An Immigration Nation
The United States has, historically and today, more immigrants than any country in the world. Immigration has been and remains one of the nation’s most political, rule of law-focused, and contentious issues. The resources here allow explorations of history as well as opportunities to have important discussions.
Immigration from Docs Teach
When it comes to primary sources about the American immigration experience, the National Archives is a treasure trove! There are images and ready lessons for teachers, volunteers, or anyone interested in exploring immigration history and starting discussions.
How Have Americans Responded to Immigration
This is a ready high school level “weigh the evidence” activity that uses primary sources from the National Archives to discuss immigration laws over time. It can be conducted digitally, so is flexible for use with student tablets and laptops and classroom smartboards.
https://www.docsteach.org/activities/teacher/how-have-americans-responded-to-immigration
Exploring America’s Diversity
Using historical ship manifest records from American ports, students young and old may take close looks at actual immigrant stories through guided questions. This is appropriate for middle school and older.
Transatlantic Slave Trade and the American Story
The Transatlantic Slave Trade was active in ports from New Orleans through New England and is part of the American story of “out of many, one.” There are numerous resources for sharing this story with students of all ages. Here are two that may be useful: an overview report from the Equal Justice Initiative, and a Smithsonian Learning Lab activity that uses objects to explore the history.
Equal Justice Initiative Overview
Smithsonian Learning Lab Learning Through Objects Activity
Emma Lazarus and a New Meaning of E Pluribus Unum
Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) was a fifth generation American Jewish woman who lived in New York and was the author of “The New Colossus,” the iconic poem that is printed on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty. The Emma Lazarus Project from the American Jewish Historical Society includes a deep dive into the poem, an outstanding 12-minute documentary about Lazarus’s life, and a full curriculum for students to develop their own “New Colossus” poem. Use the poem and the documentary to have a discussion with students or adults, or use the curriculum to do everything—it’s flexible and available.
Immigration Learning Center
If you’re looking for current and historical data about immigration in the United States and an analysis of how immigration shapes our economy, communities, and society, then the Immigration Learning Center is a valuable resource. There are also educational materials about the contemporary immigration experience and the laws and policies in place.
American Immigration Council
The Council strives to strengthen the United States by shaping immigration policies and practices through innovative programs, cutting-edge research, and strategic legal and advocacy efforts grounded in evidence, compassion, justice and fairness. They offer quick printable fact sheets about current issues, as well as state specific data to facilitate more local discussions.
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
Facing History’s Immigration Resources
Facing History and Ourselves produces resources for having conversations about difficult and complicated topics in world history. This assortment of resources for discussing immigration with students of all ages includes a variety of opportunities for anyone looking to lead such a conversation.
https://www.facinghistory.org/ideas-week/8-resources-teaching-immigration
Exploring the Immigration Debate
PBS’s Learning Media offers a robust collection of public media sources curated by KQED in California for exploring historical and current stories of immigration and the ongoing debates that are part of our national story.
https://illinois.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/teaching-the-stories-of-the-immigration-debate
Living Room Conversation on Immigration
Living Room Conversations was started by the Mediator’s Foundation to foster civil discussions about contemporary topics. They have a discussion guide for immigration that is accessible to families and small groups that might be less formal than the traditional classroom.
https://livingroomconversations.org/download/immigration/?wpdmdl=161984&_wpdmkey=679cfd697a933
Ways to Have Better Conversations about Immigration
The Greater Good project at the University of California at Berkeley aims to use science to live lives more meaningful. They have a very accessible guide for discussing immigration that is available to students and adults. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_have_better_conversations_immigration