Embedded Files
Arab American Standards
Arab American Standards
A Diverse Arrival
A Diverse Arrival
Content Statement: Arabs are ethnically, religiously and politically diverse but share a common linguistic and cultural heritage. The Arab world consists of 22 countries, but it has commonalities in religions and tradition with countless others as a result of trade, exploration, conquest and commercial links. As a result, Arab influence is vast and diffuse.
Content Statement: Arabs are ethnically, religiously and politically diverse but share a common linguistic and cultural heritage. The Arab world consists of 22 countries, but it has commonalities in religions and tradition with countless others as a result of trade, exploration, conquest and commercial links. As a result, Arab influence is vast and diffuse.
CONTENT ELABORATION:
During the period from 1880–1924, known as the first era of mass migration to the U.S., an estimated 20 million immigrants from around the globe came to America. An estimated 95,000 Arabs came from what was known as Greater Syria, which included the present-day countries of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel. Smaller numbers of Arab immigrants also came from Yemen, Iraq, Morocco and Egypt. By 1924, approximately 200,000 Arabs were living in the United States.
At the end of World War II, strict immigration laws were still in effect, but the U.S. made exceptions for some Arab immigrants. And in the post-colonial Arab world, many educated, elite and middle-class urbanites from Iraq, Egypt, Palestine and Jordan, in addition to Syria and Lebanon, decided to leave the region and come to the U.S.
Expectation for Learning:
Identify the different countries and religions that we associate with Arab Americans.
Standard Sources
Standard Sources
Sample Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plans
Beginnings of Arab Immigration
Beginnings of Arab Immigration
Comparing Maps of the Middle East
Students will be able to discuss the characteristics of a geographical region, and to list characteristics of the Middle East that define it as a region.
Arab Immigration.pdfArab Immigration
Students will analyze the major waves of Arab immigration to the United States. Students will also compare and contrast push/pull and assimilation factors of Arab immigration compared to other major immigrant groups. All supplemental materials for this lesson can be found using this link
Who are Muslims?
Discover the great diversity of the nearly one and a half billion people who belong to the community of Muslims. To understand the incredible diversity of the world’s Muslim communities, we should first think about the many factors that contribute to who we are and what our lives mean.
Mapping the Middle East
Students will learn how the countries of the Middle East were created. They will understand the influence of various political and geographic factors in their creation.
Understanding Arab American Race & Ethnicity
Understanding Arab American Race & Ethnicity
Arab American Race and Ethnicity Lesson Plan.pdfArab American Race and Ethnicity
In this lesson students will examine how society interprets race and ethnicity as a part of identity. In particular, how questions of race and ethnicity have impacted the Arab American community and early attempts to gain citizenship and eventually a separate census category. All supplemental materials for this lesson can be found using this link
Videos
Videos
Celebrating 90 Years of Dearborn: Arab Immigration
Arab Immigration and how it affected the population of Dearborn, Michigan.
How the autobiography of a Muslim slave is challenging an American narrative
Omar Ibn Said was 37 years old when he was taken from his West African home and transported to Charleston, South Carolina, as a slave in the 1800s. Now, his one-of-a-kind autobiographical manuscript has been translated from its original Arabic and housed at the Library of Congress, where it “annihilates” the conventional narrative of African slaves as uneducated and uncultured. Amna Nawaz reports.
Middle East Explained
The Middle East is home to several different cultures, identities, and ethnicities.
The Arab American Experience
Americans of Arab descent trace their roots back to 22 countries in Western Asia and Northern Africa. Dr. James Zogby, Co-Founder and President of the Arab American Institute, joins host Tetiana Anderson for a rich exploration into the history of Arab Americans — and the issues and achievements central to Arab American communities in the United States today.
1965 Immigration Act Spurs a new era
1965 Immigration Act Spurs a new era
Content Statement: Immigration of Arab Americans began to change with the introduction of the 1965 Immigration Act. Throughout the 1960s to the 1990s, America would see the introduction of a diverse Arab American population that strongly identified with their country of origin.
Content Statement: Immigration of Arab Americans began to change with the introduction of the 1965 Immigration Act. Throughout the 1960s to the 1990s, America would see the introduction of a diverse Arab American population that strongly identified with their country of origin.
CONTENT ELABORATION:
The 1965 Immigration Act ushered in a new period of immigration in 1970 where approximately 400,000 Arabs throughout the period joined many others from around the world in coming to the U.S. to start new lives. Many Lebanese fled civil war, Palestinians left refugee camps and others arrived in the U.S. from all over the Arab world. Unlike earlier groups of Arab immigrants who identified specifically with their country of origin, village, church or mosque, this period of immigration brought people who were much more secular and had a strong sense of a broader Arab identity. In the 1980s, the media began to portray Arab culture as dangerous, anti-American and patriarchal as seen in movies and fictional novels.
Beginning in the 1990s, the number of Iraqis, Somalis and Sudanese in the U.S. grew exponentially from relatively small numbers to thousands annually as people escaped wars and starvation. In the 1990s, a significant number of Somali and Sudanese immigrants moved to Midwestern cities, such as Columbus, Ohio, and the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota. Some also settled in large cities like Washington, D.C., New York and Boston. The Egyptian community tended to settle on the East Coast, in the New York/New Jersey area, as well as metro Washington, D.C. Iraqi refugees were placed in the states of Texas, California, Washington, Virginia, Michigan and Massachusetts.
