They came from a place that offered them nothing to a Golden Land where they expected everything, America,

carrying with them precious few items connecting them to the Old World and bringing with them an abundance of hope to the New World. Over twelve million people were processed through Ellis sland from !"#$ to !#%&, to some it was the sle of Tears, to many the sle of 'ope. They came from Eastern and (outhern Europe ) talians, *ussians, +oles, 'ungarians, (erbs, ,-echs, (lova.s, (lovens, /ree.s, 0ews from all over Eastern Europe, ,hristian Armenians and many other nationalities see.ing freedom and a better life in America. They came for various reasons ) freedom to worship, freedom from oppression, freedom from want, freedom from fear. They ended up settling throughout America1 four out of ten Americans can trace their ancestry to those who came through Ellis sland. They came for freedom to worship. +oles, Armenians, *ussian 0ews, ,atholics and other groups often could not freely spea. their language or practice their religion until they left their homeland for another ) America. 2etween !""3 and !#$3 nearly $.% million 0ews immigrated to the 4nited (tates. These 0ews were from the +ale of (ettlement. This was a vast stretch of *ussian5ruled territory stretching from 6ithuania to the shores of the 2lac. (ea in the south, including *ussian +oland and 4.raine. They were fleeing from the pogroms, the organi-ed massacre and looting of 0ews. 2y !#37, an estimated fifty thousand 0ews had been .illed in four years and hundreds of thousands fled to America in search of safety and freedom. One such person who felt the impact of the pogroms was 8annie 9ligerman. :2ut every night the pogroms were all around. hate to tell you. They were chasing us out. They were chasing after us, to .ill everyone. remember the pogroms, the 9ishinev pogroms, how they frightened us to death;

<2rownstone, !#=#, p. $7>. These immigrants mainly settled in cities li.e 2oston, ,hicago, and especially New ?or.. They came for freedom from oppression ) the peoples of the Austro5'ungarian Empire and the +oles. 2etween !"$3 and !#$3, some &.7 million people immigrated to the 4nited (tates from the countries that formed the Austro5'ungarian Empire, most of them after !"@=, ma.ing the area the fourth5largest source of immigrants to the 4nited (tates. The Austro5'ungarian Empire was a patchwor. of ethnic groups, including /ermans, ,roats, Aagyars, *omanians, 2osnians, 'er-egovinians, +oles, (lovenes, *uthenians, (erbs, (lova.s, ,-echs, and 0ews, at least fifteen languages were spo.en throughout the empire. : nevitably, there was religious, ethnic, and cultural tension among these different peoples, and between these groups of the imperial government; <Wills, $33%, p. !!$>. 8or many of these immigrants, the desire to escape the repressive policies of the imperial government in Bienna played an important role in their decision to set out for America. These immigrants mainly settled in the Aidwestern states, Texas and New ?or.. The *ussian policy of :*ussification; which barred the +olish language from government and education, and the /erman5ruled +oland which treated +oles as virtual serfs, and everywhere +oles were living in poverty, all contributed to the huge immigration from +oland to the 4nited (tates around the turn of the twentieth century. Over two million +oles immigrated to the 4nited (tates during those years. These immigrants mainly settled in ,hicago, Cetroit, New ?or. ,ity, and +ennsylvania. They came for freedom from want ) the talians from (outhern taly. 4nification of taly came around !"@!, but it did not bring prosperity for those living in Naples and

,alabria, along with the island of (icily. These places remained among the poorest places in Europe, where landless peasants tried to earn a living from barren soil, only to be continuously exploited by landowners under a system that was still basically feudal. Aalnutrition and disease were rampant, so was violence. The huge wave of talian immigration in the late !""3s, which was mainly comprised of males, was from these areas and was further fueled by a sharp decrease in transatlantic fares by the maDor steamship lines. After leaving Ellis sland, the talian immigrants would meet a padrone who offered the newly immigrated talian help to find him a place to live and a Dob, but at a price, the padrones reEuired a big share of the newcomerFs wages. The padrones were often agents of American factories in need of cheap labor. Although the system was exploitive, it offered the immigrants security 5 helping them assimilate in this strange land, America. These immigrants mainly settled in ,alifornia, New ?or., New Orleans, 2oston and +hiladelphia. They came for freedom from fear ) the ,hristian Armenians and 'olocaust 0ews. Armenia was the first nation to adopt ,hristianity as an official state religion, in about 733 AC. n the mid5!"#3s, Armenian communities were repeatedly attac.ed by their Tur.ish and 9urdish neighbors. n !"#@, thousands of Armenians were .illed in stanbul after Armenian activists sei-ed the Ottoman 2an.. This spar.ed the first wave of Armenian immigration into the 4nited (tates. n !#!&, Tur.ey entered World War on the side of /ermany and Austria against the Allies, and forced all Armenian men into the army or into labor units. Aany died of mistreatment or were executed. Then, in !#!%, the Tur.ish government ordered deportation of the entire Armenian population of Anatolia, forced to set out on foot through the desert. 'undreds of thousands died of thirst,

