Sociology 4949: Worksheet--Destination America:the Golden Door " 2004

1. Describe the pushes and pulls affecting each of the following groups of immigrants to the United States:
Mexicans, present day:

Mexicans, 1920s

Norwegians, 19th century

Irish, 19th century

2. Identify the following:
Immigrant Protection Services

Ole Rynning, "True Account of America for Ordinary People"

American fever"

Lowell, Massachusetts

Nativist movement

Immigration Act of 1924

Mexican Repatriation during the Great Depression

3. From what countries did your ancestors come, and what are the stories in your family about the hardships they faced and the strategies they used to try to overcome those hardships?

Sociology 4949: Groups--"Destination America: the Golden Door"

1. How would you explain the mixed feelings Americans have always had about immigration and immigrants?

2. Why do you suppose our laws about immigration have sometimes been very restrictive and sometimes very welcoming?

3. What do you think America gains in the present day from our relative openness to immigrants from all over the world?

4. President Vicente Fox of Mexico has long argued for a free flow of people back and forth across the Mexican border (rather like the condition that now characterizes countries in the European Union). What would you see as the pros and cons of such a change?