Overview

One of Oregon’s unique natural treasures is the Willamette Meteorite, found near the town of West Linn in 1902. Using the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, students will access accounts of the meteorite’s discovery and subsequent court battle to determine its rightful ownership. Further inquiry will reveal information about the science of meteors and a key event in the region’s geological past. A mock trial will help personalize and elucidate the competing claims of rightful ownership that have continued to surround the meteorite up to the present day. This interdisciplinary lesson is designed to teach concepts of social history, natural history, physical science, and legal issues of personal and community property rights.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards: 

• ELA.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
• ELA.RH.9-10.6 Compare the points of view of two or more authors in their treatment of the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
• ELA.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
• ELA.RH.9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Social Studies Standards: 

• Historical Knowledge HS.2 Analyze the complexity and investigate causes and effects of significant events in world, U.S., and Oregon history.
• Historical Knowledge HS.9 Identify historical and current events, issues, and problems when national interests and global interest have been in conflict, and analyze the values and arguments on both sides of the conflict.
• Historical Thinking HS.11 Gather and analyze historical information, including contradictory data, from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including online sources, to support or reject hypotheses.
• Historical Thinking HS.12 Construct and defend a written historical argument using relevant primary and secondary sources as evidence.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Materials

• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Access to the Internet
• Worksheets available in PDF Download:
  • Question activity sheet
  • Mock trial information sheet

