Author Description

Social science content standards are often based on political movements, key historical figures, economic crises, and wars. While this approach allows students to see big picture history, everyday human experiences are what truly define a society’s history and help those studying it connect with the content. Who better to tell the story of immigration than those who left their home countries to come to the United States? In this project, Morro Bay High School U.S. History students created a collection of primary sources by interviewing and compiling the stories of immigrants from around the world. This oral history book includes the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of seventeen people from eleven different countries. Their stories are meant to enrich your understanding of American immigration history beyond countries of origin, processing centers, and quotas. We hope you enjoy this look at immigration through a new lens, one that celebrates diversity and highlights the human side of the American melting pot.