immigration multiple sources corroboration activity

Designing Document Based Questions___________________________________

Corroborating Multiple Primary Sources:

Using Discussion to Enhance Historical Thinking and Writing

Historical Investigation Question: What challenges did immigrants face upon arriving in the United States, from the late 19th to early 20th centuries?

Phyllis Goldsmith [email protected]

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DBQ Discussion FormatTeacher’s Guide

1. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4 for 2 documents or 6 for 3 documents.

2. Each team of students read and analyzes 1 document to answer the answers to the focus question. They fill out the Multiple Document Analysis Chart as they are reading.

3. Students then share out the information on their charts. Students should focus on summarizing the main idea of their document, explaining what they believe the document says in relation to the focus question, and providing supporting evidence for their teammates.

Possible discussion starters:

The main idea of my document is…

This document implies (shows, reveals) …

Evidence from this document shows …

4. After all group members have shared, the group should have a discussion on possible thesis given what they believe all the documents together reveal.

Possible discussion starters:

Document xx does not seem to fit with the other documents, because….

Document xx seems to support the ideas in document xxx…..

Document xx seems more credible than document…

I agree/disagree with what _______ said, because…..

Why do you think that?

How did you come to that conclusion?

Could you summarize your main point again….

Where is the evidence to support this idea…..

5. Each pair of student should answer the historical investigation question with a thesis as well as the key pieces of evidence that they believe support it. Students should also write any questions that they may have in preparation for a whole group discussion.

6. Whole class discussion---below are some possible questions that a teacher could ask.

What is your thesis?

What evidence supports this thesis?

What evidence contradicts that thesis?

How do we know that is true?

Who are the authors of some of these documents? What do we know about them?

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Secondary Source – Background InformationThe New ImmigrantsMillions of immigrants entered the United States in the late 19 th and early 20th centuries, lured by the promise of a better life. Some of the immigrants sought to escape difficult conditions- such as famine, land shortages, or religious or political persecution. Others, known as “birds of passage,” intended to immigrate temporarily to earn money, and then return to their homelands. Europeans Between 1870 and 1920, approximately 20 million Europeans arrived in the United States. Before 1890, most immigrants came from countries in western and northern Europe. Beginning in the 1890s, however, increasing numbers came from southern and eastern Europe. In 1907 alone, about a million people arrived from Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. Why did so many leave their homelands? Many of these new immigrants left to escape religious persecution…Between 1800 and 1900, the population in Europe doubled to nearly 400 million, resulting in a scarcity of land for farming. Farmers competed with laborers for too few industrial jobs. In the United States, jobs were supposedly plentiful. In addition, a spirit of reform and revolt had spread across Europe in the 19 th century. Influenced by political movements at home, many young European men and women sought independent lives in America.Chinese and JapaneseWhile waves of Europeans arrived on the shores of the East Coast, Chinese immigrants came to the West Coast in smaller numbers. Between 1851 and 1883, about 300,000 Chinese arrived. Many came to seek their fortunes after the discovery of gold in 1848 sparked the California gold rush. Chinese immigrants helped build the nation’s railroads, including the first transcontinental line. When the railroads were completed, they turned to farming, mining, and domestic service… However, Chinese immigration was sharply limited by a congressional act in 1882. [This act was later extended in 1892 and 1902.]In 1884, the Japanese government allowed Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers, and a Japanese emigration boom began. The United States’ annexation of Hawaii in 1898 resulted in increased Japanese immigration to the West Coast.Life in the New Land & Ellis IslandAfter initial moments of excitement, the immigrants faced the anxiety of not knowing whether they would be admitted to the United States. They had to pass inspection at immigration stations, such as the one at Castle Garden in New York, which was later moved to Ellis Island in New York harbor. About 20 percent of the immigrants at Ellis Island were detained for a day or two more before being inspected. However, only about 2 percent of those were denied entry…The processing of immigrants on Ellis Island was an ordeal that might take five hours or more. Immigration Restrictions & The Rise of NativismOne response to the growth in immigration was nativism, or overt favoritism toward native-born Americans. Nativism gave rise to anti-immigrant groups that led to a demand for immigrant restrictions.Many nativists believed that Anglo-Saxons- the Germanic ancestors of the English- were superior to other ethnic groups. These nativists did not object to immigrants from the “right” countries. Prescott F. Hall, a founder in 1894 of the Immigration Restriction League, identified desirable immigrants as “British, German, and Scandinavian stock, historically free, energetic, progressive.” Nativists thought that problems were caused by immigrants from the “wrong” countries- “Slav, Latin, and Asiatic races, historically down-trodden…and stagnant.” Nativists sometimes objected more to immigrant’s religious beliefs than to their ethnic backgrounds. Many native-born Americans were Protestants and thought that Roman Catholic and Jewish immigrants would undermine the democratic institutions established by the country’s Protestant founders.Anti-Asian SentimentNativism also found a foothold in the labor movement, particularly in the West, where native-born workers feared that jobs would go to Chinese immigrants, who would accept lower wages. The depression of 1873 intensified anti-Chinese sentiment in California. Work was scarce, and labor groups exerted political pressure on the government to restrict Asian immigration…In 1882, Congress slammed the door on Chinese Immigration for 10 years by passing the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act banned entry to all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials. In 1892, Congress extended the law for another 10 years. In 1902, Chinese immigration was restricted indefinitely; the law was not repealed until 1943.