Lesson

• Introduction: Introduce the topic of study.
  • Begin by asking students if they are aware that the largest meteorite ever discovered in the United States—and the sixth largest in the entire world—was found right here in our home state of Oregon. Then ask how many of them have seen this remarkable object in person. If any students answer in the affirmative, solicit from them the story and circumstances of how and where they came to view the meteor.
• Building background knowledge: Students will build background knowledge by researching the case Oregon Iron Co. v. Hughes on the Historic Oregon Newspapers
  • Inform the class that there was an immediate controversy about the rightful ownership of the meteorite. Also, tell students that Mrs. William E. Dodge bought the meteorite in 1905 and donated it to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it is still on display.
  • Introduce the case Oregon Iron Co. v. Hughes.
  • Challenge students to locate the very first news story about the meteorite’s discovery, and a newspaper photograph.
  • Direct students to the website, and research the meteorite and the court case.
  • You may narrow searches by using the advanced search option, entering specific phrases and timeframes.
  • See below for a list of links to key stories.
• Discussion: After the students have completed their research, bring them together for a class discussion of what they have learned.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Who first discovered the meteorite?
  • Where did they find it?
  • Why did they undertake the very difficult task of moving the 15-ton object ¾ of a mile?
  • How did this lead to a case in the Oregon Supreme Court?
  • What was the court’s decision?
  • How was the decision fair?
  • What did the winners of the court case do with the meteorite?
  • Was it right to send the Willamette Meteorite to the other side of the country? Should this relic have remained in Oregon, where it was found?
• Lesson activity: The science of the Willamette Meteorite.
  • Ensure that students gain a basic knowledge of the nature of meteorites: what they are, where they come from, and how they have impacted the earth throughout time.
  • Some resource ideas include class discussions, science curricula, or online resources such as Solar Views and Wikipedia.
  • Break students into groups to do more research on meteorites. An activity sheet is provided below.
• Discussion: Bring students together to share their findings and interesting facts. Make sure to discuss each of the questions that students were tasked in researching.
• Transition: Students should be made aware of a most perplexing fact about the Willamette Meteorite: It would be expected that an object of this mass falling from space would leave a huge crater where it struck the earth. However, where the meteorite was discovered in Oregon, it laid half-buried in the ground, with no crater.
  • Pose the question: How can this be explained?
  • Have students brainstorm hypotheses of their own before the class investigates further.
• Building background knowledge: This is a great segue to the subject of ice age glaciation and the Missoula Floods (also known as the Bretz Floods, or Spokane Floods) that played a key role in shaping the geography of Oregon.
  • Geologists have hypothesized that, during the last ice age, the Willamette Meteorite made its original impact on the great ice dam that lay far to the northeast, in present-day Canada. Around 11,000 years ago, this massive ice barrier was breached, releasing a torrent of water greater in volume than all Earth’s rivers combined. Giant icebergs broke free in the floodwaters; one of these chunks of prehistoric ice rafted the meteorite hundreds of miles before depositing it where it would be found in the Willamette Valley.
  • Discuss the history and dynamics of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet and resulting Missoula Floods.
  • Some resources are listed below.
• Discussion: Bring students together as a class to discuss the information that they were presented with on the Missoula Floods and Cordilleran Ice Sheet.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • In what ways would Oregon circa 9,000 bce have looked different from the present day?
  • What are some factors responsible for these changes?
  • Which of the state’s geographic features were directly shaped because of the Missoula Floods?
  • Besides the Willamette Meteorite, what other pieces of evidence of these ice age floods have been discovered in Oregon?
• Building background information:
  • In 2000, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon alleged that the meteorite was their rightful property. Before it was “discovered” by Ellis Hughes, Native Americans living in the Willamette Valley knew about the meteorite. In fact, they had a special name for it, Tomanowos, and used it in an annual religious ceremony. Thus, the Confederated Tribes argued, the meteorite should be returned to them.
  • Against this claim, the American Museum of Natural History continued to assert that the meteorite was legally purchased and donated to it in 1905. Individuals who agreed with the museum also argued that the meteorite is a national treasure and should remain on prominent display in a place where the greatest number of people could see it.
• Lesson preparation: Divide students into two groups of equal size, with one group representing the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde Community and the other the American Museum of Natural History.
  • Each group will divide into two smaller groups, with one group representing “Expert Witnesses” and the other “Lawyers.” Expert witnesses will take the stand and testify, and lawyers will ask questions to lead the testimony of their witnesses as well as cross-examine witnesses from the other side.
  • Some witness roles include: Native American Spiritual Leader, Native American Mother, Anthropologist, Historian, Astronomer, Public School Teacher, Museum Curator, and Museum Patron.
  • Give students adequate time to meet with their groups and collaboratively develop their roles, brainstorm the merits of their case, and form strategies for arguing it.
  • Students should research the case further and prepare “evidence” for court.
• Mock trial: When students’ “day in court” comes, the teacher should play the part of Judge.
  • Remind students to stay in character, even if they disagree with their roles. They must continue to provide the strongest case possible for parties they have been “hired” to represent in court.
  • To keep in character, begin the mock trial by “swearing in” the whole class as a group.
  • Lawyers from each side should be given the opportunity to call their expert witnesses to the stand and present their testimony in the case.
  • Each team of lawyers has the opportunity to call expert witnesses from the other side and cross-examine them.
  • Throughout the simulation, you as Judge can guide the activity by “overruling” lawyers and “striking from the record” expert testimony.
  • Allow students to self-direct the presentations of their cases.
  • Give students the information sheet for help during the mock trial.
• Debrief: Rather than issuing a judge’s ruling in favor of one side, tell students how the actual dispute was settled: with a mutual compromise.
  • The Confederated Tribes reached an agreement with the museum, stating their tribal members are allowed private time to conduct a traditional ceremony around the meteorite once a year, and that ownership will be transferred to the Tribes in the event that the museum removes the object from display.
• Some debrief questions to consider:
  • Do you think this decision was fair?
  • What do you think should have happened?
  • Who provided the most convincing argument?
  • How do you feel about your mock trial experience?
  • Do you think the decision had merit?

