Immigration and Migration from the Early 1800s to the Present
Unit description: Many people have immigrated and migrated to New York State contributing to its cultural growth and development. In this unit students will learn about how and why immigrants came to and through New York and their experiences in their new lives after their arrival. Students will be given the opportunity to investigate how people were processed through Ellis Island, living conditions in the cities, factory conditions, and other conditions of the 1800s.
Standards
Standards: 1, 3, 4, 5; Themes: ID, MOV, CIV, ECO, EXCH
Essential Questions and Big Ideas
Big idea of the unit: Many people have immigrated and migrated to New York State contributing to its cultural growth and development.
What role did the Irish Potato Famine play in the large number of people immigrating to New York?
- Irish immigration to the United States, and the Albany area, was greatly increased due to the potato famine in Ireland and the need for labor in canal building, shipping, and civil construction works.
What were factory conditions like for immigrants?
- Factory workers, including children, worked long hours and lived in very crowded conditions.
- Conditions of factory workers lead to the formation of labor unions
What immigrant groups settled in my community or local city?
- Immigrants came to New York State for a variety of reasons.
What effect did immigration have on the Harlem Renaissance?
- Beginning in the 1890s, large numbers of African Americans migrated to New York City and other northern cities to work in factories.
Download the complete Grade 4 Social Studies Unit 7 framework to customize for your own planning.