Danzer, Gerald et al. The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century , Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell Inc., 2006, Chapter 7, Section 1, The New Immigrants, pp254-259

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Source #1: Title: U.S. inspectors examining eyes of immigrants, Ellis Island, New York Harbor, Date Created/Published: New York: Underwood & Underwood, c1913 http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97501532/

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http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97501532/

Source #2: Title: Uncle Sam's lodging-house / J. Keppler. Creator(s): Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894, artist Date Created/Published: N.Y. : Mayer Merkel & Ottmann, Lith, 23-25 Warren St., [1882 June 7] http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004670115/

Print shows an Irishman confronting Uncle Sam in a boarding house filled with laborers, immigrants from several countries who are attempting to sleep; the "Frenchman, Japanese, Negro, Russian, Italian," and "German" sleep peacefully. The "Irishman" kicks up a row. He has thrown such bricks as "The Chinese must go," "Recall Lowell," and "Irish independence" at Uncle Sam and the female figure of liberty standing on the left. He disturbs a "Chinese" man and an "Englishman," who are in the berths next to him. Uncle Sam responds: "Look here, you, everybody else is quiet and peaceable, and you're all the time a-kicking up a row!"

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Source #3: U.S. Immigration Station, Angel Island, San Francisco Bay. Dormitory: From Photographs from the Hart Hyatt North papers: Angel Island CREATED/PUBLISHED ca. 1890- ca. 1943 http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgibin/flipomatic/cic/images@ViewImage?img=brk00001197_16a

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http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgibin/flipomatic/cic/images@ViewImage?img=brk00001197_16a

Source #4: Title: The Americanese wall - as Congressman [John Lawson] Burnett would build it, Date Created/Published: 1916. Summary: Uncle Sam, behind high wall marked "Literacy Test" which is spiked with pen points, says to immigrant family below: "You're welcome, if you can climb it". http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006681433/

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Source #5: Boycott! The National Bakers Union, No. 45 of Los Angeles, does herewith inform all Workingmen and the Public that The Original Coffee House at No. 11 First St., Feldshaw & Hagar, proprietors, is boycotted by us for patronizing Brown's Scab Bakery and Restaurant ...: From Miscellaneous Selections : Anti-Chinese Movement & Chinese ExclusionCREATED/PUBLISHED ca. 1889 http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/flipomatic/cic/images@ViewImage?img=chs00000537_116a

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http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/flipomatic/cic/images@ViewImage?img=chs00000537_116a

Source #6: ... Immigration figures for 1903. From data furnished by the Commissioner-general of immigration. Comparison of the fiscal years ending June 30, 1902 and 1903. Publications of the Immigration restriction league No. 38. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/rbpebib:@field(NUMBER+@band(rbpe+07902500))

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http://memory.loc.gov/rbc/rbpe/rbpe07/rbpe079/07902500/002r.jpg

Source #7: Letter from Carroll Cook to Commissioner of Immigration, Angel Island: From Carroll Cook correspondence relating to cases of Chinese in the U.S.: Correspondence with officials on behalf of Chinatown merchants and immigrants, 1910

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http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/flipomatic/cic/brk3932

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http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/flipomatic/cic/brk3932