starvation, exposure and disease, or from attac.s by the Tur.s and 9urdish mobs. This spar.ed another immigration wave to America in !#!%. The Armenians found wor. in mills and factories, and they brought with them entrepreneurship and fine craftwor.. Others went to wor. in the car plants of Cetroit, while Armenian farmers helped turn ,aliforniaFs (an 8ernando Balley into an agricultural powerhouse. These immigrants, approximately one million, mainly settled in Aassachusetts, Cetroit and ,alifornia. With the establishment of Adolph 'itlerFs Na-i regime in /ermany in !#77, a chain of events were set into motion culminating in the 'olocaust. 4p to six million 0ews died during the 'olocaust. n the !#&3s, those that were fortunate to escape 'ilterFs wrath, approximately 733,333 0ews, immigrated to America. These immigrants mainly settled in New ?or. ,ity, Aiami, 6os Angeles, +hiladelphia, ,hicago, 2oston, (an 8rancisco, and Washington C.,. Ellis sland 5 sle of 'ope, sle of Tears 5 its history dates bac. to before immigrants landed there passing a battery of exams before being admitted to the 4nited (tates. n the !@33Fs it was .nown as /ull sland by the Aohegan Tribe and was only two to three acres. Cutch settlers renamed it Oyster sland in !@$" after discovering rich oyster beds. Then in !=@% it was again renamed to /ibbet sland after the instrument used to hang a pirate on the island. 8inally on 0anuary $3, !="%, (amuel Ellis purchased the property and gave it his name. The island was bought by the state of New ?or. and then sold to the federal government in !"3" for ten thousand dollars. A fort and other fortifications were constructed, but no military action ever occurred there. nstead, after the war, the island became a munitions dump and depository for surplus gunpowder. Aany New 0ersey and New ?or. residents worried about the possibility of a huge

&

powder explosion, and after their repeated complaints and great urging, ,ongress adopted legislation in !"#3 to remove the excess munitions from Ellis sland. The same bill also allocated G=%,333 to :improve Ellis sland for immigration purposes; <+etrilla, $3!$> ,astle /arden at the 2attery in lower Aanhattan, the original immigration station, could no longer handle the flow of immigrants. n the following two years, Ellis sland was enlarged to fourteen acres in order to house an immigration depot and support buildings1 ultimately it became a twenty5seven acre island. 2y 0anuary !st of !"#$, EllisHs first immigration station, a two5story5high structure of /eorgia pine, was open ready for business. n !"#=, a fire burned it to the ground. Expanded and improved, Ellis sland reopened in !#33. An article in the 8ebruary $@, !"#", issue of Harpers Weekly stated that the new station would haveI immense waiting rooms, menFs and womenFs dormitories accommodating a possible total of fifteen hundred sleepers, a restaurant capable of supplying food to thousands, a hospital eEuipped for the treatment of any disease or emergency, doc.s and wharves with immediate transportation facilities for passengers and baggage to all points on this continent, a special post5office, custom5house, and telegraph station, with numberless administration offices, courts of inEuiry, witness5rooms, detentions pens, Euarters for physicians, missionaries, employment and information bureaus, and sundry charitable enterprises, besides baths, lavatories, laundries, and abundant toilet facilities, and all the other needs of this greatest of caravanseries perched on island of diminutive si-e <2enton, !#"%, p. &&>.

