Americans, Citizenship, and

Governments“Being an American” Chapter 3.1

Vocabulary Terms

• Immigration• Know-Nothing Party• Nativist• Institution• Ellis Island• Migration• Assimilation• Service industry

• “Blue collar” vs. “white collar” workers

• Diversity• Popular Sovereignty

A History of Immigration: Old Immigration 1830-1890

• Germans, Irish (Roman Catholics), English, Scandinavians (Denmark, Norway, Sweden)

• Mostly literate and educated

Immigration & Settlement, 1820-1860

“Old” Immigrant Contributions• Foods: Apple pie, sauerkraut,

potatoes, hamburgers, roast beef

• Celebrations: Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving

• Religion: Roman Catholicism, Amazing Grace

– You Tube: Rhema Marvannehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDDlxmsciqY

• American jobs: Police officers, fire fighters, railroad workers, factories, mines, Army

• Institutions: Liberalism, baseball, the American flag, American National Anthem, football, Kindergarten, Harley-Davidson motorcycles

St Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC

The Know-NothingsAnti-immigration political group during the mid 1850s– Fought against immigrants

taking white, native-born Protestant “American” jobs

– Anti-Catholic sentiment• “Irish Need Not Apply”!

– Nativists, “American” Party

The Transformation of America• From 1830-1930, the American population increased from 12 million

to 120 million– That’s a 900% increase!!!

• 40 million were new immigrants• You Tube: Ellis Island Award Winning Documentary (28:27)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X4CypTaOQs

“New” Immigration 1890-1914• Migrated in much larger numbers from:

– Italy, Greece, Austria-Hungry, Russian, and Poland

– Settled in cities to work in factories

– Hard time assimilating– Tended to be less

educated than “old” immigrants

20th Century Immigration• Asians and Latin Americans

• Today, more than half of all the people in the United States who were born in another country come from Latin America

African Americans• After the Civil War ended (1865), freed

slaves left the South and moved to Northern cities

From Country to City• By 1932, more than half of all Americans

lived in cities; many working in factories– Blue collar workers– White collar workers

By the 1990s• Less factories, more service jobs

– Teaching, computer programmers, health care providers, lawyers

– Increase in people working from home– More women going to work

American Diversity• Ethnic groups share common national, cultural,

or racial backgrounds• About 16% of Americans are Latin American• Minority groups, such as Latinos, African

Americans, and Asians will be the majority by the 2040s

• 173 million Americans are Christian• 9 million follow Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, or

another religion. Many practice no religion.

Values & InstitutionsEssential Question: What do Americans value?

• Shared American values include:– Freedom– Equality– Opportunity– Justice– Democracy– Unity– Respect– Tolerance

The Declaration of Independence

• Founding document 1776• All Americans are equal under the law• Importance of freedom• Right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness”• What does liberty mean to you??

American InstitutionsKey practices, relationships, and organizations in society

• Family• Religious institutions

– churches, temples, mosques

• Schools– reflect societies culture, history, knowledge

• Clubs– Boy/Girl Scouts, sororities & fraternities, honor

societies

• Volunteer Groups– Rotary International, Salvation Army, Red Cross

Government Institutions

• Freedom is the right to make one’s own choices in life without arbitrary (unrestrained) interference from the government

• Based on the principle of popular sovereignty, or the idea that government receives its power from the people.

• The U.S. Constitution makes sure the government is limited in its power!

The U.S. Constitution