Source #8: Clark, Francis E., Our Immigrants at Ellis Island, (Boston: United Society of Christian Endeavor, 1912) http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=gdc3&fileName=scd0001_20040315002oupage.db&recNum=2

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http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=gdc3&fileName=scd0001_20040315002oupage.db&recNum=2

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/displayPhoto.pl?path=/service/gdc/scd0001/2004/20040315002ou&topImages=0005r.jpg&topLinks=0005v.jpg,0005u.tif,0005a.tif,0005.tif&displayProfile=0

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/displayPhoto.pl?path=/service/gdc/scd0001/2004/20040315002ou&topImages=0004r.jpg&topLinks=0004v.jpg,0004u.tif,0004a.tif,0004.tif&displayProfile=0

Historical Investigation Question: What challenges did immigrants face upon arriving in the United States, from the late 19th to early 20th centuries?Directions:

1) Complete the charts below to analyze the primary documents.2) Use your analysis to complete the writing frame.

Doc #

1What type of document (text, photo, map)? Who created it? When and where is the document from?

DESCRIPTION OF SOURCE What is the document about? (Use a bullet-pointed list.)

MEANINGHow does this point explain/support the main idea of the document?Message/argument:

Because… (list specific evidence from the source)

MAIN IDEA/THESIS: What is the main idea or thesis of this document?

CORROBORATION: After sharing your documents in your investigation group write in the boxes below. Which other documents support the argument of your document? How? Which contests the argument in your document? How?EVIDENCE FROM THE OTHER DOCUMENTs TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS EVIDENCE FROM THE OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT CONTESTS YOUR THESIS

QUESTIONS I STILL HAVE…

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Doc #








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Doc #








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Doc #








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Title/Author/Date Type of Document Message Evidence Relevance to Thesis/ Category (Bucket)

Document 1

Document 2

Document 3

Document 4

Document 5

Document 6

Document 7

Document 8

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TEACHER KEY

Title/Author/Date Type of Document Message Evidence Relevance to Thesis/ Category (Bucket)

#1: U.S. inspectors examining eyes of immigrants / Underwood & Underwood / 1913

Photograph Immigrants were subjected to invasive physical exams of their bodies at Ellis Island

The inspector in this photograph is examining the eyes of an immigrant man, who stands at the front of a long line of immigrants all waiting for the same inspection.

(B): Difficult conditions at the immigration station

#2: Uncle Sam’s lodging-house / J. Keppler / 1882

Political cartoon Some immigrant groups are problematic and annoying because they cause trouble and act ungrateful for being in the U.S.

The Irishman caricature is throwing bricks (representing his complaints) and disturbing all the “good” immigrants (e.g. Chinese, German) who are peacefully sleeping.

(C): Prejudices against immigrants, and efforts to limit their ability to live and work

#3: U.S. Immigration Stn., Angel Island, San Francisco Bay / n.a. / c. 1890

Photograph Immigrants forced to stay at Angel Island overnight had to live in dark and cramped living quarters.

The beds shown in this photograph are crammed in close to each other and stack up three high. The room is dark.


#4: The Americanese Wall / n.a. / 1916

Political cartoon The proposed literacy test was so difficult that no immigrants would be able to enter the country.

The pens and books (which mimic cannons and bricks) create an impenetrable wall for the immigrant family standing on the shore.

(A): Legislation / organizations fought for barriers to entry

#5: Boycott! The National Bakers Union / n.a. / c. 1889

Broadside Unionized (white) labor viewed Chinese workers as labor competitors who stole jobs from white people.

This broadside calls for a boycott against a coffee house because they employ Chinese workers when many whites are unemployed.


#6: Immigration figures for 1903 / Immigration Restriction League / 1903

Pamphlet Immigration should be limited because many immigrants are illiterate, poor, and jobless.

The particular statistics this group chose to highlight demonstrate undesirable qualities like illiteracy; see also “NOTE 1” re: literacy.


#7: Letter from Carroll Cook… / C. Cook / 1910

Letter Chinese merchants are discriminated against in their efforts to get licensed to practice their trade.

Cook is writing to the Commissioner of Immigration to ask why Chinese merchants are having trouble getting certified.


#8: Our Immigrants at Ellis Island / Francis E. Clark / 1912

Book Immigrants are subjected to invasive inspections when they arrive at the immigration station.

Clark describes, in detail, the inspections immigrants had to go through at the immigration station.


