In focus: May 2008
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
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"Asian/Pacific Americans have enriched our culture, excelling in many fields, including education, business, science, technology, government, sports, and the arts." President George W. Bush. Proclamation
Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing, yet least known, groups of immigrants in the United States. Use these links and lesson plans to explore their history and stories.
• Smithsonian Institute: Asian Pacific American History and Culture
• Asian Nation: Asian American History, Demographics, and Issues – Several interesting articles and bibliographies on the history of Asian Americans. From University of Massachusetts professor C.N. Le.
• PBS: Becoming American: The Chinese Experience - Companion site to a special on PBS; provides background information, educational materials, and the opportunity for users to submit their own stories.
• Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum: Chinese American Contribution to the Transcontinental Railroad - Extensive site.
• Ethnic America - Digital History (a project of the University of Houston and the Gilder Lehrman Institute) presents a number of essays on ethnicity in American history, with particular emphasis on immigration.
Census Bureau: Facts for Features May 2008
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
14.9 million - Estimated number of U.S. residents in July 2006 who said they were Asian alone or Asian in combination with one or more other races - about 5 percent of the total population.
Lesson Plan
New York Rimes Learning Network: Crossing Borders, Crossing Time - Exploring how trends in American immigration have impacted American politics throughout history, students will create an exhibit that explores the connections between immigration and politics from 1850 to the present..
Links
• PBS: Ancestors in the Americas
• National Park Service: Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
• FREE Teaching and Learning Resources: Asian-Americans
