Name: Riley Bogema
Tennessee Standard
US.8 Evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media as in the political
cartoons of Thomas Nast and others during the Gilded Age.
US.9 Describe the difference between “old” and “new” immigrants and analyze the assimilation process
and consequences for the “new” immigrants and their impact on American society, including ethnic
clusters, competition for jobs, rise of nativism, the work of Jane Addams, the documentation of living
conditions by Jacob Riis, Chinese Exclusion Acts, and the Gentlemen’s Agreement.
Class Time Required:
90-minute class block
Objectives:
1. Students will understand the impact of nativism on Chinese immigrants.
2. Students will be able to analyze primary sources to understand the impact of the Chinese
Exclusion Act.
Procedures
Bell Work
Students will analyze the Thomas Nast political cartoon and answer the following questions:
1. Why do you think Nast included a Native American in this cartoon about Chinese immigrants?
2. What are some of the things written on the wall that the Chinese immigrant is looking at? How do
they portray nativist views towards immigration?
Class Work
Students will be given the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) document. In groups of 3-4 students they will
answer the following document based questions:
1. What were the goals of the Chinese Exclusion Act?
2. Why do you think there is such large emphasis on excluding Chinese laborers from immigrating
into the country?
Students will then use a computer lab, or a set of laptop computers and visit the following site:
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic2a.html
Using the site they will look at the set of primary source images and read the provided overview text.
They will answer the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
How did the Chinese preserve their culture in American society?
What did they do for work?
How did some white Americans regard the Chinese?
Which images do you think portray the roles of racism and nativism in American society the best?
Why?
Closing
As an entire class discuss the reading. Have students share which images from the website impacted
them the most or provoked the most discussion within their groups.
Evaluation
Read and grade the answers to the six questions.
Student Handouts:
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/document_data/pdf/doc_047b.pdf
Resources:
Nast, T. (1879, February 8). Every dog (no distinction of color) has its day. Retrieved February 17, 2015,
from http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/exhibits/1857/during/race2.htm
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Retrieved February 17, 2015 from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/document_data/pdf/doc_047b.pdf
Calisphere: Chinese Exclusion Act
Retrieved February 17, 2015 from
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic2a.html