Reading and Writing Workshop

 U.S. Immigration History - Unit 3: The Great Wave (1880–1924)
Session 1: Southern and Eastern European Immigration (Italians, Jews, Slavs, Greeks)
Focus:

• Push and pull factors for Southern and Eastern Europeans
• Cultural and economic contributions
• Prejudice and discrimination faced

Reading:

• Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives (1890) – Excerpts on immigrant communities in New York City.
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45502
• Excerpt from The Melting-Pot (1908) by Israel Zangwill – A play that reflects immigrant assimilation.
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56749

Writing Prompt:

• Write a short narrative from the perspective of a newly arrived Italian, Jewish, Slavic, or Greek immigrant. Include emotional responses to both the opportunities and challenges faced.

Session 2: Ellis Island and the Immigrant Experience
Focus:

• Ellis Island as a gateway to America
• The medical and legal inspections
• Emotional and cultural experiences of arrival

Reading:

• Oral Histories from Ellis Island Oral History Project (Public domain selections)
  • URL: https://www.loc.gov/collections/ellis-island-immigration-oral-history-project/about-this-collection/
• “The New Colossus” (1883) by Emma Lazarus (poem engraved at the Statue of Liberty)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12042 (part of her collection The Poems of Emma Lazarus)

Writing Prompt:

• Create a journal entry as if you were an immigrant passing through Ellis Island. Include sensory details (sights, sounds, emotions) and reflect on fears and hopes.

Session 3: Industrialization and Urbanization
Focus:

• Role of immigrants in the growth of American cities
• Factory work and tenement life
• Social reformers and urban conditions

Reading:

• Excerpts from The Jungle (1906) by Upton Sinclair
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140
• “Children in Street Trades” from The Bitter Cry of the Children (1906) by John Spargo
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45608

Writing Prompt:

• Write a descriptive piece about a day in the life of an immigrant family in an urban industrial neighborhood. How does the city shape their dreams and struggles?

Session 4: Rise of Labor Unions and Immigrant Workers
Focus:

• Harsh working conditions and labor abuses
• Role of immigrants in unionization efforts
• Famous strikes involving immigrant workers (e.g., The 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike)

Reading:

• Speech by Samuel Gompers from American Federationist (1904) on labor rights
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42373 (Collected speeches)
• Excerpts from Twenty Years at Hull House (1910) by Jane Addams, focusing on labor reform
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13206

Writing Prompt:

• Write a persuasive letter to a newspaper editor as an immigrant worker advocating for labor reforms. Discuss working conditions and why unions are necessary.

Session 5: The Immigration Act of 1924 (National Origins Act)
Focus:

• The closing of the “Golden Door”
• Discriminatory quotas and their long-term impact
• Reflection on the shift from open to restricted immigration

Reading:

• Full text of the Immigration Act of 1924 (Primary source)
  • URL: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/68th-congress/session-1/c68s1ch190.pdf
• My Story (1921) by Anzia Yezierska – excerpts about immigrant life before restrictive quotas.
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71002

Writing Prompt:

• Reflective essay: How might the Immigration Act of 1924 have affected the hopes and futures of Southern and Eastern European immigrants? Use examples from readings to support your ideas.