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Lesson Plan, Book, Article, Film :

Lesson Plan, Book, Article, Film Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Angel Island

  • Grade Level K-5th Grade
  • Time Period 1930 - 1969
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Introduction

These resources explore the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the experiences of Chinese immigrants at Angel Island, using a variety of primary and secondary sources to understand historical perspectives on immigration, racism, and American identity.

Essential Questions

  • What does it mean to be an American?

  • What does it mean to be an immigrant?

  • What can sources (e.g., photographs, advertisements, letters, news reports) from the past teach us about

  • what life was like at the time?

  • What are things to notice in the sources to reveal that information?

  • What do they tell us about what people thought and valued?

  • Is this source reliable?

  • Whose perspective is portrayed?