SAMPLE Group Presentation

Transcription

1 SAMPLE Group Presentation What follows is a presentation (with some modifications) created by 3 students in History 146 for the group project called "The Way I See It" in which groups explored a topic in 1840s US history and presented that topic from the perspective of different people. In this class, for the "Where Are We" project, your group explores the history of US regions (such as the South or West) and answers the question "Where Are We" for different peoples in that region as the 20th century begins. Look at this presentation to learn more about immigration in the 1830s and 1840s and to see an example of a slideshow. presentation.

2 Immigration 1830s & 1840s Sample Group Presentation from History 146 (using Google Documents Presentation)

3 Introduction During the 1840s more than 1.7 million immigrants came to the United States. The majority of these immigrants came from Ireland, Germany, and Britain left to escape poor economic conditions at home and to seek a better life in the United States. When they arrived, they faced no government officials asking for visas because during this era the United States had no immigration laws.

4 Immigration 1830s & 1840s Norwegian Immigration

5 Norwegian Culture Norway was a rural country. In the 1800's most of the citizens of Norway were farmers. Other occupations held by Norwegians were merchants, huntsmen, laborers, and servants. The culture of Norway was based on agriculture which was continued from the Viking Age The majority of Norwegians practiced Evangelical-Lutheran as a religion. Many Norwegians who traveled to America brought their knowledge of farming and religion with them. To this day Norwegian culture shapes the Midwest.

6 Norwegian Immigration to America The main reason for the large number of Norwegian immigration to the United States in the 1840's was due to economic pressures and overpopulation. During this time, Norway experienced high unemployment rates and there was a lack of open land for farming. Because of this, the majority of emigrants from Norway were rural families. Most of the emigrants from Norway settled in the agricultural regions such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. With the promise of free land and vast agricultural growth, many Norwegian families left Norway to began life in America.

7 Norwegian Immigrant Perspective The following story is from the perspective of a 18 year old boy and his family including his father, mother, and younger sister. They are traveling to America from Norway in March My family and I have decided to leave Norway for America. We have heard so many great things about America and how it is a free land and there is much to do there. A lot of other families in our village have already left for America. We have decided to leave Norway because land is becoming scarce and the economy seems to be in a downfall. My father and I have had a hard time finding jobs. We have heard there are many jobs in America because of how fast it is growing. I'm hoping to be able to find a job on farm and eventually work hard to help my family have our own farm. We will be leaving for America in a few days. We are trying to take our most needed items because of space on the ship. I hope the trip goes well.

8 Life In America May We arrived in America a few days ago! The sail from Norway went well besides my little sister having the flu but she seems much better now that we are here. Upon arrival most of the people here have been very accepting of us. Although there has been a few who have discriminated against us and tend to call us "guests." I don't let this bother me because I now I'm here to stay and contribute to this great country. As of right now we are in New York but we are leaving today for the trip to a place called Michigan. There is much farm land there and many Norwegian villages. We are traveling with a few other families from Norway to Michigan. Like us they are looking for farm land, employment and a new life. I am so excited to be in this great country, I can't wait to arrive in Michigan and start my new life.

9 Life in America Continued... August I can't believe we have been in America for well over a year. Once we arrived in Michigan, my father and I found jobs working for a American farmer, Gary Hillman, who owned lots of land. After working for Gary for about 6 months, he offered us land to buy. We were able to buy this land and in the spring we began to grow crops. Since then we have been able to grow potatoes, beans and asparagus. It seems so surreal now that we are actually here and land owners! Life in America is more than what we could ask for. We have tried to sustain our Norwegian culture and it helps being surrounded by fellow Norwegians. My sister and I have begun learning to speak English. I have also wrote back home to our relatives in Norway urging them to come and join us in America. I know they too will be able to be successful in this country. My family and I feel that we are contributing to this country and we feel almost like citizens of American even though we don't have many rights yet. I can only hope that our good fortune will last.

10 Immigration 1830s & 1840s German Immigration

11 German Immigrant Culture Germans in the 1800s were very dedicated to sustaining the traditional ways of life. Farming played a big role in German culture, as well as traditional jobs like shopkeeping, as well as tradition crafsmen, like baking, brewing, and carpentering. Germans of this time participated in a variety of major Western religions, such as Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism.

12 German Immigration to America The Industrial revolution severely disrupted the life of many traditional Germans. This sparked a large amount of immigrating to the United States, as well as other parts of the world, like South America. Generally, most German immigrants tended to move to stay away from the major cities, like New York City. The Midwest better suited them because of its rich farmland and large rural areas, where they could maintain their traditional ways of life.

13 Life in America I was a potato farmer in Bavaria, Germany before my crop failed. Then, I was going to lose my land, so I decided to just sell it and immigrate to America. I heard that the land was very cheap and soil was very fertile. Not having much of a choice, I decided to give it a shot and move my family across the Atlantic.

14 Life in America I wasn't sure where to start when I arrived in America, but after a few hectic days in New York City, we finally settled on a rural area of Illinois. We could raise a variety of vegetable crops, rather than just potatoes because vegetables have become very popular over here. It wasn't an easy trip, but we finally made it. There are lots of other Germans here. We have lots of fun at the town meeting center, where we can gather together and talk about our experiences here so far.