A propaganda campaign was launched selling the idea that America was the land of opportunity with the sole intent to attract low cost labor. America was growing and expanding and therefore needed a subway system, railroad system, and various other infrastructures built and who better Eualified to build than an immigrant desperate for an opportunity to find the American Cream. n the !""3s the steamship was invented and with it more immigrants came to America1 the transatlantic voyage was reduced from one to three months down to eight to fourteen days. Additionally, the transatlantic fares were substantially reduced, ma.ing it more affordable and attainable. With the increased number of immigrants came an increased concern that America was going to become a hospital or poor house of the nations on Earth, so immigration laws were passed. 8rom !"#! on, American immigration law reEuired that the shipping companies vaccinate, disinfect and examine their immigrant passengers and clear them prior to sailing1 that they pay for the housing of detained passengers at Ellis sland1 and that they ship reDected immigrants bac. to their ports of embar.ation free of charge. +assengers were subDected to antiseptic baths, baggage was fumigated, and medical exams were performed. To the shipping company this was Dust part of doing business1 to the immigrants this was an unpleasant part of the process. n addition, the American immigration law of !"#7 reEuired the shipping companies to get basic information about each immigrant before sailing, in the form of the shipFs manifest, and to pass that manifest on to the American immigration authorities. Each immigrant was Euestioned by a shipFs officer, prior to sailing, on identification, origin, destination, tic.eting, financial resources and

sponsorship, as well as on medical, psychological, political, marital and other personal matters <2rownstone, !#=#, p. !3=>. Aany of these manifests were conducted hastily, resulting in false and inaccurate information. Once at Ellis sland, the immigrants endured hours of processing. This was only the case if an immigrant traveled in the steerage class ) the lowest dec. of the ship, crammed full of people1 if an immigrant traveled first and second5class, sJhe could bypass Ellis sland and land directly at the Aanhattan piers. After the immigrants dropped their baggage off in the islandFs 2aggage 'all, immigrants lined up to enter the /reat 'all of the *egistry *oom ) this was where the main part of the examination process too. place, which too. an average of five hours. :As the immigrants filed through this immense space, inspectors of the 4.(. +ublic 'ealth (ervice Euic.ly examined them for signs of infectious diseases; <Wills, $33%, p. %7>, mental, or physical disabilities. f an immigrant showed any signs of disease or disability, sJhe would be detained. Additionally, if an immigrant showed any signs of labored breathing or indication of sic.ness, a chal. mar. would be placed on their clothing ) two out of ten immigrants were mar.ed with blue chal.. n ten seconds, the doctors searched for sixty ailments. Among one disease doctors were loo.ing for was the eye disease trachoma which caused blindness in those afflicted ) a disease prevalent in peoples from eastern and southern Europe. Coctors used letters to mar. what ailment they thought might be inflicting the immigrant. The chal. mar. was the only thing separating them from freedom. Aost detainees held for medical or other reasons eventually passed their examinations and were allowed to land. About two percent, however, were deported to their homelands.

Nine out of every one hundred immigrants was held for mental testing. Testing included counting bac.wards from the number twenty, naming geometric shapes, solving math problems and putting together pu--les. f an immigrant failed the tests three times, they were held and had to go before a 2oard of nEuiry to determine their fate. Those that passed these preliminary examinations proceeded to the far end of the /reat 'all where inspectors as.ed the immigrants a series of twenty nine Euestions1 this Euestioning was often very stressful for the immigrants, even though an interpreter was provided. 4sing the shipFs manifest, the inspectorFs as.ed Euestions which ranged from name, age, occupation, to if they had a Dob waiting for them in America. The inspector compared the immigrantFs answers to the manifests information, ma.ing sure the stories were the same. f they answered KyesF to the last Euestion, they were sent bac. to their country of origin because of an !"@% law that forbade contract labor. After !#!=, immigrants had read a short passage in either their native language or English, failure to do so meant being deported to the native country. After inspection, immigrants would descend from *egistry down the :(tairs of (eparation;, named so because they mar.ed the parting of ways for so many families and friends. 8rom there they would go to either the railroad tic.et office and trains to points west, or to the islandFs hospital and detention rooms. Those bound for a ferry to Aanhattan met their friends and relatives at the :9issing +ost; where many Doyful reunions occurred. Those that were detained were usually released within a few wee.s. Accommodations were always in short supply1 dormitories consisted to two long, narrow rooms, sleeping 733 people each in triple5tiered bun.s that were raised each morning to