Extension Activity Ideas

• Field trip: Visit the site where the meteorite was found, near present-day Willamette Methodist Church in West Linn.
  • Another option: Visit a replica of the meteorite outside the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on the University of Oregon campus.
  • Another option: Visit the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinniville, Oregon, where on display is a 7.5-inch piece of the actual meteorite.
  • Visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Resources

Links to coverage of the Willamette Meteorite

• Morning Oregonian, November 3, 1903, page 4
  • Photos of the meteorite.
• Morning Oregonian, April 29, 1904, page 4
  • A few details on Native American beliefs about the meteorite.
• Morning Oregonian, January 20, 1905, page 4
  • Account of the State Supreme Court case.
• Morning Oregonian, August 24, 1905, page 10
  • Unveiled at the Lewis & Clark Exhibition.
• Morning Oregonian, September 1, 1905, page 8
  • Published poem about the meteorite.
• Daily Capital Journal, October 10, 1905, page 6
  • More photos.
• Daily Capital Journal, February 22, 1906, page 4
  • Sold to museum in New York.

Links for supplementary material regarding the Missoula Floods and Ice Sheet

• “About the Ice Age Floods,” on Ice Age Floods Institute website
  • Provides background information on the floods, including how they were discovered.
• “The Cordilleran Ice Sheet and Missoula Floods,” on S. Geological Survey website
  • Provides more background information about the ice sheet and floods.
• Cordilleran Ice Sheet map, via Google
  • A valuable tool to help students visualize these ancient phenomena.
• Missoula Floods map, via Google
  • A valuable tool to help students visualize these ancient phenomena.
• “Mystery of the Megaflood,” by PBS NOVA
  • An episode discussing the floods. (A teacher’s guide is available on the website.)

Overview

From the earliest days of pioneer settlement, a large segment of Oregon’s economy has been based on resource extraction of one kind or another. The Pacific Northwest is especially rich in natural resources such as timber, fish, water, minerals, and soil. Harvesting these commodities allowed the economy of the region to develop quickly, but over the years, the people of Oregon learned some hard lessons about what can result when too much of a natural resource is used up too quickly. This lesson will focus on the history of one of Oregon’s most impactful resource industries: timber extraction.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards: 

• ELA.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
• ELA.SL.6-8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• ELA.SL.6-8.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
• ELA.SL.6-8.4 Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Social Studies Standards:

• Historical Knowledge 6.2 Identify examples of the social, political, cultural, and economic development in key areas of the Western Hemisphere.
• Historical Thinking 6.8 Analyze cause-and-effect relationships, including the importance of individuals, ideas, human interests, and beliefs.
• Geography 6.11 Distinguish among different types of maps, and use them to analyze an issue in the Western Hemisphere.
• Geography 6.15 Explain how people have adapted to or changed the physical environment in the Western Hemisphere.
• Geography 6.16 Explain how technological developments, societal decisions, and personal practices influence sustainability in the Western Hemisphere.

Materials

• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Access to the Internet
• Copies of articles (see below)
• Copies of maps
• Copies of role background (see PDF Download)
• Poster paper (optional)
• Graph paper (optional)

Lesson

• Introduction: Introduce the topic of study.
  • Students will be using the Historic Oregon Newspapers website to build background knowledge on the historic prominence of the timber industry in Oregon.
• Building background knowledge: Internet research using website and analysis of lumber export.
  • Direct students to the advanced search page.
  • Students will type in the complete phrase “lumber mills.”
  • You may wish to give students certain newspapers to research.
  • Give students adequate time to sift through the newspaper results.
• Discussion: Bring students together to discuss their findings and observations.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • How many page matches does the search turn up?
  • What did the articles say?
  • What is your initial reaction to what you saw in the results?
• Additional background knowledge: Now that students have an understanding of the significance of lumber in Oregon history, they will analyze the amount of lumber that was exported in 1904.
  • You may wish to perform this activity as a whole class or in small groups.
  • Pass out copies of the article “Commerce with the Whole World” from Morning Oregonian
  • Each section describes the amount of goods that were imported. Each section is organized into parts of the world: the Orient (Asia), South Africa, Europe, Australia, South America, and Papeete (Polynesia). At the end of each section, “Recapitulation” tallies up all major exports.
  • Have students browse each section to see patterns and find the level of lumber exports that were delivered to each country.
  • This can be done as a class or in small groups.
  • Chart the board feet, as well as the dollar value.
• Discussion: Bring the class together to discuss the levels of lumber exported.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • What was the total board feet of Oregon lumber exported from Portland in 1903?
  • What was the total dollar value of these exports?
  • Which regions of the world bought the most Oregon timber?
  • Why do you think so?
  • Why do you think some didn’t buy as much timber?
• Additional background knowledge: To further build background knowledge, provide students with a visual record of Oregon’s turn-of-the-century lumber industry.

