Latino Immigration and Contributions to American Society

Suggested Teaching Instructions

Directions:

The following questions are based on historical documents or excerpts from them, and are designed to test your ability to work with such documents. As you analyze the documents or excerpts, try to understand the source of the document and any point of view that is presented in them.

Historical Context:

Since the formation of the United States, Latinos have contributed to its growth. Like other immigrants, Latinos came to this country for varying reasons (political, religious, and economic), and settled in different parts of the United States (Northeast, Southwest, Florida). During the last century, a surge in the Latino population made Americans of Hispanic origin the largest minority in the nation.

Task:

Using information from the following documents/excerpts, and using your own knowledge of history, in Part A answer the questions that follow each listed document/excerpt.  Your answers to these questions will help you complete the writing assignment given in Part B.

Part A: Short-Answer Questions

Read and analyze each document or excerpt, and then in the space provided answer each of the questions that follow them.

Part B: Essay

Using information from at least four of the documents or excerpts in Part A to support your thinking, and using your own knowledge of history, write an essay that discusses the political, social, and economic reasons Latinos came to the United States and how they adapted and contributed to American society. Use a separate sheet of paper to complete your essay, which should be well organized. Include an introduction, at least three paragraphs, and a conclusion. Support your response with relevant facts, examples, and details.  In no case should the documents or excerpts simply be cited and paraphrased. You should include additional historical details, and you may discuss documents not provided in the question.