The focus of this week's DB is immigrants and nativist reactions to immigrants. This is a role-playing assignment that requires some historical imagination. Carefully read the documents "The Promise Land" and " Josiah Strong Anglo-Saxon Culture Under Siege"

You are Mary Antin and you have just read the book Our Country by Josiah Strong. You were struck particularly by the section called "Anglo Saxon Culture Under Siege"--so much so that you have decided to respond by writing him an open letter. What do you say? 

In your letter, address the arguments and claims Strong presents using the perspective of the immigrant Mary Antin. 

In three meaty paragraphs (5-7 sentences each) address the concerns and criticisms of Strong by drawing on your (Antin's) experience and those of other immigrants you know. Letters will be graded based upon ability to maximize the use of the documents and course material (textbook and lecture) to create a historically accurate but fictitious letter. Because this is an open letter and intended for publication it should be written in a formal academic writing style, including citing sources using MLA format eg-- (Strong, p. 2), or (Faragher, p. 429) or (Antin, 1). A minimum of three (3) citations is needed. Please make sure that spelling, punctuation, and grammar have been corrected.

There is another twist to this assignment!

Find and post a newspaper cartoon from the late 19th to early 20th century that speaks to issues related to immigrants and/or American reaction to immigrants. In one meaty paragraph (5-7 sentences), identify the date and publication, and explain its message (or story) and argument.