You may wish to present these pictorial features to the whole class:

• “From Forest to Mill” from Sunday Oregonian, September 30, 1900
• “Through Mill to Market from Sunday Oregonian, October 7, 1900
• “Millions in Oregon Lumber” from Morning Oregonian, January 1, 1903
• “And Up-to-Date Oregon Logging Camp” from Sunday Oregonian, May 21, 1905
• For an additional visual, you may wish to provide students with a map of the historic progression of deforestation across North America. One has been provided below, or at the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

• Discussion: Pose the following question for discussion.
  • What conclusions can we draw after examining maps showing the extent of U.S. old-growth forests in 1620, 1850, 1920, and the present day?
• Transition: Prepare students for debate.
  • What we think of as “environmental awareness” is a relatively new concept. In the pioneer days, people who settled in Oregon had an entirely different way of looking at the land. From their journals and letters, we know that many appreciated Oregon’s unspoiled, natural beauty. At the same time, they couldn’t help but view the environment in light of its economic potential. The “bounties of nature” in the Pacific Northwest seemed inexhaustible. So little, if any, thought was given to preserving nature for future generations.
  • As the 19th century came to a close, a new relationship toward the environment emerged. This time period was known as the Progressive Era, and many of the country’s old assumptions were being reexamined by a new generation of thinkers and political leaders. Among them were Theodore Roosevelt, president of the United States; Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the U.S. Forestry Service; and John Muir, the celebrated naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club.
  • As a precursor to the debate activity below, students may be assigned biographic research on Roosevelt, Pinchot, and Muir.
• Lesson activity: Debating forest preservation.
  • Break students into three groups: Laissez-Faire, Conservationist, and Environmentalist.
  • Pass out a role sheet for each student to prepare for the debate.
  • Quickly discuss each position.
  • Remind students to stay in character, even if they disagree with the position.
  • Give students time to research and prepare arguments. Resources are provided below.
  • Giving students enough time to debate their position’s concerns, offering rebuttals and questions.
• Discussion: Bring students together to discuss the debate.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Do you disagree or agree with your position? Why?
  • Did someone persuade you to his or her side?
  • What is your idea to help prevent deforestation?
• Debrief: Bring students together to debrief and connect the debate to present-day issues.
  • Most of the world’s remaining virgin forestland is tropical rainforest. Here, we see many of the same patterns of deforestation playing out as they did in the United States in previous centuries. It is here that the contemporary environmental debate is centered.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey maintains Earthshots, the website showing environmental changes as viewed from space. A series of satellite images of Rondônia, Brazil, illustrate the spread of deforestation over an 18-year period. Sharing these images with the class can be an excellent way to tie in this lesson from Oregon’s past to the present day.

Links

• Earliest mention of “forest preservation” in a digitized Oregon newspaper:
  “Tree Culture-Information Wanted,” Willamette Farmer, April 4, 1884
• “Use the Forests: President Says They Must Not Be Destroyed,” Oregonian, January 6, 1905
• “The Timber Supply of the United States,” Coos Bay Times, June 27, 1907
• “Take Steps to Protect the Forests of America,” Coos Bay Times, December 10, 1908, pages 1 and 4: http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85033159/1908-12-10/ed-1/seq-1 http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85033159/1908-12-10/ed-1/seq-4
• “Coast Forests Last Big Soft Wood Supply,” Klamath Falls Evening Herald, August 11, 1920, pages 2 and 7: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn99063812/1920-08-11/ed-1/seq-2/ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn99063812/1920-08-11/ed-1/seq-7
• “Asserts Great Need of Forest Protection,” Klamath Falls Evening Herald, December 23, 1920, page 2
• “Forest Policy Outlined by State Board,” Klamath Falls Evening Herald, December 18, 1920, page 2

