Friday, February 5, 2016

Chapter Eight Reading Questions & Oral History

For Monday's class, please read Chapter Eight and consider the following questions:
  • When did most Eastern European immigrants begin to arrive in the United States?
  • Where did they settle, and what did they do for a living?
  • What did they do before they emigrated, and why did they go to America?
  • How does the 1910 census data indicate how many Poles came to America?
  • What role did Polish Nationalism play in the immigrants experience?
  • Why did Eastern European Jews emigrate?
  • Where did they settle, and what did they do for a living?
  • How did the Eastern European Jewish immigrant's experience differ from other immigrants of the same period?
  • What was the Triangle Shirt Waist fire of 1911?
  • What were the differences/conflicts between Eastern European Jews and other American Jews?
  • What does the complex story of the Hungarian family on page 234 illustrate best about immigration?
  • What were working conditions in American industry like?
In addition, your next writing assignment is due in class on Wednesday, February 17th:

Oral History Research Project
  • Please conduct an Oral History interview of a person who immigrated to the United States.
  • Your interviewee must have been old enough at the time to remember details about his or her country of birth.
  • Develop a series of specific questions prior to your interview. What do you want to know?
  • What can you find out through research before you meet for the interview? 
  • What can you find out only by experiencing the person’s face-to-face presence? 
  • During the interview, attempt to find answers to the questions you have developed. After the interview, attempt to fill any gaps that remain.
  • Be sure to record your interview in some manner. This recording or transcript of your interview is a primary source document and should not be discarded.
  • Write a paper that attempts to answer one or more of your questions using the recording or transcript of your interview as a primary source. 4-6 pages.



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