tlp_09_jwiggin

=Teacher Lesson Page=

Jamie Wiggin, Braintree High School
== Jamie's Primary Source Page



Grade Level: High School

Essential Question:
How did immigration affect American conceptions of "WE THE PEOPLE"?

Standard(s):
//USI.28// Explain the emergence and impact of the textile industry in New England and industrial growth generally throughout antebellum America. (H, E) B. the causes and impact of the wave of immigration from Northern Europe to America in the 1840s and 1850s

Guiding Question:
How did population change in Boston affect the way Bostonians viewed themselves and their city on a hill?

Introduction:
Boston has always been a unique and vibrant city, full of old world charm but created with the hope contained in the new. John Winthrop, Boston's founder and a Puritan, declared "we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." The Puritans were a group of Englishmen and women who sought to purify the English church and believed the New World was the perfect place to start. As Boston grew and prospered Puritan ways found their way into the very fabric of Boston society. Values such as piety, morality and obedience to community code would be ingrained into every Bostonian, and would shape the city's future.

As time progressed the original Puritans disappeared but their values remained constant, surviving economic hardships, a revolution and a new government. Boston in the early 19th century still had strong connections to its 17th century beginnings. However change was near: Boston would enter an age of unprecedented growth in terms of population and geographic size. Boston's average citizen would also change as a result of Irish immigration to the city.

Looking to escape political tumult, economic hardship or a blight which had wiped out the countries main staple crop, the potato, the Irish arrived in droves to the growing city. These new immigrants with a different religion, different values and even different looks would change Boston forever. Yet what form would this change take and what fears and feelings would the old Bostonians have towards these new Bostonians? And how would the perception of what it means to be American change for both groups?

Task:
Today the world looks very different then it did hundreds of years ago; new land has been created, old land has disappeared, people have come and gone, and population has shifted dramatically. Your job is to examine how Boston has changed since its creation over 300 years ago. You will compare maps of Boston's growth from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. You will analyze census data to determine the size and scope of Boston's growth. Finally you will examine why the Irish came to Boston and what fears native Bostonians had concerning their arrival.

Lesson Process

 * __DAY 1 ~ The Idea__**

1. Here are questions to get you thinking for this lesson. Answer them accordingly.
 * 1) What areas of your town have changed within your lifetime?
 * 2) How has the population of your town, county, or region changed in your lifetime?
 * 3) How, it at all, has the population of your community changed? (Think about population characteristics in your community: Religion, ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, etc.)
 * 4) How would your community change if people from another region started moving into your own community?
 * 5) How would you feel if the community you remember has changed in terms of size, amount of people and type of people?
 * 6) What positive and negative feelings would you have in the scenario described in the above question?

2. Share your answers with fellow students and see what new ideas you come up with.

3. Read the Secondary Source concerning the arrival of the Irish in America. How do you think these newcomers would be viewed by the native Bostonians?

(From: Digital History: [] )


 * __DAY 2 ~ A New City Rises__**

1. Look at the following maps of Boston from the different time periods. Identify how Boston has changed by finding areas that have expanded, been created or demolished. Using the growth of Boston place them in chronological order.

2. Use the chart ("A Changing Boston") provided to record your answers and then make a list of reasons that you believe Boston has expanded in some areas and not in others.



3.Using Google Maps or a similar program create a list of the buildings, landmarks, or neighborhoods that would not be present today if Boston were to shrink to its 1757 borders.

1. Guess how many people you believe to be living in the city of Boston today. Do you think most are born in the U.S. or are they foreign born? Why?
 * __DAY 3 ~ The More the Merrier__**

2. Use the census data to answer the following questions for both 1810 and 1855.
 * What was the population of Boston that year?
 * Describe the largest social group living in Boston (age, nationality, occupation, etc.).
 * What is the difference in size of Boston between 1810 and 1855?
 * Using the 1855 Census data, from what foreign country did most people come from?

3. Looking at the change in numbers, create a list of reasons why the population of Boston increased so dramatically. Order them from most likely to least likely. Discuss your reasoning.

3rd Census of US 1810 Vol. 1Agg Gov Doc HA214.f57 1990xv.3 LC#08021063 p. 21, pg 7a





1855 Census data: []


 * __DAY 4 ~ It's a bird, it's a plane..It's the Irish!__**
 * 1) Examine the following Primary Source Documents using the Primary Source Document Worksheet found here: []
 * 2) After looking at those Primary Source documents answer the following questions:
 * What were some reasons the Irish would come to America?
 * What were conditions like in American cities?
 * Why would Irish immigrants gravitate towards Boston and New York and less towards Southern ports?
 * Why might some Irish be disappointed or disheartened when they arrived in the United States? Would some be encouraged? Why?