Overview

Our impression of events is often influenced by how they are reported in the media. Students will read articles with different viewpoints and analyze authors’ intentions. They will participate in a range of discussions to express their initial reactions to and analyses of the articles. Moving on from discussions, the lesson can demonstrate issues of perspective by allowing students to reflect on their own reactions as well as the factual information presented in the articles.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards: 

• ELA.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• ELA.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• ELA.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
• ELA.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
• ELA.RH.6-8.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
• ELA.WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• ELA.SL.6-8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• ELA.SL.6-8.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence in a way that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and that organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Social Studies Standards:

• Historical Thinking 6.9 Differentiate between fact and interpretation in historical accounts and explain the meaning of historical passages by identifying who was involved, what happened, where it happened, and relating them to outcomes that followed and gaps in the historical record.
• Historical Thinking 6.10 Identify issues related to a historical event in the Americas and give basic arguments for and against that issue utilizing the perspectives, interests and values of those involved.
• Social Science Analysis 6.22 Gather, interpret, document, and use information from multiple sources, distinguishing facts from opinion and recognizing points of view.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Materials

• Access to the Internet
• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Worksheets available in PDF Download:
  • Article research activity sheet (optional)
  • Compare/contrast activity sheet (optional)
• Copies of articles – see below (optional) 

Lesson

• Introduction: Students will analyze media and its different portrayals of the same event. Start a class discussion to reflect on recent news event(s) that have caused controversy.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Can the students think of any news stories that strongly divide public opinion?
  • Have any been reported in different ways, depending on which television channels you watch or magazines you read?
  • Can they think of examples where they formed a certain opinion on a news event, only to change their minds later, when more information came to light in the media?
• Build background knowledge: Introduce Cincinnatus Heine Miller, more commonly known as Joaquin Miller. He was a poet from the nineteenth century, known for his colorful and controversial poetry. You may wish to read a detailed biography about Miller on Wikipedia to provide students with more background information.
  • Known as the “Poet of the Sierras,” “Byron of the Rockies,” and “Bard of Oregon,” Miller became a celebrity throughout the United States and England. He was an associate of such enduring literary figures as Ambrose Bierce and Brett Hart. However, it could be argued that Miller’s fame came more from the popular image he created for himself—frontiersman, outdoorsman—than the quality of his work. Even in his own day, he was controversial. Bierce once called him “the greatest liar this country has ever produced.”
• Lesson activity: Have students read different newspaper stories about Miller—each giving a distinct view of the famous poet.
  • Perform this activity as a group discussion.
  • Pass out the activity sheet and discuss the requirements.
  • Read the articles together and fill out activity sheet, modeling when necessary.
  • You may wish to fill out a compare/contrast sheet for students to clearly illustrate the different viewpoints.
  • Encourage students to write down reactions and notes for further analysis and class discussion.
• Discussion: As the activity sheet is filled out together, discuss and analyze what the students are reading, focusing on perspectives and viewpoints.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • How does this article view Miller as a poet? How do you know?
  • Do you think the author feels positively or negatively about Miller? Why?
  • Which article do you believe more? Why?
  • What are some examples of the articles that make you think so?
• Transition: Introduce the topic of football. This is the same activity, except students will have a chance to perform the activity independently.
• Background knowledge: Give students information about the points of view between East and West during football times.
  • Many years ago, an Oregon college football team made its first January trip to Pasadena, California, for the postseason game that would be called the “Rose Bowl.” In the early days, it was commonly believed that a better, more competitive brand of college sports was played at universities in the East. College stars from the East dominated the end-of-season All-Star team. When teams from the East and West competed on the field, the Eastern team was always regarded as the prohibitive favorite. Such was the case when the University of Oregon faced off against the University of Pennsylvania in 1917.
  • For more background on the big game, read this article on the ODNP Blog.
  • Study of the reportage and commentary on this game in the sports pages of historic newspapers from around the country will reveal to students that the so-called “East Coast Bias” in sports reporting is nothing new!
• Lesson activity: Break students into groups or partnerships.
  • Pass out the activity sheet and discuss the requirements.
  • Assign articles to each group or partnership.
  • Encourage students to write notes, reactions, and examples as they read.
• Discussion: Bring students together to discuss their findings. Before beginning the discussion, read all the articles as a class.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • What was the point of view of your article’s author?
  • How do you know?
  • What were your initial reactions to the article?
  • Do you agree or disagree with the author?
  • What examples made you agree or disagree with the author?
• Compare/contrast activity: Students will compare and contrast the news articles they have just analyzed.
  • You may wish to perform this activity as a class, or have students perform this activity within their groups or partnerships, and then bring them together for a class discussion.
  • You may give students the option to choose the articles, or you may assign the whole class the same two articles.
  • Monitor students and provide support when necessary.
• Debrief/discussion: Bring students together to discuss their findings, especially if the students have done the activity within their groups or partnerships.
• Some debrief/discussion questions to consider:
  • How does reporting something as simple as a sporting event vary between different news sources?
  • What was your initial reaction?
  • Which article do you believe the most? Why?
  • What were some examples that convinced you?

