How Many Days to America? by Eve Bunting

For example, a student might use a riata to represent the vaqueros who settled in the Southwest, especially in Texas. Identify some contributions that are linked to the customs brought from the old country, such as foods, holidays or vocabulary.Īsk students to map the settlements on a poster-sized outline map of the United States, making the map three-dimensional by using a symbol that represents an element of the group’s culture or of their contributions to the American culture. Discuss why they might have selected the areas they did, and why immigrants seem to settle in the same areas as others from their home countries.Ĭontinue the exploration by researching how the clusters of immigrants have affected the culture of the areas. Using history textbooks and other reading materials, explore where immigrants from different countries settled.

Discuss the reasons found in the articles. Allow them to share briefly the articles as they bring them to class.

Political: Many settlers came to the colonies to escape oppressive government actions, while others were sentenced to transportation as the punishment for a crime.Īsk: “Why do you think that people move to the United States today?” Prompt further discussion by asking, “Do any still come for economic reasons? How about religious reasons? Are people still immigrating for political reasons?”Įncourage students to find news articles that illustrate the different reasons for immigration.

William Penn offered religious liberty to Quakers, and Maryland was established as a Catholic colony.

Religious: The Puritans came to the New World in part to find a place in which they could practice their religion in their own way, although they did not offer that freedom to others who came to their settlement.Georgia was established as a haven for debtors, offering them the opportunity to start over. As it became obvious that there was an abundance of land available, more and more people left Europe for the chance to own land and become financially successful. Economic: The first Jamestown colonists came to the New World to seek their fortunes.Discuss the primary reasons for colonization and immigration: Why Did They Come?Įxplore the historic and contemporary reasons for immigration with your students. While controversy continues even today, immigrants continue to move to America for a number of reasons, and they continue to contribute to the culture and society of the nation. Almost from the start, Immigration to what would ultimately become the United States has been controversial as various nations claimed the same land for themselves.

How Many Days to America? by Eve Bunting