The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, a year after being passed by Congress. It extended the right to vote to many women, but not all. Excluded from this landmark constitutional victory were women like Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, who was born in Guangzhou (then Canton), China, in 1896, but who immigrated to New York as a child. From 1882 to…

At one high school outside of Boston, most students look forward to their daily American history class. They love their teacher's regular pop culture references and arrive ready to participate in the lively and contentious debates. Yet, despite Almira's fondness for the teacher and deep commitment to academic success, this class causes her more…

While nearly 85 percent of the U.S. population is currently made up of immigrants and their descendants, some groups were specifically targeted for exclusion and deliberately expelled. The Chinese were the first to experience this. In the 1850s, many Chinese who came to this land to search for gold or to help build the transcontinental railroad,…

The story of the United States and the people who have made it their home would not be complete without considering the experience of Irish immigrants--particularly the experience of Annie Moore, the first immigrant to be processed on Ellis Island. However, the story of Annie Moore, and how it has been recounted and taught to date, is inaccurate.…

In this article, the author shares her experience and her observations as a Roving Scholar of American Studies in Norway through the Norway Fulbright Foundation grant. The author visited upper secondary schools all over Norway, teaching lessons to both students and teachers on topics related to U.S. history, government, culture, and geography. She…

This article is adapted from "Chew Heong v. United States: Chinese Exclusion and the Federal Courts", written by Lucy Salyer, associate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, for inclusion in the Federal Judicial Center's project, "Federal Trials and Great Debates in United States History." In 1882, Congress…

Presents details for a simulation game for a secondary social studies unit on immigration. Depending on the card a student holds, he may be allowed into the land of milk and honey, which in this game consists of graham crackers and milk. Discussion questions are included. (KC)

Contains a poster appealing to immigrants in the 1920s to attend classes at one of four Americanization schools to learn English. Teaching strategies to help teachers use the poster in secondary U.S. history classes are included. The poster is a primary source material from the National Archives. (RM)

Provides a review of historical trends and recent experiences which shape the issues that dominate current immigration policy debates. Gives special attention to the employment status of illegal aliens and the impact this labor force may have on future legislation. (JDH)

Describes how most groups that have settled in the United States came to fulfill their dreams. We can be optimistic about the future and the American dream if we accept the fact that we will have to live with fewer material goods and share more of what we now have. (RM)

The recent Library of Congress exhibition, From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America, has sparked renewed interest in the history of Jews in the United States. The collection featured more than 200 documents, images, and artifacts that chronicle the Jewish American experience. In exhibit from September through December 2004, From…

Contains three case studies designed to encourage students to evaluate the concept of the American dream. The student materials focus on the issue of slavery, early twentieth-century immigrants to the United States, and a successful Mexican American in 1982. (RM)

Today, the Census Bureau compiles extensive information every year about the people and the economy of the United States. That is how the authors know that in 2006 the United States is going to reach an extraordinary milestone--300 million people. In this article, the authors discuss the "now and then" of the U.S. society. The authors…

Brings together ideas on teaching about immigration from a number of elementary-school teachers in New Jersey and summarizes common themes. Outlines three specific projects based on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, family history, and children's fiction. Includes a brief list of children's literature and other teaching resources. (DSK)

Presents a lesson plan for teaching about immigration through the use of primary documents. Includes background information on the history of immigration and the process of naturalization, teaching suggestions, discussion questions for students, and copies of primary documents. (DSK)