Embedded Files
These links are meant to be a starting place for researching different groups and the ways they've come to the U.S. and California throughout history. It's not an exhaustive list (otherwise it'd be a million pages long), and there are definitely groups and time periods that I've missed. (Email Ms. McAuley to suggest additional topics or sources!) For your project, you are not limited to these links, but when you find your own, make sure you're checking for Authority (credibility/expertise of the author and/or organization) and Bias.
These links are meant to be a starting place for researching different groups and the ways they've come to the U.S. and California throughout history. It's not an exhaustive list (otherwise it'd be a million pages long), and there are definitely groups and time periods that I've missed. (Email Ms. McAuley to suggest additional topics or sources!) For your project, you are not limited to these links, but when you find your own, make sure you're checking for Authority (credibility/expertise of the author and/or organization) and Bias.
Immigrants waiting to be transported from Ellis Island, 1912. Credit: Library of Congress
Oxana Nikitas, a Ukrainian refugee, waiting for a bus at the Polish border with her three year old daughter in 2022. According to the UNHCR, there are 6.3 million Ukrainians currently living as refugees outside their country Credit: Erin Schaff/The New York Times
European Immigrants from colonial times through the 1920s, as well as more recent waves of European immigrants
European Immigrants from colonial times through the 1920s, as well as more recent waves of European immigrants
(Note that the late 1800s through early 1900s saw a HUGE wave of European immigrants. These were the years that Ellis Island was most active).
Ellis Island interviews: The Ellis Island museum has a HUGE collection of audio interviews with immigrants who came through. These are only a few, and they are fascinating!
This History.com article includes a timeline of Ellis Island
Library of Congress: Click on different groups along the left-hand toolbar to read about the immigration history of these groups. European groups include German, Irish, Italian, Polish/Russian, and Scandinavian.
German Jewish Refugees from the ship the Saint Louis denied entry by the U.S. and deported back to Nazi-controlled countries where at least 254 of them died, 1939. Credit: Associated Press
Immigrants from WWII time period and postwar (Late 1930s to 1950s)
Immigrants from WWII time period and postwar (Late 1930s to 1950s)
(Note that many of the immigrants in this period were war refugees).
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: Immigration to the U.S. 1933-1941
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: Immigration during WWII
Voyage of the Saint Louis (USHMM)
Voyage of the Saint Louis (Facing History)
Voyage of the Saint Louis (History channel)
Voyage of the Saint Louis (Britannica)
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: U.S. immigration policy 1921-1980
Interview of an immigrant at Angel Island, CA, in 1923. Chinese immigrants have always been one of the most numerous and important immigrant groups in the U.S. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, Chinese immigrants were the third largest group of immigrants to the U.S., accounting for 5% of the U.S. immigrant population. Immigrants from the Philippines are next at 4%. Credit: National Archives
Angel Island, East Asian Immigrants, and Southeast Asian Immigrants Throughout History
Angel Island, East Asian Immigrants, and Southeast Asian Immigrants Throughout History
(Note that Asian American labor has been used at several periods in U.S. history to fuel efforts like the development of the railroads and the Gold Rush, but periods in which Asian Americans were encouraged to come alternated with backlash and anti-immigrant legislation like the Chinese Exclusion Acts).
State Dept: Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts
Library of Congress: Chinese Immigration history--make sure you click on the subheadings on the bar on the left of this page to read more detail about each topic!
Angel Island immigrant videos : "A growing archive of personal stories of immigrants to the Pacific Coast from Angel Island Immigration Station detainees to those arriving today."
Library of Congress: Japanese immigration history--make sure you click on the subheadings on the bar on the left of this page to read more detail about each topic!
Indochinese refugees in the 1970s (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos)
Southeast Asian immigration history--from a nonprofit that advocates for Southeast Asian immigrant rights in the U.S. "...the story of mass migration of Southeast Asians to the United States started in the 1970s in the aftermath of the U.S. occupation of Southeast Asia during the ruthless Khmer Rouge genocide, bombings in Laos, and Vietnam War. Together these wars claimed millions of lives between 1955 and 1975. "
KQED: Filipino immigrants--there are several bolded keywords in this brief article that you should look up separately to understand immigration from the Philippines
This project from UC Santa Cruz explains some of the important events in Filipino immigration history. Click the arrows to advance the slides.
Group portrait of Sikh men in CA 1910. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, Indian immigrants were the second largest group of immigrants to the U.S., accounting for 6% of the U.S. immigrant population. Credit CA State Library
South Asian and Central Asian Immigrants Throughout History (including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, etc.)
South Asian and Central Asian Immigrants Throughout History (including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, etc.)
