The revised standards integrate positive features of U.S. history that critics claimed were lacking. The new version includes the idea that the nation is alluring to immigrants, who were willing to unite despite their differences. It also addresses education, a topic that has been buttressed.
The Standard: Massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity.
Original Version
Students should be able to demonstrate understanding of the sources and experiences of the new immigrants by:
* Distinguishing between the “old” and “new” immigration in terms of its volume and the newcomers’ ethnicity, religion, language, and place of origin. (Analyze multiple causation)
* Tracing the patterns of immigrant settlements in different regions of the country. (Reconstruct patterns of historical succession and duration)
* Analyzing the obstacles, opportunities, and contributions of different immigrant groups. (Evidence historical perspectives)
* Evaluating how Catholic and Jewish newcomers responded to discrimination and internal divisions in their new surroundings. (Obtain historical data)
Revised Version
The student understands the sources and experiences of the new immigrants. Therefore, the student is able to:
* Distinguish between the “old” and the “new” immigration in terms of its volume and the immigrants’ ethnicity, religion, language, place of origin, and motives for emigrating from their homelands. (Analyze multiple causation)
* Trace patterns of immigrant settlement in different regions of the country and how new immigrants helped produce a composite American culture that transcended group boundaries. (Reconstruct patterns of historical succession and duration)
* Assess the challenges, opportunities, and contributions of different immigrant groups. (Examine historical perspectives)
* Evaluate how Catholic and Jewish immigrants responded to religious discrimination. (Obtain historical data)
* Evaluate the role of public and parochial schools in integrating immigrants into the American mainstream. (Analyze cause-and-effect relationships)
SOURCE: National Center for History in the Schools.
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