Expectation for Learning:
Analyze how the 1965 Immigration Act impacted patterns of Arab American immigration and migration.
Standard Sources
Standard Sources
Sample Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plans
Heroes and Villains Lesson Plan.pdfHeroes and Villains
This lesson is a broad intro to thinking about stereotypes and learning to critically engage with popular television and media. It prepares students to discuss stereotypes about Arab Americans and make a public service announcement against media stereotyping. This link leads to the supplemental materials.
Tweeting The Movements lesson plan.pdfTweeting the Movements
This is a 21st century lesson plan that encourages students to engage with social media and U.S. Civil Rights history along with activist movements in the present. This link leads to the supplemental materials.
The Power of Representation lesson plan.pdfThe Power of Representation
In this lesson students will identify media stereotypes about Arabs and Arab Americans and investigate how these stereotypes have impacted those communities.. This link leads to the supplemental materials.
Connected Causes_Civil Rights lesson plan.pdfCivil Rights
In this lesson students will analyze the Arab American civil rights movement and be able to compare and contrast its main events, leaders, and major contributions to those of other civil rights movements. This link leads to the supplemental materials.
Reading Political Cartoons
Students will learn to recognize visual stereotyping in political cartoons and to analyze its use.
Stereotypes: More than Meets the Eye
Students will develop a better understanding of the concept of stereotyping. They will think critically about images and media that portray the Middle East and its inhabitants, make determinations about the impact of the images on their perceptions, and consider ways to overcome these stereotypes.
Dissecting the Media Using the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Students will learn to recognize an editorial point of view in journalism and understand how this contributes to the West's understanding of events in the Middle East. Reading and background sources can be found using this link. Furthermore, Facing History gives suggestions on how to discuss this matter.
The Civil War in Lebanon
This learning activity focuses on enabling students to understand the complex causation of the civil war that erupted in Lebanon between 1975 and 1990.
Videos
Videos
U.S. Immigration Since 1965
What does an American look like? Evolving immigration policies in 1965 would lead to ever-changing answers.
Why Hollywood misrepresents Muslim communities
Over the years, we have seen Hollywood manipulate the stories of Arab Americans in the media
Conflict in Israel and Palestine
In this Crash Course, John Green teaches you about the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
9/11 and Beyond
9/11 and Beyond
Content Statement: After the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, Arab Americans widely denounced the groups, but still faced islamophobia and xenophobia. Arab Americans continue to contribute in all aspects of society in all different political, social, and economic realms.
Content Statement: After the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, Arab Americans widely denounced the groups, but still faced islamophobia and xenophobia. Arab Americans continue to contribute in all aspects of society in all different political, social, and economic realms.
CONTENT ELABORATION:
U.S. official policy and tone towards Arab immigrants in the U.S. changed following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Under the Department of Homeland Security, Arabs began to see a difference in their entrance into the United States specifically under the National Security Entry/Exit Registration System (NSEERS) and through immigration bans/restrictions.
Today, Arab Americans still face stereotypes based on their heritage, religion, and politics. This has led to an increase in hate crimes and poor portrayals in the media that center around the themes of terrorism, anti-women, and adhering to the Muslim religion. In contrast to the stereotypes, Arab Americans are at every economic strata of American life and nationally have a higher average median income. Compared to the total population, twice as many Arab Americans earn graduate degrees. Over 60% of Arab Americans are executives, professionals, office and sales staff.
Expectation for Learning:
Identify how Arab Americans were affected by the resulting legislation of the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent backlash faced in some communities.
Sample Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plans
How 9/11 Shaped US Foreign Policy?
Students will learn that foreign policy changes over time. Students will understand that many factors play a role in shaping U.S. foreign policy.
Terrorist, Freedom Fighter, or Something In Between?
Students will understand that history can characterize actions differently from how they were perceived when initially undertaken.
Terrorism: What's in a Word?
Students will be able to analyze the consequences of defining terrorism in certain ways and learn how different individuals and groups might use the term for political advantage.
Who Wears a Veil?
Students will define stereotypes and learn how common misperceptions foster visual stereotypes about Muslim women. Students will identify famous women and learn about the significance of the veil in different cultures.
Little Syria
On this page, you will find information about the history of the Little Syria neighborhood in New York City from 1880-1940 and meet an artist who uses history as a source of inspiration for his work.
Videos
Videos
The Aftermath of 9/11
In this video, David Schanzer discusses the impact of September 11th on foreign relations, domestic policies, and American Muslims. He addresses these topics in greater depth in a course on Coursera: “Understanding 9/11: Why 9/11 Happened & How Terrorism Affects Our World Today”. Use the linked teacher and student learning guides for additional support.
Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American
Jerry Stinnett talks about why Arab American invisibility is an important issue and how universities can provide better resources for this growing group of individuals.
Further Reading
Further Reading
Arab-Americans.pdfPage updated
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