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POTENTIAL SAMPLE ESSAY

What challenges or problem does it

address? Category/Bucket

Which documents? Evidence I can use…

Body Paragraph 1

Topic:


Source 4

Source 6

Topic Sentence: Immigrants’ ability to enter the U.S. was limited by legislation and activism aimed at restricting immigration.

Source 4 — When Congress established literacy tests for immigrants, it made it very difficult for immigrants to pass and thus enter the U.S.

Source 6 — Nativist organizations (like the Immigration Restriction League) tried to lobby for limitations on immigrant entry, citing their illiteracy and poverty.

Body Paragraph 2

Topic:


Source 1

Source 8

Source 3

Topic Sentence: Immigrants faced difficult conditions at immigration stations.

Source 1 and 8 — Immigrants were subjected to harsh physical inspections at the immigration stations.

Source 3 — Immigrants faced difficult living conditions at the immigration stations.

Body Paragraph 3

Topic:


Source 5

Source 7

Source 2

Topic Sentence: Immigrants were targeted by nativist organizations that held prejudices against them, and attempted to limit their ability to live and work.

Source 4 — Labor groups called for boycotts against businesses that employed Chinese workers.

Source 7 — Prejudicial policies limited Chinese merchants’ legal ability to work.

Source 2 — Nativist Americans held prejudicial feelings against certain immigrant groups, denigrating them for causing trouble and acting ungrateful that they were allowed to enter the U.S.

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Five Paragraph Essay Outline(Use mainly words and phrases, not sentences)

Introductory Paragraph:

Topic Sentence: ____________

Background: ________________________

(Explain the time period)

Explanation of the basics: ____________

(Introduce your topic and the events leading to them)

Thesis Statement – Write this sentence out:

____________

____________ Body Paragraph #1

Topic sentence: ____________

Summary/context for documents: ________________________________________________________________________________

Evidence: ____________

Specific Evidence: ____________

Analysis: ____________

Body Paragraph #2


Summary/context for documents: _______________________________________________________________________________

Evidence: ___________


Analysis: ____________

Body Paragraph #3 (Counterargument for Justification Questions)


Summary/context for documents: _______________________________________________________________________________

Evidence: ____________


Analysis: ____________

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Concluding Paragraph:

Restate your thesis: ____________

____________

Explain your analysis and the importance of your main points:

____________

____________

Relate your topic to a larger historical concept:

____________

____________

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Answering a DBQ (Student Directions):

1. Read the question carefully. What does the question ask you to do?

Underline key words, eras, names, issues, or categories used in the question.

2. Brainstorm and write down the facts - names, dates, and events that you know about the topic and time period.

3. Read and analyze the documents:

Look at the author and the time the document was written. Identify the point of view or main idea of the document. Underline key words. Write notes in the

margin summarizing each document. Respond to the prompt questions after the document. If there are no questions, write down the

main ideas.

4. Reread the question. Carefully consider your document summaries and their relationship to the question asked.

5. Plan/Organize your response so that you prove your thesis with supporting evidence and information. (Categorize, outline).

Identify the main categories/subjects to be discussed in the body select the documents related to each major subject.

Write down important information from the document and from your knowledge of the issue.

6. Write an organized essay responding to the question.

Introductory paragraph.

Take a stand on the question. Respond to all parts of the question. Develop your thesis. Can you prove it? Provide background, explanation and definition of terms used in the question. Introduce the topics you will discuss in the body of your essay.

Body paragraphs

Use a separate paragraph for each topic, issue, or argument. Include specific examples to support generalizations or to make distinctions. Cite specific evidence from the documents but avoid long quotations. Integrate information from the documents and from your knowledge in responding to the

questions.

Concluding paragraph.

Restate your position and main ideas that you presented in your essay.

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Teacher Planning Sheet for Document-Based QuestionsStandard

What is the objective of the DBQ (Engagement for new standard or topic, going in depth for an important issue, extending learning, to prepare for assessment, etc.)?

What do I want students to understand by the end of the activity?

Historical Investigation Question (The question is should be open-ended enough to promote thought and discussion)

Documents I will use for the small group discussions/activities

Additional questions about each document to promote thought and understanding for the whole group discussion

How will you support student writing?

Questions to consider…Where did the document/source come from?Is it translated? What is the reading level?Number of documents you provide to your students?Choosing documents for evidence (point of view)?The point of view of the lesson focus question?

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