Early American Immigration and Race

Lesson Plan on Race in America

Objectives:   Students will:

• Define and understand types of immigration
• Identify types of migration as represented via documents
• Compare the migration experiences of Africans and British

Handouts:  

• Primary Source Documents
• Document Analysis Chart
• George Washington Quotation
• Homework Rubric

In the Classroom:

1. Defining Terms—Ask students to suggest possible definitions of the term "immigration". What types of immigration are there? What is the different between immigration and emigration? What is forced migration? What is voluntary migration?
2. Analyzing Primary Sources—Divide students into groups of three or four. Distribute the primary source documents to each group. Ask groups to complete the document analysis chart for their documents.
3. Comparing Results—Return to the large group setting, and ask groups to report on their findings. What did students find? How are the documents similar to one another? How are they different? What types of experiences do they describe? Can students make conclusions, based on the six documents, about how these two groups experienced their immigration to America? How did race affect the experience of these migrants? What further information would they like to gather or learn about the immigration experience of various groups to early America?
4. Extending Analysis—Place the George Washington quotation on an overhead projector. Ask students to write about their impressions of the quotation in reflective journals. If necessary, provide students with some prompts. How does the quotation connect to the earlier discussion about different groups arriving in America?
5. Revisiting Definitions—Finally, prompt students to add, enhance, or modify their definitions of immigration based on information from the documents and class discussion. What is the impact of race on migration?

Homework:

Using the homework rubric as a guide, create a cartoon or write a journal entry about experience of African or early British immigration to America.

Note: This lesson provides a good introduction to different types of immigration. Following this lesson, students should be prepared for a more in-depth and critical look at the history of U.S. immigration policies. Race played and still plays a critical role in immigration issues. The Choices unit, U.S. Immigration Policy in an Unsettled World, could be used successfully following this lesson.

Supplemental Reading for Teachers:

Payne, Richard; Getting Beyond Race: The Changing American Culture. Westview Press,

Boulder CO. 1998

This lesson was developed by:

Thaly Germain, Maya Angelou Charter School, Washington DC