KQED: Indian immigrants throughout history
NPR: Indian immigrants crossing illegally from Canada to the U.S. in 2024, for jobs
Emigrants from Afghanistan: The United Nations refugee agency explains why people from Afghanistan have been forced to leave their country and where they have fled to.
Afghan refugee challenges: impact of temporary immigration status
"The American Dream of Bangladeshis": Written by a photographer who has spent several years photographing and interviewing this population
A contemporary photo of Indigenous Mexican migrant farmworkers picking strawberries in the U.S. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, 23% of U.S. immigrants were from Mexico, the largest immigrant group in the U.S. Photo Credit: Vanessa Teran of Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project
Migration to the U.S. from the rest of the Americas (Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean) throughout History
Migration to the U.S. from the rest of the Americas (Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean) throughout History
Migration Policy Institute: History of immigration from Mexico but also transit immigration through Mexico--migrants from elsewhere in Latin America migrating to the U.S. via Mexico.
Library of Congress: Mexican immigration history--make sure you click on the subheadings on the bar on the left of this page to read more detail about each topic!
Pew Research: Current encounters between migrants and border patrol
IISS: A perspective on the U.S.-Mexico immigration situation currently from a British think tank
"Fewer migrants are crossing America's southern border." The Economist, 23 May 2024. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A794954772/GIC?u=irvinghs&sid=bookmark-GIC&xid=f54f3bce.
Library of Congress: Puerto Rican and Cuban immigration history--make sure you click on the subheadings on the bar on the left of this page to read more detail about each topic!
Haitian immigration--the site isn't pretty but the info is good, from a NY Public Library project
University of Florida: The Haitian American Dream --click arrows to move slides
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders: Central American migration (discusses Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras)
Contemporary Native American family in California. Credit: Public Policy Institute of CA.
Native American Migration to and from California
Native American Migration to and from California
Library of Congress--make sure you click on the subtopics on the left side menu of this page under the words Native American!
State of CA Native American History Commission: "California Indian History"
History of Native Americans in CA, especially with regard to Spanish missions
Challenges/Discrimination: Native American revolt at Mission San Diego
Challenges/Discrimination: Native American genocide, California
Challenges/Discrimination: Native American Boarding Schools "boarding schools were part of a long history of U.S. attempts to either kill, remove, or assimilate Native Americans."
During the Great Migration (1910s-1970s) 6 million African-Americans moved from the Southern U.S. to the West, Midwest, and North. This was one of the biggest movements of people in American history. This family is moving north from Florida during the 1930s. Credit: Getty Images and Smithsonian magazine
African-American Migration: From slavery to the Great Migration to present day African immigrants
African-American Migration: From slavery to the Great Migration to present day African immigrants
Library of Congress: African-Americans --"The story of people of African descent in the United States is not primarily a story of immigration. Most Africans who arrived in North America came against their will, caught up in a brutal system of human exploitation...Now, tens of millions of Americans claim African ancestry, and the number of African immigrants to the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent decades."
The African-American Migration Experience --lots of links to click on in this site from the NY public library system
The Guardian newspaper gives a timeline from the start of slavery in the U.S. to the present, to show how it has had long-lasting impacts including to the present day
National Archives: Great Migration (1910-1970s)
NPS: History of African-Americans in CA --you have to click the "next" arrow at the bottom of each section of the article to get to the next page
Pew Research: Key Findings about Black Immigrants in the U.S. today (2022)
Syrian refugee family on their way to resettle in San Diego in 2016. According to the UNHCR, over 5 million Syrians have been forced to leave their country due to war and hunger. Photo credit: Associated Press
Immigrants from the Middle East (including Iran, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and Egypt)
Immigrants from the Middle East (including Iran, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and Egypt)
Arab American National Museum: Arab American immigration history
History.com: Arab American immigration history
The Story of Arab Americans' Beginnings in America (posted by U.S. State Dept., USAID author)
New York Times: "Why So Many Iranian Immigrants Live in California"
Migration Policy Institute: Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants to U.S.
The famous photograph "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange was of Florence Owens Thompson, a migrant to California in 1936.
Migrants to California Throughout History
Migrants to California Throughout History
Links about immigration in general covering several immigrant groups
Links about immigration in general covering several immigrant groups
Library of Congress American Immigration Timeline: American immigration tends to come in waves where a lot of people come from one region of the world at a particular time, so it's really important to understand the dates when different groups came to the U.S. and why they came.
Pew Research: How U.S. immigration laws have changed throughout history
Pew Research: How the origins of America's immigrants have changed since 1850
Immigrants Rising: Links to videos of immigrants talking about their experiences
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