When students think of Islam—if they do at all—they might summon an image of Denzel Washington playing a stern and passionate Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s 1992 film, or maybe they imagine Louis Farrakhan on the speaker’s platform at the Million Man March in 1995. Some might have encountered Middle Eastern Muslims on the nightly … Continued
The story of Roman Catholicism in the nineteenth century IS the story of immigration. Until about 1845, the Roman Catholic population of the United States was a small minority of mostly English Catholics, who were often quite socially accomplished. But when several years of devastating potato famine led millions of Irish Catholics to flee to … Continued
American Jewish history commenced in 1492 with the expulsion of Jews from Spain. This action set off a period of intense Jewish migration. A century later, hundreds of their descendants crossed the ocean to settle in the new Dutch colony of Recife in Brazil, where Jewish communal life became possible for the first time in … Continued
In the course of the twentieth century, the face of Roman Catholicism in America changed again, almost as dramatically as it had in the nineteenth century. In the nineteenth century, the change was predominantly demographic, as Catholic immigration added to church ranks thirteen million from far-flung corners of the world. In the twentieth century, the … Continued
To confront rising intolerance in the 1870s, Chinese leaders in California appealed to local governments, Congress, and the President for fair treatment. In an 1873 appeal to the San Francisco city council, Chinese merchants offered a solution to the “Chinese question” that used thinly veiled irony to expose the pretense of Californians’ anti-Chinese demands. While … Continued
Linking military history to histories of immigration and civil rights, Bound by War tells the story of the United States and the Philippines through the wars the two nations fought together. Ever since U.S. troops occupied the Philippines in 1898, generations of Filipinos have served in the U.S. armed forces. Their service reshaped Philippine society and … Continued
Benjamin Franklin thought America had an immigration problem in 1751. “Why,” he lamented, “should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens?” If Franklin resented “aliens,” many of them loathed people like him, whom they considered British, and they resisted the cultural and political dominance the British claimed. Who were these “aliens?” How … Continued
The history of immigration thrusts several questions forward. First, where does migration begin? As its geographical settings changed, so did migration. Second, when does migration arise? Even though migrations copied from one another, immigrants developed movements that responded to the challenges of specific times. Third, what did immigration change? This last question runs through our … Continued
Works of art are rich primary documents that can enhance student understanding of American culture. This two-part seminar explores three American paintings to see what they can tell students about slavery, immigration, and the plight of the American farmer. In this second session, the seminar demonstrates how historical information can inform our understanding and interpretation … Continued
Works of art are rich primary documents that can enhance student understanding of American culture. This two-part seminar, a collaboration between the North Carolina Museum of Art and the National Humanities Center, explores three American paintings — Christian Friedrich Mayr’s “”Kitchen Ball at White Sulphur Springs, Virginia”” (1838); Charles Felix Blauvelt’s “”A German Immigrant Inquiring … Continued