"

convert the rooms into daytime waiting rooms. Cetainees grew restless, so programs were developed. There were sewing lessons for the women, new mother training for young mothers, calisthenics for the men, and a school room for the children, a library, and a playground for children to play and immigrants to meet, and concerts on (undays. n the late nineteenth century, laws were passed that affected immigration in the 4nited (tates. The law of !"#!, the most comprehensive immigration regulation to date, extended the list of alien classes to be excluded from the 4nited (tatesI All idiots, insane persons, paupers or persons li.ely to become a public charge, +ersons suffering from a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease, persons who have been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, polygamists, and also any person whose tic.et or passage is paid for with the money of another or who is assisted by others to come, unless it is affirmatively and satisfactorily shown on special inEuiry that such person does not belong to one of the foregoing excluded classes, or to the class of contract laborers <2enton, !#"%, p. %3>. (everal laws in !"#7 expanded and refined the new restrictive measures. One prohibited the introduction of infectious or contagious diseases into America1 ships with such passengers were Euarantined. Another law reEuired steamships provide immigration officials with manifests. A third law provided very detailed instructions for the administrative processing of immigrants. n !#37 exclusionary laws were further revised and included classes of aliens to the list of those excludedI

Anarchists, or persons who believe in or advocate the overthrow by force of violence of the /overnment of the 4nited (tates or of all government or of all forms of law, or the assassination of public officials,1 prostitutes, and persons who procure or attempt to bring in prostitutes or women for the purpose of prostitution1 those who have been, within one year from the date of the application for admission to the 4nited (tates, deported as being under offers, solicitations, promises or agreements to perform labor or service of some .ind therein <2enton, !#"%, p. %&>. The influx of new immigrants in to the 4nited (tates brought with it fear. n !"#&, the mmigration *estriction 6eague was formed by wealthy 2ostonians. This league advocated a literacy reEuirement as a means to limit immigration into the 4nited (tates. Watching with anxiety as immigration increased sharply in the !""3s and !"#3s, 6eague members had lost faith in the nationHs ability to assimilate newcomers into its political, social, and cultural fabric. They associated immigration with the socio5economic problems of their increasingly urban and industriali-ed societyLcrowded tenements, poverty, crime and delinEuency, labor unrest, and violence. n particular, 6eague members made a distinction between the Mold immigrantsM of English, rish, and /erman stoc. and the Mnew immigrantsM from taly and Eastern Europe. They claimed that these recently arrived MundesirablesM were inherently unable to participate in self5government or to adopt American values < mmigration *estriction 6eague, !"#75!#$!>. Although introduced several times, the proposal did not become law until !#!=. After World War , immigration from Eastern and (outhern Europe remained high despite the literacy test, and the influence of the mmigration *estriction 6eague diminished.

!3

With increasing concern for restricting :undesirables; from entering the 4nited (tates, the mmigration Act of !#$& was passed. This law limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to $N of the number of people from that country who were already living in the 4nited (tates. The most basic purpose of the !#$& mmigration Act was to preserve the ideal of American homogeneity. ,ongress revised the Act in !#%$. They came to Ellis sland from Eastern and (outhern Europe, all hoping for a new start in a New World. They escaped religious persecution, oppression and fear and entered into a world of opportunity. came to America because heard the streets were paved with gold. When got here, found out three thingsI 8irst, the streets werenHt paved with gold1 second, they werenHt paved at allI and third, was expected to pave them <Eyewitness to 'istory, $333>. Bery few returned to the Old World, most assimilated into the American culture and laid down roots. Theirs was a story of opportunity, but as fear increased among the American population in the late !"33s and early !#33s, legislation was put in place that restricted the dream for many wishing to immigrate and the doors began to close. 2y the mid5!#33s immigration to America had all but stopped and in !#%& Ellis sland officially closed its doors. After decades of attention from Dournalists, politicians, missionaries, and immigrant aid socieities, Ellis sland was now drifting off the nationFs radar screen. With only % percent of Americans claiming foreign birth, the heyday of Ellis sland ) with its inspection process, its medical and mental tests, its boards of special inEuiry, its hasty

!!

wedding ceremonies, its tearful family reunions and even more tearful family separations because of deportation ) was over <,annato, $33#, p. 7=@>.

!$

ELLIS ISLAND TIMELINE

!"3" 4nited (tates government buys Ellis sland from New ?or. for G!3,333. !"!7 Ellis sland houses 8ort /ibson <named after the 2attle of 6a.e Erie hero> holding lots of ammunition.

