Be Smart With InSmart: New York

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2014/10/24

Immigration to the USA: Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

10.27American culture, Ellis Island, immigration, New York, Statue of Liberty, USA

In the late 19th century, people from many parts of the world immigrated to the United States for different reasons: famine, lack of jobs, rising taxes, or because they were politically or religiously persecuted. In fact, U.S.A. was perceived as the land of freedom and economic opportunity.

At the beginning, the federal government left immigration policy to individual states but then, it decided to regulate the increasing influx of immigrants. In 1890, the president Benjamin Harrison decided that Ellis Island, in New York Harbor near the Statue of Liberty, would be a federal immigration station. It was operational from 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants entered the United States through “the golden door”.

In 1954 it was abandoned and it began to decay rapidly. In 1965 President Johnson declared Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument but only in the 1970s the Congress allocated a sum to repair it. In 1976 Ellis Island was reopened to the public.

Today you can take a ferryboat from Liberty Island and go on a one-hour guided tour retracing the steps of the immigrants.

Surf my interactive Thinglink image and learn more.

http://www.thinglink.com/scene/581896999171784706

Now surf the following sites to investigate

some aspects related to immigration.

Immigration to the USA

http://spartacus-educational.com/USAimmigration.htm

Immigration to the USA, 1851-1900

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/riseind/immgnts/

U.S. immigration before 1965
http://www.history.com/topics/u-s-immigration-before-1965

USA immigration problems
https://www.numbersusa.com/problems

The White House website about immigration (watch the video!)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration

STUDENTS' WRITING TASK

You are an immigrant at the beginning of the 20th century. Tell me why you are going to the USA, where you are from, which are your expectations. Describe your journey and what you felt when you first saw the "golden door" and "Lady Liberty".

Shopping around the world

10.51American culture, Bari, British culture, Italian culture, London, New York, Puglia, shopping, videos

Let's go shopping!

Shopping in London

London is a shopping town! You can find chic boutiques, department stores, traditional old men’s shops, or market stalls. The following links allow you to go shopping around the city... Let's have a walk.

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/activities/shopping

At the above link you can find different shopping areas and you can choose your favourite shop, from luxury shops to vintage shops, departement stores or street markets. You can even choose your shops by categories.

http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/

Here you can visit London shops street-by-street!

London shopping areas

... and now a tour inside Harrods!

Shopping in New York

Here you can find the top 25 NY shopping destinations.

http://nymag.com/visitorsguide/shopping/destinations.htm

And now let's go to the main artery of New York City's shopping scene... the Fifth Avenue!

http://www.nycgo.com/slideshows/fifth-avenue-shopping

Top five stores in New York City

Shopping in Bari

Ok, now let's go to Italy. But I'm not talking about a big city like Rome or Milan. I'm going to Bari.
Bari, the second largest city of Southern Italy, is capital of the Apulia (or Puglia) region and it's where I live. To learn more about Puglia go to the following link of my blog.
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/search/label/Puglia