Journal Entry #7: Letter Home
You write a letter home to your loved ones that may be waiting for you to send them money to come to America. Include what they should expect upon arrival and a brief idea of the living and working conditions that they will endure. Describe what your life has been like in America. Most immigrants were better off than they were in Europe but also experienced some unwelcome treatment from many native-born Americans. Include one positive experience that has happened to your immigrant and one negative experience that they have had. Explain to your loved ones how you have been treated, how they have tried to Americanize you and how you have had to persevere. Explain to them in your letter that you can’t wait for them to arrive and what you hope for the future when they are able to come to America. **This is essentially a summary of what we have learned regarding immigrants in the Industrial Era. Therefore, it should be more than just a one-page entry. This is why I have included additional space for your writing.
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Journal Entry #1: Push and Pull Factors
You are excited about your journey to start a new life in America but are emotional because you recognize that you may never see your homeland again. There are many reasons that you are drawn to the allure of America and feel that you are being ‘pulled’ there because of them. There are some uncertainties in your home country that seem to be ‘pushing’ you out of continuing to live there. In your journal, write a response that expresses the emotion that you are experiencing about your journey and the ‘push and pull’ factors regarding your immigration to America. Words to include in Journal Entry #1 (please highlight them in your journal): journey, hope, fear, jobs, opportunity, freedom, war, famine, religious persecution Journal Entry #2 Some of you had quite the journey to get to the port that you would leave Europe from. What do you say to your loved ones before you leave home? Describe the trip to get to your port of call. Now you have left the port of call and have begun the journey across the Atlantic Ocean to America. Describe your two-week journey in steerage class. What were the accommodations that you experienced aboard the steam ship you traveled on? Describe the living conditions of which you faced for the two-week voyage. Journal Entry #3 Glue the image onto the top of your page, right underneath the title for Journal Entry #3. Respond to the following prompt on the lines below your glued in image. Your steam ship first entered the New York harbor between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. You have been given an image of the first sights you encounter. They include the skyscrapers, Ellis Island and/or the famous Statue of Liberty.
Journal Entry #4: Medical and Legal Inspections One of the most stressful and often humiliating experiences for the immigrants were the medical and legal inspections at Ellis Island. The steerage class passengers were not afforded the privileges of the first- and second-class passengers. What happened to you when you first disembarked from the ferry boat that took you to Ellis Island? Describe the medical inspection that you had to endure. What types of health issues were they looking for? What did they do to indicate the nature of your health concern? Your immigrant was chalked with a letter. What did they chalk on you and what did it mean? Describe the final legal inspection and the types of questions they had for you. You were worried about passing the medical and legal inspections to come to America. Did you have a right to be concerned? You have passed the medical and legal inspections and are now a legal citizen of the United States. Welcome home. Journal Entry #5: Ethnic Enclaves and Living Conditions You are an American. What is the next step for you? You need to find a place to live and would like some sense of community and security. Where do you want to go and what do you do to find that sense of security in a country where you don’t know the language or customs? Describe the living conditions of which you encounter while living in a big city in America? Glue the image that you have been provided onto the top of your journal entry. Write your journal response below the glued in image. You must somehow incorporate the image into your response. Journal Entry #6: Working Conditions Where were you able to get a job and what will you be doing? How safe does your job seem to you? What kind of injuries do you see people receiving in your workplace from industrial accidents? Describe the conditions of which you are working under and how much money you make. Will you be able to save enough money to move out of the slums and/or bring your family over to America from your homeland? What are your financial priorities? Do you feel like you are better off than when you were living in Europe? Are you able to capitalize on the opportunities that America has to offer? For questions 1-3 watch the video below: For questions 4-5 use the picture below: For questions 6-8 use this link (scroll down below the writing to view the images): www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/jacob-riis?all/all/all/all/0 After completing the front of your worksheet, put your computer away and go back to your seat to complete the back. |