: Political Cartoon - The Day We Celebrate

• Student Handout #3: Chinese Exclusion Act

NOTE: The Chinese Exclusion Act is available at the following URL.

www.cetel.org/1882_exclusion.html

• Student Handout #4: Proposition 187

NOTE: Proposition 187 is available at the following URL.

www.americanpatrol.com/REFERENCE/prop187text.html

In the Classroom:

•  Analysis of Primary Source Document—Divide students into groups of 3-4, providing all groups with both the Franklin quote and political cartoon (with reference to ethnic groups removed), as well as the guided thinking questions. Ask student groups to spend 5-10 minutes analyzing each document.

•  Group Sharing of Analysis—Call on one or two student groups to share their analysis and reasoning. Outline group ideas on the board. Invite other groups to add ideas not yet generated.

•  Introduce Concept of Racial Thinking—Reveal the true subject, date, and author of the documents being discussed. Ask students: What surprises you about the source and subject of these documents? What does this tell you about perceptions of race? Help students to create a definition of racial thinking (Sample Definition: A set of assumptions that ascribe differences, where skin color is only one aspect of race...for example, the British viewed both Irish and Germans as separate, distinct and subordinate races.)

•  Analysis of Immigration Policy—Hand out copies of the Chinese Exclusion Act (with the word Chinese removed) and guided thinking questions to the same student groups. Allow students time to complete analysis.

•  Group Sharing of Analysis—Ask students to share their predictions. Place the complete excerpt of the Chinese Exclusion Act on an overhead, sharing with students the time period in which the act was passed. Ask students to speculate about the racial thinking that might have contributed to this legislation.

•  Reflecting on Connections to Today—Allow students the opportunity to reflect in writing on the following questions: What might be viewed as racial thinking today? How might this impact current immigration policy and perceptions of immigration? Collect this written reflection and return it to students upon completion of the Choices Unit to inform student thinking as they create their own "Option 5." A second reflection could be completed at the end of the Choices Unit, focusing on the impact of racial thinking on the option students presented.

•  Supplemental Resource—Proposition 187 can also be used for analysis to relate current immigration policies to the discussion.

Homework:

Students should read Introduction: U.S. Immigration Policy in the student text (pages 1-7) in preparation for Day One of U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World.

This lesson was developed by:
Julie Hagler—Normal Community High School, Normal, Illinois
Anne Libert—Normal Community High School, Normal, Illinois
Caitlin Murphy—Hudson High School, Hudson, Massachusetts