15 Life in America The money is not great with farming here, but the quality of life is so much better than it was back in Germany. We had so much hardship, economic, political, relgious, you name it we had it. It was the worst, and my family and I have never been so happy. Here, we can sustain our ways of life, and enjoy doing it.

16 Immigration 1830s & 1840s Irish Immigration

17 Irish Culture Ireland s culture is based on a rich history of farming and agricultural that dates back to when the country was originally settled. Throughout the 1800s the dominant occupations in Ireland were farming and cattle raising, in which the country s rural setting provided an excellent landscape for both. Christianity is the dominant religion in Ireland, with the Roman Catholic Church being the largest within the country (over 86% of the population).

18 Irish Immigration to America Many reasons contributed to Irish immigration to America during the 1830s & 1840s, however none more so than the potato famine of Approximately 780,000 left Ireland for America to escape the path of economic failure and death that the famine had caused. British hopes to divert Irish emigration to its Canadian settlements, offered significantly reduced fares aboard "Coffin Ships", known for there high death rate. The rate usually was 15 schillings versus the standard 100 schillings for passage to America. Upon arrival, however, many crossed the border and settled primarily in the Northeast, either Boston or New York.

19 Irish in America! The dreams that many Irish immigrants had coming to America was that of limitless opportunities. The hope and chance to own land and build a prosperous future were prevalent. Upon arrival, many were so poor however, that any chance to become landowners was near impossible. This ultimately caused them to remain in the cities that they arrived in, mostly in the North Eastern U.S., where they were able to work as unskilled workers.

20 Anti-Irish Sentiment Erupts Through the 1830 s and the 1840 s, Anti-Irish-Catholic sentiment was increasingly evident in America. A political party known as the Know Nothing party was founded in 1845 and its main intent was to curb Irish Catholic immigration. Differing views between Protestant and Catholics had now become a political issue and it imitated conflicts seen in the past in Europe, sometimes resulting in violence.

21 Life in America July 1846 I must leave my homeland if there is to be any hope for my wife and I s future. We have seen so much death as a direct result from the famine. We ve watched everyone in our families perish except my wife, Andrea and her two brothers, Colin and Aidan. We cannot get any assistance from anyone, except that in the offering of a cheap passage to Canada by the British. Thankfully, I still have those 500 shillings that I diligently saved before Andrea s and my wedding, but we will need that to get started once we arrive, so we have no choice but to take the cheaper route. So I will be purchasing our travel to America tomorrow.

22 Life in America Continued... September 1846 We arrived earlier this month in Toronto, after a grueling boat ride from Dublin via Liverpool aboard what we now know as a Coffin Ship. The boat was barely seaworthy at best and we lost many passengers during the trip to typhus and dysentery, unfortunately we were not without our own casualty, as Colin perished upon our arrival at Grosse Isle as we spent five days waiting to be seen by a physician. Already this trip to a better life resembles only a continued misery we ve already known. Andrea is terribly saddened by the lost of her brother, but thankful that Aidan is in good health.

23 Life in America Continued... October 1846 We have been in Toronto for almost two months now and neither Aidan nor I can find a job that is worth more than a meal. I didn t travel all of this way to live under the same conditions that we came from. No one is offering any type of chance or support here in Canada. With winter approaching and no home or job yet, I must figure something out. I heard there is all kinds of opportunity in New York City though. I heard a few lads speaking about their intent to travel there next week. Supposedly there is a huge job force being assembled to dig canals and the pay is supposed to be pretty good with plenty of affordable housing as well. Maybe I should talk to them.

24 Life in America Continued... November 1846 Thankfully, those two lads I met in Toronto, agreed to let us travel with them to New York City. Upon arrival, both of them, Aidan and myself all landed jobs on that canal project. The work is hard but it s putting food on our table and we found a place to live as well, it s called Five Points, though it s not much better than what we came from. It is severely overcrowded and there is often gang violence throughout the ghetto. At least we are all together still and surviving for the time being.

25 Life in America Continued... September 1847 We have now been living in New York for almost a year and life hasn t proven to be much better than that of what we left back in Ireland, however, I was visiting with a parish priest today who has offered to put Andrea, Aidan and I in relation with another parish in the Boston area. He said they will not only help Aidan continue with education, they will allow us to help with the plot of farmland that they work, plus give us free housing as long as we work to support the local parish. Our future is starting to look a little brighter and we are so very thankful for the opportunity. Through hard work and patience, America is starting to truly be that land of hope I had always imagined.

26 Sample Class Activity [This activity was for Hist 146 and NOT for this class.] The group then designed the activity below for Hist 146 classmates to participate in. This presentation gives you an example of a group presentation similar to ones that you will create at the end of the quarter for the "Where Are We" Project. SAMPLE: You have just read about three different immigrant perspectives; Norwegian, German, and Irish. In no less than 125 words, choose one perspective and explain what the advantages and disadvantages would be to staying in America versus returning to your homeland.