ESOL: Repeating History?-Throughout nineteenth century, the number of immigrant children to the U.S. increased

-They established special immigrant classes in which instructors employed the student’s primary language

-Sometimes called “steamer classes”, the immigrant classes were set up in large cities along Atlantic coast

Fears by communities:

1. Some community leaders feared the immigrants would manifest primary allegiances to the countries they had recently left

2. Feared that Italian Americans would reduce the genetic purity of American society

Italian American immigrants

- By 1904, over 180,000 Italians were immigrating to the U. S. each year

- Extensive newspaper reporting about Al Capone and other Italian American gangsters fostered negative biases

- Films that depicted Italian Americans as crime lords further reinforced negative biases

Who hasn’t seen Scarface or Sopranos?

Eroding biases against Italian Americans

- The eventual achievements of talented Italian Americans, such as New York City’s Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia countered anti-Italian American bias

- The popularity of Italian American entertainers was another factor that helped reduce anti-Italian American bias

The German immigrants

-Numerous German immigrants settled in the U.S. during 1800’s

- they placed a high priority on education

- Their teachers’ credentials often exceeded those of teachers in American schools

- Children in German schools relied on books written in German, and spoke German during the school day

German schools (continued)

- German schools flourished throughout the Midwest

- During World War I, the German schools converted to English-based instructions

No official language!

- Please note: the United States of America does not have an official language

- English is the most popular but it is not official

- 28 states have made it their official language, but it yet has to go to the Supreme Court

The 21 Century Immigrants

• Latinos

Asian Pacific