[]




 * __DAY 5 ~ No Money, No Problems__**
 * 1) Examine the First Article of the Primary Source Document using the Primary Source Document Worksheet found here: []

[note the source]

2. Focus on the following passage:
 * What things are the Native Bostonians afraid of in this passage?
 * What can the American Home Missionary Society do to help these people?
 * In what ways can it be inferred that the native Bostonians think more highly of their city on a hill than Europe?
 * Do you think many Bostonians took the society's advice and used religion to educate the new immigrants? Why or why not?

3. Read the following article concerning relationships between the Boston elite and the new immigrants []


 * What were some advances made by Boston in the early 19th Century that had their roots in Puritan Values?
 * Were the fears of the Bostonian elite justified?
 * What other factors could lead to animosity between the 'Boston Brahmins' and the new Irish Immigrants?
 * Many native Bostonians actively tried to keep the Irish out of their neighborhoods and lives. What actions do you think the Irish would have taken to counter this response?

You have discovered that as immigration to Boston grew so did the city both in population and geographic size. You have seen how the older values of Boston were threatened by the new wave of Irish Immigrants and how the native Bostonians responded. How can the feelings of "us vs. them" or fear of losing traditional values or cultures be seen in the modern world today?
 * __Conclusion__**

Assessment:
Now that you know how Boston has been changing geographically and how the population has been changing over time. Write a diary entry about your feelings concerning the Irish Immigrants in Boston. Be sure to express three specific concerns along with what you think the future will be for your city on a hill.


 * **Bostonian Diary Entry** ||
 * Student Name: ||  ||
 * CATEGORY || 4 || 3 || 2 || 1 ||
 * Adding Personality (Voice) || The writer seems to be writing from knowledge or experience. The author has taken the ideas and made them "his own." || The writer seems to be drawing on knowledge or experience, but there is some lack of ownership of the topic. || The writer relates some of his own knowledge or experience, but it adds nothing to the discussion of the topic. || The writer has not tried to transform the information in a personal way. The ideas and the way they are expressed seem to belong to someone else. ||
 * Commitment (Voice) || The writer successfully uses several reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic. || The writer successfully uses one or two reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic. || The writer attempts to make the reader care about the topic, but is not really successful. || The writer made no attempt to make the reader care about the topic. ||
 * Recognition of Reader (Voice) || The reader's questions are anticipated and answered thoroughly and completely. || The reader's questions are anticipated and answered to some extent. || The reader is left with one or two questions. More information is needed to "fill in the blanks". || The reader is left with several questions. ||
 * Requirements || Student includes all of the required information. || Student includes 75% of the required information. || Student includes 50% of the required information. || Student includes less than 25% of the required information. ||

Maps of Boston:














At the end of the Unit...

 * ** Students will be able to: ** || ** Strong ** || ** Adequate ** || ** Weak ** || ** Needs Improvement ** ||
 * List the reasons for Irish Immigration to the United States || Students can list several push and pull factors for the Irish to come to the United States and explain each || Students can list a few push and pull factors for the Irish to come to the United States and explain most || Students can list a few push or pull factors for the Irish to come to the United States and explain some || Students can list one or two factors for the Irish to come to the United States and explain none ||
 * Describe how the population of Boston has changed over the 19th century. || Students can explain how the population in Boston has changed over time citing examples and present several logical and valid reasons for it. || Students can explain how the population in Boston has changed over time without provinding specific examples and present a few logical and valid reasons for it. || Students can explain how the population in Boston has changed over time and present one logical and valid reason for it. || Students can not explain how the population in Boston has changed over time. ||
 * Analyze how Boston has changed over the 19th century. || Students can list the geographic changes to Boston over time citing many specific examples || Students can list some changes to the Boston shoreline citing a few specific examples || Students can list only a few geographic changes to Boston over time and cite no specific examples. || Students can list no geographic changes to Boston over time nor cite any specific examples. ||
 * Analyze primary source documents provided of the time period. || Students understand both content and meaning of multiple documents and is able to assess its significance || Students understand both content and meaning of individual documents but can not explain significance of the document. || Students understand the content of the documents but not the meaning of documents. || Students cannot understand multiple documents and cannot explain the meaning of individual documents. ||

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