Mr. Lenihan

Exploring Your Heritage

Introduction & Objective

The third quarter project will be to spend time learning about your own heritage. You will do research on and write a paper about a group of people of your ethnicity who immigrated to America. If you have more than one ethnic background, you must choose one to research and write about. The purpose of this project is for you to learn about your own heritage through researching its history and culture. You will learn about what was going on in another country when your ancestors decided to leave for the New World. Many people who settled in America brought their own customs and traditions with them and most would blend some or all of these with being an American.

Research

The first thing you should do is talk to your parents and/or grandparents. Find out when your ancestors came to America and why. Then you should look up your country in an encyclopedia (or try http://www.encarta.com). Read about your country’s history, culture, and religion. Then try to find information as to when and why people started immigrating to America (for example: many Irish started settling in America in the mid-1800s, seeking to get away from the Great Famine). You must use at least 3 sources and they cannot all be websites! You should use an encyclopedia, website, and a book, magazine, or journal article. If you interview a family member, please include that in the works cited.

The Paper

Your paper must be at least 3-5 pages long. You must include a works cited and you should use some quotes from your sources. It needs to be typed, double spaced, with standard 1” margins using a 12-point size font (Times New Roman only). You must follow the MLA style that you are learning in English class. The paper must include the following information:

What was going on in your country when people started leaving for America?
Reasons why people began emigrating
Culture (language, traditions, practices, religion, popular foods, holidays, clothing, entertainment)
Places where many people settled when they reached America
How did they adjust to living in America?
What did most of them do for a living back home and in America?
Did they focus on keeping their own culture, on being totally American, or blending the two and why?
Did they face any persecution or mistreatment from people who had been in America for a longer period of time and why?
At the end of your paper, include your conclusion and opinion about your ethnic background and why people immigrated to America. Was it a good decision? Were they allowed to pursue the American Dream? What obstacles did they face (if any) in their new country?

Remember that America is a multicultural country with people having immigrated from all over the world, beginning with the Spanish and the English in the early 1600s. Except for Native Americans, most of our ancestors came from somewhere else. The first settlers included people of European and African descent. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many people emigrated from Ireland, Italy, Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America.

Grading

The paper will be worth 200 points (the equivalent of 2 test grades).

Due Date

The paper will be due in class on Monday, March 10, 2003. You will lose 10 points for every day that your paper is not handed in on time, and please note that I will not accept any papers after Thursday, March 13 (that means a grade of ZERO and an automatic F for the third quarter). If you are having trouble, please see me in advance. Do not wait until the last minute or try to hand in your paper after March 13. Please plan ahead and get your paper in on time!