Angel Island Immigration Station: "Welcome" to the US!

Angel Island Immigration Station: “Welcome” to the US!

4th Grade, 5th Grade, Middle School, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

TOPIC:

American history, Chinese exclusion and immigration

OBJECTIVES:

Students will learn about the immigration experience of the Chinese who entered the United States on the West Coast through Angel Island, in San Francisco Bay, between 1910 and 1940.
Students will understand the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act on the processing of Chinese immigrants at the station on Angel Island.
Students will be able to compare and contrast the immigrant experiences of Chinese and other Asians arriving on Angel Island to that of Europeans arriving through Ellis Island, NY.

INTRODUCTION

It is estimated that 500,000 immigrants from 80 countries- ranging from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Russia-were processed at Angel Island; however, most of the immigrants coming through Angel Island were from China and other Asian countries.

These Asian immigrants were detained for extended periods of time and faced more rigorous process to arrive at the mainland due to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which:

barred Chinese laborers from coming to the United States,
limited immigration to those who have relatives in the U.S., and
prevented Chinese immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens.

After the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act, customs service officers individually and arbitrarily implemented the law. By the first decade of the 20th century, a national system of procedures became standardized and enforcement fell on the Bureau of Immigration.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1 – How did the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 affect the immigration experience for people from China and other Asian countries entering the United States on the West coast?

2 – What does it mean to be excluded or left out? Have you ever been in a situation where you were excluded or left out? How did it make you feel? Why do you think people sometimes exclude other people? (Questions should be
modified based on grade level/age.)

3 – Watch the film Carved in Silence by Felicia Lowe, which provides insight into the Chinese immigrants’ experience at Angel Island. Discussion or written reflection questions:
Why do you think the Chinese were denied citizenship in comparison to European immigrants?
What are your thoughts on the interrogation process and the questions that were asked by the inspectors? Did you think the process/questions were fair?
Imagine you and your parents are put into different rooms right now and asked the same questions regarding details of your home, how well would you and your parents do in providing the same/correct answer to these questions?
A worksheet matrix to guide students in their viewing is also part of the AIISF curriculum guide. If the film is unavailable, this activity can be skipped and, using the poems below, students can still provide reflections on the same questions.

4 – Have students look through the selection of poems and oral histories from the book Island and allow students to reflect on two or more of them: Have them consider the tone of the poems or stories. Describe the feelings of the writer. Compare and contrast the selections. Poems are available though AIISF: https://www.aiisf.org/poems-and-inscriptions

5 – Assuming students have already studied Ellis Island and the experience of Europeans coming to America, have them compare and contrast the immigrant experiences.
Discussion questions: How were Angel Island and Ellis Island similar and different as immigration stations? How were the experiences of immigrants who went through Angel Island similar to and different from immigrants who went through Ellis Island? Why do you think there were differences?

KIT INCLUDES

History of Angel Island Immigration Station, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
https://www.aiisf.org/history

Angel Island Curriculum Guides: https://www.aiisf.org/curriculum

“Carved in Silence,” a film by Felicia Lowe. Available through the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (a 22 min. cut of Carved in Silence is available online)
https://vimeo.com/294645783

Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation Poems and Inscriptions: https://www.aiisf.org/poems-and-inscriptions

California Department of Parks and Recreation Immigration Station Website

History.com: Angel Island Immigration Station. Provides a short history and contextual background, including information about the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), with links to other resources.
https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/angel-island-immigration-station

Comparison of Ellis Island and Angel Island Immigration Lesson Plan
https://immigrationhistory.org/lesson-plan/immigration-stations/

Lesson plan created in partnership with 1882 Foundation