This collection focuses on the experience of migration. Through in-depth document analysis, students will be asked to consider the push and pull factors that impact the decision to migrate to a new place.  Students will consider a wide breadth of migrations; from the first migration of ancient peoples out of Africa and across the globe; to the California Gold Rush of the mid-1800's; to the migration of Mexicans into the United States in the 1940's during the Bracero Program; to the Great Migration of African Americans from the South into the North between 1916 and 1970. Analyzing first-hand documents, photographs, videos, maps, and artistic representations and critiques, students will consider the following questions in depth:

• Why do humans migrate? When do people migrate by choice and when is it determined by circumstances? What are some current events that are forcing individuals to migrate? Historically, how have we contextualized the migrations of different groups of people, and what does it teach us about our present?
• What factors influence how communities respond to migration? What are the different ways communities can respond to newcomers? When are individuals and communities welcoming to newcomers? When are individuals and communities hostile to newcomers?
• How does migration impact migrants and their host communities? How does migration impact the way members of host communities see themselves and others? How does the experience of migration impact the identities of newcomers and their descendants?
• How can individuals and communities accommodate multiple belongings? How can communities balance a respect for difference without creating parallel lives for those that live there? What needs to happen to enable newcomers and host communities to thrive and develop a common sense of identity and purpose?

Subject: Secondary World History

Meets Texas TEKS Standards: WH.15B; 15C; 28; 30

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