!"&= Ellis sland is first proposed as a depot to house thousands of rish immigrants, although ,astle /arden is chose, so serves as a depot until !"#3. The 4nited (tates receives the 8irst Wave of immigrants fleeing from troubles in Europe <(econd Wave lasts from !"#35!#$&>.

!"@! 8ort /ibson is dismantled and Ellis sland becomes islandFs official name. !"#3 8ederal government establishes 2ureau of mmigration and selects Ellis sland as the site for construction of new 8ederal immigration station for the port of New ?or..

!"#$ the immigration station on Ellis sland opens. !"#= 8ire destroys the original wooden buildings on Ellis sland. !#33 The Ellis sland mmigration ,enter reopens in its present 2eaux5Arts style. !#3= n a single day, !!,=&= immigrants pass through Ellis sland. !#$& The tide of immigrants through Ellis sland begins to diminish. !#&7 Ellis sland is used as a detention center for enemy aliens during World War .

!#%& Ellis sland is officially closed and offered for a bid. Aore than twelve million immigrants have passed through Ellis slands since !"#$.

!7

!#@% Ellis sland becomes part of the National +ar. (ervice. <'affner, !##=>

RESTRICTED CLASSES
!"=% some Asian women !""$ ,hinese laborers !""% contract laborers !"#! persons with dangerous contagious diseases, felons, polygamists, people guilty of moral turpitude !#3! Anarchists !#37 epileptics !#3= unaccompanied children, tuberculosis patients, mentally ill patients, physical defects preventing from ma.ing a living !#!3 women imported for immoral reasons !#!= illiterate !#$& Asians except 8ilipinos <Ci/irolamo>

!&

2enton, 2. <!#"%>. Ellis Island a Pictorial History. New ?or., N?I 8acts on 8ile +ublications. 2rownstone, C. <!#=#>. Island of Hope, Island of Tears. New ?or., N?I *awson, Wade +ublishers, nc. ,annato, B. <$33#>. American Passage the History of Ellis Island. New ?or., N?I 'arper,ollins+ublishers. Ci/irolamo, B. <Writer> <n.d.>. American (ocial 'istory +roDect O ,enter for Aedia and 6earning. Ellis Island: Place and Paradigm. PAudio podcastQ. *etrieved from httpIJJashp.cuny.eduJRpodcastSellis5island5place5and5paradigm 'affner, ,. <+roducer> <!##=>. Ellis Island PCBCQ. <$333>. mmigration in the Early !#33s. EyeWitness to History, *etrieved from www.eyewitnesstohistory.com <n.d.>. mmigration *estriction 6eague. Immigration estriction Leag!e ecords "#$%&"$'", *etrieved from httpIJJocp.hul.harvard.eduJimmigrationJrestrictionleague +etrilla, A. <$3!$>. The 'istory of Ellis sland. *etrieved from httpIJJwww.thehistorychannelclub.comJarticlesJarticletypeJarticleviewJarticleidJ!&# "Jthe5history5of5ellis5island Wills, ,. <$33%>. (estination America. New ?or., N?I C9 +ublishing nc.

!%

,hristine Wyc.off EC4, &$! 0uly !!, $3!7

Ellis Island the new immigration in late 18 s! earl" 1# s $ when did the new immigrants %ome! where did the" %ome &rom! wh" did the" %ome! what was it li'e to (o)rne" to Ameri%a and then *e +ro%essed thro)gh Ellis Island! and where did the" settle, /rade 6evelI &th and %th grade !. will explain to the students that most Americans, with the exception of Native Americans, have an immigrant past. will tell the students how over the last several centuries millions of people have immigrated to the 4nited (tates to find freedom and opportunity. (ome, li.e the slaves, were brought to America unwillingly. will write the words :immigration;, :Ellis sland;, and :new immigration; on the board along with their definitions. will explain Ellis slandFs role in immigration to America and show the students on a map where it is located. will show a map of late !#th century Europe and America. will tal. with the class about what new immigration meant and the number of people who immigrated from (outhern and Eastern Europe during this time, and important events affecting immigration. will have a time line with several important dates listed <!"#$, !"#=, !#33, !#3=, !#$&, !#&7, and !#%&>. will have the students match the years to the events <immigration station on Ellis sland opens1 fire destroys wooden buildings on Ellis sland1 Ellis sland mmigration ,enter reopens1 !!,=&= immigrants pass through Ellis sland1 tide of immigrants through Ellis sland begins to diminish1 Ellis sland is used as a detention center for enemy aliens during World War 1 Ellis sland is officially closed.> The class will post the time line in the classroom. Additionally, will have the students draw arrows connecting the countries of (outhern and Eastern Europe, the :new immigration; countries, to Ellis sland using the map provided. $. will show them the video :The /olden Coor.; will introduce the video 5 how America was thought of as the land of opportunity, Ellis sland the :/olden Coor.; will hand out a wor.sheet with list of Euestions. will discuss the list of Euestions to consider when viewing the videoI What are some reasons people immigrateR Why is America a popular destination for immigrantsR What Dob opportunities were there in America for the immigrantsR What are some of the obstacles that an immigrant faced at Ellis slandR What is a tenementR 6ist a couple of negative impacts from the :new immigration; <hint housing and gangs>. will have the students get in small groups and discuss the main points of the video. The students will write these on paper, post in the room, and will have all groups share.

