Summary Of Module 4 Thinking Like A Historian

Module Four: Thinking like a Historian

Part One

Compare the views of these two scholars by answering the following questions. Be sure to find specific examples in the selections to support your answers.

1.) What issues that surround Latino immigration to America does each author address?

Jason Richwine discusses the Latino’s absorption and integration into the American culture. He compares the Latino immigrants with other countries’ immigrants that has rose out of poverty, while the Hispanics have not been rising up out of the lower class after several generations have passed. Richwine mentions that American prejudice might be influencing the Hispanic immigrants not striving. For example, “popular explanations from the left include the

I could support Richwine’s argument through my study in this class on how white Americans would treat African Americans because of a difference in skin color. Throughout American history, the United States citizens have always felt threatened of foreign cultures entering into their country. Many U.S. citizens were afraid of losing their jobs, homes, and their way of life. For example, many races such as the Chinese or the Anglo-Saxon were under attack in the 1880s. These examples supports Richwine’s argument that discrimination from Americans are preventing the Hispanics from thriving.

I could support Chavez’s argument through the way America’s past tendencies to have false assumptions about immigrants. In history, many white Americans believed that African Americans were unequal to the average white American simply because of skin color. Many Americans were taught to fear Native American because of the false assumptions that they would kill women and children for sport and scalp their victims. This lead too many Americans killing innocent Native Americans based on false facts. These examples support Chavez’s argument that false beliefs toward immigrants causes separation from

The first primary sources discusses the author’s thought on colored immigrants over taking the white Americans. The author was worried about the “complexion of his country” that the immigrants would give.

The second primary source addresses the issues of Chinese immigrants not wanting to adopt the American way of living. They did not want to learn a new language, nor leave their culture or their religion. The author suggested that the Chinese would eventually outnumber the Americans.

Primary source three discusses how the immigrants do not plan to become citizens. They are only here to acquire money, then return to their homeland. The author refers to a committee that expresses concern about the living conditions and custom habits that would deprecate the condition of America.

Primary source four addresses the issues as an ethical one because of American treating the immigrants differently. The author discusses discrimination based on skin color that keeps immigrants confined in a social group.

2.) Based on these documents, what pattern do you see in how Americans historically have responded to the arrival of new immigrant