Rural Roads, City Streets: Italians in Pennsylvania
In this lesson, students will read Italian immigrant familly histories as well as interviews with Italian immigrants to better understand the immigrant experience.Students will learn about why Italians immigrated, the development of ethnic communities, the differences between urban and rural life, the development of a uniquely Italian American ethnic identity, and how Italians fit into the larger context of immigration and ethnic history in the state and nation. This activity also introduces students to the practice of oral history and its importance to the historiographic process.