!@

7. will divide the class into small groups. will handout the biographies of rving 2erlin, 0oseph +ulit-er, A.+. /iannini, one to each group. will have them discuss the biography they read as a group and ma.e a poster. The poster will include a picture of the person and adDectives around the picture describing the person. The students will post their pictures around room and share the information with the rest of the class, highlighting the immigrantFs impact on the 4nited (tates. will then have the students compare and contrast the different immigrant biographies. &. will pass out the stories 'annahFs 0ournalI The (tory of An mmigrant /irl and 0ourney to Ellis slandI 'ow Ay 8ather ,ame to America. We will read the stories as a class. 4sing a graphic organi-er T5chart, will have the students compare and contrast the two stories. %. 2ased on the readings 'annahFs 0ournal and 0ourney to Ellis sland, will as. the students to write five diary entries of a young girlJboy immigrating to America ) one about why sheJhe left the old world, one about the transatlantic Dourney, one about herJhis hopes and dreams in America, one about herJhis experience at Ellis sland, and one a prediction of herJhis future in America, will herJhis hopes and dreams come trueR @. will have the students do the nteractive Tour of Ellis sland from the (cholastic website, httpIJJteacher.scholastic.comJactivitiesJimmigrationJtourJ . Wor.ing in groups of %5@ students, will have the students do a diorama of Ellis sland labeling .ey areasI The 2aggage *oom, The (tairs, The *egistry *oom, The Aedical Exam, The 6egal nspection, Cetainees, The (tairs of (eparation, and The 9issing +ost. =. As immigrants finished processing at Ellis sland, many entered their new lives with fear, anticipation and hope at where to settle next. (ome preferred the comforts of immigrant communities near Ellis sland, others hoped to find better opportunities outside the greater New ?or. area. will have the students participate in a find me a home activity where they choose the best location for a newly arrived immigrant family from +oland to settle based on three locations and their attributes. ". t is said that four out of ten Americans can trace their ancestry to those who have come through Ellis sland. will have the students do a cultural study of hisJher family. The students will then ma.e a poster board including pictures of ancestors that immigrated and dates of immigration, country of origin, flag of country of origin, foods and traditions of the country, geography and government information on the country. #. will divide the classroom into two groups1 one group will be assigned the years !"#35 !#$3 and the other !#$35!#%3. The groups will then research maDor world events <wars, economic boomJdecline, and natural disasters> during these time periods, and immigration numbers to the 4nited (tates. will have the students conduct further research regarding from which countries these immigrants came. They will then do a pie chart illustrating percentage of immigrants from each country during this time period. The students will then post their findings in the room and compare and contrast the information as a group. will also have the students write on index cardsI

!=

!. each maDor world event during this time period and the year it occurred $. the years when immigration pea.ed 7. the years when immigration and declined will then have the students each ta.e an index card and line up chronologically. 8inally, will have them post the timeline on a wall in the classroom. !3. will post the mmigration Act of !#$&1 the law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to $N of the number of people from that country who were already living in the 4nited (tates. will discuss with the class how the basic purpose of the law was to preserve the ideal of American homogeneity. will then divide the room in half1 half of the students representing support of the law, half of the students opposing the law. The students will then participate in a debate about the pros and cons of the law.

!"