Unit 6
People from Many Places
People Move for Many Reasons
• People move from one part of the world to
another hoping to find better opportunities in
their new country. An opportunity is a
chance—to find a job, to get an education , to
have a better way of life.
• People who move from one
country to live in another
Country are called immigrants.
Other Reasons to Move
• Sometimes people move because they are not
allowed to practice their own religion in their
home country. A religion is a set of ideas a
person believes about God or a set of gods.
• Some people move because a war is making
life hard for them. They want to be safe.
• Others move because they do not have
enough to eat.
Many People Move to the United
States
• From 1881 until 1920 almost 24 million
immigrants came to the United States. They
came from all over the world.
• Most immigrants came from Europe.
Where Did They Arrive First?
• When their ships arrived in Ellis Island in New
York City or Angel Island in San Francisco,
many decided to stay and live there. Others
looked for opportunities in other cities along
the east and west coasts.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigra
tion/tour/ Ellis Island Tour
• Other immigrants traveled to the middle of
the United States and worked as farmers.
Immigration Today
• Today, most immigrants come from Mexico
and Central and S. America.
• Others come from countries on islands in the
Caribbean Sea, China, the Philippines,
Vietnam, India and other countries in Asia.
A City of Many Cultures
• Many immigrants feel homesick. They feel sad
because they miss their home, family, friends,
language and customs of their culture.
• People often move to neighborhoods where
others from their home country have lived for
a long time. The people help new immigrants
learn about their new country.
Culture in Harlem
• New York City is made up of many
neighborhoods where people who share a
culture live together. Many people did not
leave other countries, but other parts of the
U.S. to move here.
• During the early 1900s many African
Americans left the South to move to Harlem in
New York City.
Literature and Art in Harlem
• In the 1920s and 1930s, Harlem became well
known for its literature, art and jazz music.
• Literature is the books, poetry, stories, and
plays people write to share their ideas.
• Their writing showed pride in their African
heritage.
• Heritage is the culture handed down to
people by their ancestors.
Tall Tales From America
• People can also express their heritage
and culture through storytelling.
• “John Henry” is a story collected by a writer
who lived in Harlem. It is a tall tale.
• A tall tale is a story that tells about someone
who does something impossible. The story
often start with a real person, but as the story
is told over and over again, things are added
that didn’t really happen.
Holiday Customs and Traditions
• A holiday is a special day for remembering a
person or an event that has importance for
the people in a community.
• The 4th of July is an important holiday for
people who live in the U.S., but not for people
who live in other countries.
Different Traditions
• The United States is home to people from
many cultures. Each group celebrates its own
holidays with special customs.
• The New Year’s holiday is celebrated in many
different ways in the United States.
• Traditions are customs, or ways of doing
things, that are passed on from parents to
children.
Oshogatsu
• Oshogatsu is the Japanese New Year and it is
one of the most important holidays. Many
Japanese-Americans carry on the traditions.
• They must put everything in order by cleaning
their house, paying back money they have
borrowed, and solving any personal problems.
• Finally, they put on new clothes and visit
friends and eat a special soup called ozoni.
Tet
• A Vietnamese-American family might have a
New Year celebration called Tet. The
Vietnamese traditions include cleaning the
house, paying back debts, and wearing new
clothes.
• They eat special rice cakes called banh day
and banh chung.
• Each child receives a small red envelope with
money inside!
Kwanzaa
• Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration.
It is a festival that honors their heritage.
• It lasts for one week and ends on New Year’s
Day. On each day they light a candle in the
kinara.
• On New Year’s Day there is a big feast called a
karamu.
Why do people move to a new
country?
• Better opportunities (chances) for jobs,
education, and a good life.
• Freedom to practice their religion.
• To get away from a war or a dangerous
situation.
• Hunger - due to war or famine, they don’t
have enough food to eat.
Immigrants To California and Texas in 1996
Immigrants From:
California
Texas
10, 864
1,701
7, 757
3, 295
64, 238
46, 403
23, 438
2, 064
13, 549
5, 793
Which state had fewer immigrants from the Philippines? California or
Texas?
Which state had more immigrants from Mexico? California or Texas?
Which country had the most immigrants going to Texas?
Which country had the fewest immigrants going to California?
How many more immigrants from India went to California than to
Texas?
Assignment (choose one):
1. Choose a country mentioned in unit 6 to
research and write a report about the language,
religions, holidays, traditions, cultures of that
country.
2. Research and write a report about either Ellis
Island or Angel Island. First read the information
in the text and then research using World Book
Online.
3. Research your own family history and found out
about your heritage.