Immigration and Citizenship

Lesson 2 – Why Did They Come to America

Students will develop a sense of empathy with

the experiences of immigrants who came to America.

Students understand that America was perceived as a “land of opportunity”

Objective

Immigrant – a person who leaves

his or her own country to live in a different country

Immigration – the movement of people from their own country to a different country

Vocabulary

Come to America Have you ever dreamed of living in a different

country?

Would you be willing to move to a faraway country and never see your home, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends again?

Many people from all over the world have had dreams of making a new home in the United States. They came to America for different reasons, but all of these people hoped to have a better life.

Why would people choose to immigrate? Do you remember why the Pilgrims came to

America? They wanted religious freedom. Some immigrants have come to America to get away from awful things happening in their old countries. Once in Ireland a deadly disease almost wiped out one of the most important crops, potatoes!

Once in Ireland a deadly disease almost wiped out one of the most important crops, potatoes!

Without potatoes, many poor families in Ireland went hungry. There was so little to eat that thousands of people were starving. That’s when they decided that things were so bad, they had to leave their country, so the came to America.

People came from other countries, too, such as Sweden, China, and Germany. They came for the same reason – the land where they lived just wasn’t making enough food. They came to America with dreams of starting a farm, growing food, and never being hungry again.

As our country grew larger, we wanted more people to come to our country. The movement of people from their own countries to new countries is called immigration.

As our country got more and more immigrants, our government made rules that allowed fewer people to come into our country, but still, there are thousands who immigrate to America every year.

Immigration

Students will pretend that they were in another country and they were trying to persuade people to come to America.

What could you tell people about America. Remember to be truthful. (The streets are not paved with gold.)

Land of Opportunity Posters

Why did people call America the “Land of

Opportunity.” What does that mean? What kind of

opportunities were immigrants hoping to find in America?”

It means that in America, they would have more choices and a better chance for a good life. They were hoping to find jobs that paid well and to find free or cheap land

Review

Read - Coming to America - The Story of Immigration. This story is about immigrants, people who leave their own countries and come to a new country.

While reading fill in the sheet.

Read- Optional