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[CCBC-Net] Immigrants and Immigration
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From: Sharron L. McElmeel <mcelmeels>
Date: Mon, 7 May 2007 01:27:44 -0500
Regarding immigration history --
Several years ago when I was researching material surrounding some primary documents that I was using in the book, I came across a typed record of inquiry held at Ellis Island by the Third Board of inquiry
(Oct. 2,1903.) The inquiry was held because an immigrant was overheard to comment about a job he had waiting for him. The document affirms that the man was deported as the "Alien Contract Labor Law prohibits aliens from entering the United States to take a job from a citizen, Unch was deport to his homeland." This material (including the typed record of the hearing) was included in the book, RESEARCH STRATEGIES FOR MOVING BEYOND REPORTING
(Linworth Publishing, 1997). I''m not sure if the book is still available from the publisher or not but many copies were sold so perhaps it is available at a nearby library. The material referred to is on pages 35-37. One of the discussion questions suggested was,
"Do you think this law is in effect today?"
In fact the history of the law is checkered -- and most certainly prejudicial in nature --
"Some of the very same immigration laws which had been used to exclude the Chinese in the nineteenth century (the head tax, literacy requirements, public charge provisions, and the Alien Contract Labor Law) were waived to ensure the flow of Mexican farm workers into the fields. During the Depression, these immigration laws, still on the books, were used to restrict Mexican immigration, and, in Los Angeles from 1929 to 1935, 80,000 people of Mexican descent, regardless of their legal right to be in the United States, were deported to Mexico."
I have searched and searched but can find no source that definitely says the alien contract law has been repealed. :>)
Sharron McElmeel
At 11:06 AM -0700 05/06/07, Hopkinson, Deborah wrote:
>Researching 19th century NYC for a couple of books gave me a glimpse
>into complex historical issues, but I know I have only a superficial
>grasp of contemporary immigration issues. I think Monica Edinger has
>written about how she approaches it with her students, and as I
>recall she starts with a book called, "Who Belongs Here?"
>
>With regard to immigration history in the U.S., recently in school
>visits I've been exploring historical and visual literacy with
>students using photographs, including those in my book, Shutting Out
>the Sky, Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924.
>
>I'm sure folks who are in the classroom have a much better sense of
>how kids develop historical literacy. But it's been fascinating to
>look at photos with them -- I show immigrants on boats, the Lower
>East Side, lots of pictures of kids working and playing, and ask
>students what they see. Partly I want to get beyond some first
>reactions: "poor people lived in tenements" to a more nuanced
>understanding.
>
>But I am often reminded not to assume anything. The other day, I
>showed 5th graders a photo of kids playing in the gutter next to a
>dead horse. I asked, "What do we think happened here?" The first
>response: "The kids killed the horse!" The next (most common): "The
>horse got run over by a car." But we keep looking closer, spy
>wagons on the street, and figure out cars were probably not around.
>And so on, until someone says, "I bet that horse was overworked."
>
>Deborah Hopkinson
>
>_______________________________________________
>CCBC-Net mailing list
>CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
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Date: Mon, 7 May 2007 01:27:44 -0500
Regarding immigration history --
Several years ago when I was researching material surrounding some primary documents that I was using in the book, I came across a typed record of inquiry held at Ellis Island by the Third Board of inquiry
(Oct. 2,1903.) The inquiry was held because an immigrant was overheard to comment about a job he had waiting for him. The document affirms that the man was deported as the "Alien Contract Labor Law prohibits aliens from entering the United States to take a job from a citizen, Unch was deport to his homeland." This material (including the typed record of the hearing) was included in the book, RESEARCH STRATEGIES FOR MOVING BEYOND REPORTING
(Linworth Publishing, 1997). I''m not sure if the book is still available from the publisher or not but many copies were sold so perhaps it is available at a nearby library. The material referred to is on pages 35-37. One of the discussion questions suggested was,
"Do you think this law is in effect today?"
In fact the history of the law is checkered -- and most certainly prejudicial in nature --
"Some of the very same immigration laws which had been used to exclude the Chinese in the nineteenth century (the head tax, literacy requirements, public charge provisions, and the Alien Contract Labor Law) were waived to ensure the flow of Mexican farm workers into the fields. During the Depression, these immigration laws, still on the books, were used to restrict Mexican immigration, and, in Los Angeles from 1929 to 1935, 80,000 people of Mexican descent, regardless of their legal right to be in the United States, were deported to Mexico."
I have searched and searched but can find no source that definitely says the alien contract law has been repealed. :>)
Sharron McElmeel
At 11:06 AM -0700 05/06/07, Hopkinson, Deborah wrote:
>Researching 19th century NYC for a couple of books gave me a glimpse
>into complex historical issues, but I know I have only a superficial
>grasp of contemporary immigration issues. I think Monica Edinger has
>written about how she approaches it with her students, and as I
>recall she starts with a book called, "Who Belongs Here?"
>
>With regard to immigration history in the U.S., recently in school
>visits I've been exploring historical and visual literacy with
>students using photographs, including those in my book, Shutting Out
>the Sky, Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924.
>
>I'm sure folks who are in the classroom have a much better sense of
>how kids develop historical literacy. But it's been fascinating to
>look at photos with them -- I show immigrants on boats, the Lower
>East Side, lots of pictures of kids working and playing, and ask
>students what they see. Partly I want to get beyond some first
>reactions: "poor people lived in tenements" to a more nuanced
>understanding.
>
>But I am often reminded not to assume anything. The other day, I
>showed 5th graders a photo of kids playing in the gutter next to a
>dead horse. I asked, "What do we think happened here?" The first
>response: "The kids killed the horse!" The next (most common): "The
>horse got run over by a car." But we keep looking closer, spy
>wagons on the street, and figure out cars were probably not around.
>And so on, until someone says, "I bet that horse was overworked."
>
>Deborah Hopkinson
>
>_______________________________________________
>CCBC-Net mailing list
>CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
>http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
-- =================================== Sharron L. McElmeel University of Wisconsin - Stout Wisconsin's Polytechnic University Children's Literature in the Reading Program http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/childrenslit/ Young Adult Literature in the Reading Program http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/yalit/ 3000 N Center Point Rd Cedar Rapids, IA 52411-9548 ph. (319) 393-2562 mcelmeel at mcelmeel.com http://www.mcelmeel.com Author of Authors in the Pantry: Recipes, Stories, and More (Libraries Unlimited, 2007) Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories, and More (Libraries Unlimited, 2005), Best Teen Reads: 2005 (Hi Willow), Children's Authors and Illustrators Too Good to Miss (Libraries Unlimited); 100 Most Popular Children's Authors (Libraries Unlimited), 100 Most Popular Picture Book Authors and Illustrators (Libraries Unlimited), Character Education: A Book Guide for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents (Libraries Unlimited) and other titles (http://www.mcelmeel.com/writing). =================Received on Mon 07 May 2007 01:27:44 AM CDT
