Mini Lesson Asian Immigration to the United States since 1965 and Asian America Today
- Grade Level 6th-12th Grade
- Time Period 1950 - Present
Introduction
This Explainer activity by Duty to Country references the Under One Flag Online Exhibition, a free, chaptered digital exhibition that combines animations, illustrations, oral history clips, and narrative text to recount the full story of Filipino WWII veterans from 1892 to the present.
In this activity, students study two Pew Research charts tracking the sources of Asian immigration to the U.S. since 1965 and the size and growth of Asian American origin groups today. Students research their local Asian American community and consider what factors have shaped Filipino migration specifically.
For additional materials, activities, and supports for educators to learn about and teach this content, head to the Teaching with Duty to Country Resource Guide.
Essential Questions
Overall, what is the largest source of Asian immigrants to the U.S.? What are the largest national-origin groups among Asian Americans overall?
Which Asian-origin groups are fastest growing in the U.S.? Which ones are slowest-growing?
What factors may account for the difference in the overall size of each national-origin group, as well as for how much it has grown over the last 20 years?
Pick one of the national-origin groups and do some additional research. Find out what factors are contributing to that group’s migration to the U.S. since 2000, where most Asian Americans in the group live, and characteristics of the group.
What factors have shaped Filipino migration to the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries? How does the Filipino American community compare to other national-origin groups?