Immigration

by

South Village Historical Walking Tour Review

Authored by Chris Lund

South Village Historical Walking Tour

Map and Presentation created by Leanna Ladouceur, Mary Glynn & Melissa Henderson

South Village Historical Walking Tour Powerpoint Presentation

South Village Historical Walking Tour Powerpoint Presentation

This map and presentation combine to provide a detailed guided historical walking tour of Manhattan’s South Village, home to many Italian immigrants at the turn of the century. The tour highlights many key locations and areas, featuring buildings from this period which are still standing today, along with those that have been demolished and replaced. Historical photographs are provided to allow tourgoers to compare each area’s present appearance to its past. Additional information is also included about each stop, adding depth, context and perspective to the modern scenery. Continue reading →

by

Endres Collection – From the Office of the Attorney General

Authored by Alison Mirabella

OfficeWatermark1

Letter (1979) from The Office of The Attorney General offering amendments to The Refugee Act of 1980.

The Endres Collection consists of only thirteen boxes from the personal collection of Arthur P. Endres, who served as counsel for the House Judicatory Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law. And yet, contained within these boxes, are the legal proceedings, correspondences and notes that would shape the lives of millions of future immigrants seeking a new life in the United States.

Continue reading →

by

The Lost Children Website Review

Authored by Karen Beverly

http://saintraphaelsociety.wordpress.com/

Website Created by Mary Glynn

Project Contributors: Melissa Henderson, Tonya Ely, Zachary Housel, Margaret Mattes, Joseph Pascullo, and Kathryn Sullivan

lost children

A photograph of Santa Giuliana Giovanni and his family alongside an additional Italian immigrant. Maria Corona obtained from the Center for Migration Studies.

This particular website concentrates on the strenuous journey that Italian immigrant children of the 1900’s (most specifically, “The Lost Children of Ellis Island”) had faced when making their way to America.  While some immigrants made the trip in hopes of living the American Dream – life, liberty, and happiness – many immigrants contracted illness on their journey, passed away, and even got separated from their loved ones.  Children were therefore left alone in a new and foreign country with no guidance, unable to speak the common language of the area, and with no place to go.  Places such as The Saint Raphael Society were then established in order to look after these orphaned children and ultimately tried to raise money for those immigrants who had no choice other than to return back home to Italy.  Continue reading →

by

La Famiglia: Their Pursuit of the American Dream Website Review

Authored by Karen Beverly

http://italianephemera.wordpress.com/

Website created by Giovanna Fiorino-Iannace and Joann White

learning skills

Learning New Skills: Carpentry
(Reprinted with permission from the Center for Migration Studies, New York. Collection 087a)

This website examines the lives and journeys of Italian Immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and how these immigrants managed to adapt to their newfound home.  In addition to facing struggles such as poverty, overcrowding, and natural disasters that prompted them to leave their beloved home of Italy, Italian immigrants also looked at America with a glimmer of hope, for America held the promise of equality and a way of being able to support their families and loved ones.  Continue reading →

by

Endres Collection – Public Opinion Brochure

Authored by Darya Betin

This is a picture of the front page of a public opinion brochure on immigration created by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (F.A.I.R.)

Front page of a public opinion brochure on immigration created by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (F.A.I.R.)

The Arthur P. Endres Collection, owned by the Center for Migration Studies in New York City, showcases a large body of documents from Endres’ time as Counsel to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law from 1973 to 1989. Immigration policy was and continues to be one of the most divisive issues in our nation’s history. As Karen Tumulty noted in a Washington Post article on February 3, 2013, millions of people, many of whom are illegal immigrants and who have lived in the United States for years, seek to be heard and to have their status legalized as a recognition of the service they have provided to this country. By the very definition of their status, these individuals are disenfranchised and depend on lawmakers to plead their cases. The other side of the debate argues against their presence or any possibility of legalizing their status. Both sides attempt to convince the government of the justness of their cause by relying on the power of accurate and relevant information and data. Continue reading →

by

Endres Collection: Revisions to Refugee Act of 1980

Authored by Lisa Borten

This is a letter regarding H. R. 2816.

This is the first page of a letter addressing some of the amendments made to the Refugee Act of 1980, H.R. 2816.

The document shown here is the untitled “United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs Letter” from Dick Clark, who was appointed as U.S. Ambassador for Refugee Affairs by then-President Carter in 1979, to the US Coordinator for Refugee Affairs at the time the letter was written (September 12, 1979).  Clark, a senator from Iowa and history professor, worked on and suggested revisions to H.R. 2816, which would later become known as the Refugee Act of 1980 (Prickman 2010).

This document, among others found in the Endres collection, relates to the revisions made to the bill in question, which was groundbreaking legislation for a number of reasons.  Continue reading →

by

INS Presentation on Data Management and The Nonimmigrant Information System

Authored by Chris Lund

Single page that reads, from top to bottom: "NIIS, The Nonimmigrant Information System, Immigration and Nationalization Service". Also contains the seal of the Department of Justice

Cover Page of INS Presentation on The Nonimmigrant Information System

One of the most effective weapons for providing a voice to the underrepresented is accurate information, and a general prerequisite to providing accurate information is the ability to obtain and manage accurate data. This latter goal of accurate data management constitutes the primary purpose of the Nonimmigrant Information System (“NIIS”). The attached presentation (the “NIIS Presentation”), taken from the Arthur P. Endres Collection at the Center For Migration Studies in New York City, appears to have been created some time around 1986 and presents a 15-page plan for improving on existing NIIS methods for collecting and managing data on nonimmigrants (i.e., foreign born individuals within the United States who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States). Continue reading →

by

Italian Ephemera Website Review

Authored by Karen Beverly

http://cbenedic4.wix.com/italianephemera

Website created by Cassandra Benedict and Liza Young

A flyer of a performance by pianist Camillo Baucia

A flyer of a performance by Camillo Baucia obtained from the Center for Migration Studies.

This website showcases the journey of an Italian-American immigrant in New York City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and his quest for the pursuit of happiness in his newfound home.  Though there were numerous ways that many immigrants found joy and contentment, this particular collection focuses on the happiness found in the outlet of music. Continue reading →