List of Resources: Joaquin Miller

• “Joaquin Miller Writes on Oregon for the Chicago Times,” from Jacksonville Oregon Sentinel, September 25, 1886.
  • In this article, he coins a nickname that would become popular: the “Emerald Land.” This piece was reprinted in papers back East, helping form Oregon’s national image.
• “For Joaquin Miller Day,” from Morning Oregonian, July 16, 1905.
  • The famous poet is given a reception and a day in his honor during the Lewis & Clark Exposition.
  • Contrast this with the often scathing coverage of Miller in the New Northwest:
• For example, “Such Is Fame,” published August 18, 1871 (article begins at top of column 4), and the untitled item beginning “Mrs. Minnie Myrtle Miller…” (near the bottom of column 3) published January 17, 1873. This paper, dedicated to suffrage and women’s issues, presents a very different image of the famous poet!

List of Resources: Football

• “Penn Is Favored to Win Struggle,” from Washington Times, January 1, 1917.
  • Preview of the big game; University of Pennsylvania favored 2-1 over the University of Oregon.
• “At the New Year Football Game,” from Evening Public Ledger, January 10, 1917.
  • A photograph from the game; other photos on the page provide context of American life and other news events in 1916.
• “Pennsylvania Defeated: Oregon Overwhelms Easterners,” from Evening Herald, January 2, 1917.
  • Results of the game as reported in an Oregon paper.
• “Oregon Defeats Pennsylvania,” from Ontario Argus, January 11, 1917.
  • More Oregon coverage.
• “West Happy Over Game,” and “Western Team Shows East Something About Football,” from Tacoma Times, January 12, 1917.
  • Newspaper from Washington takes particular glee in Penn’s defeat. Another photo from the game is published with the January 12 story.
• “Athletics,” from Bend Bulletin, January 18, 1917.
  • Fascinating early editorial on the positive effects of athletic victory on “community success and development.” Cites University of Oregon’s defeat of Penn: “That football victory attracted more national press comment than a small earthquake.”
• “Penn Team Was Not Physically Fit for Battle with Team of Oregon Caliber,” from Evening Public Ledger, January 2, 1917.
  • For comparison, examine these reports of the game from the University of Pennsylvania’s home city.

Overview

This lesson can be used to supplement a unit about the growth and development of the United States. Immigrants were a huge component of this growth. This lesson begins with a discussion that will help personalize the immigration experience for students. Students will then research and analyze a historic West Coast immigration controversy using the Historic Oregon Newspapers website. The lesson ends with students’ analysis of present-day trends in immigration in Oregon and the United States. 

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards: 

• ELA.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
• ELA.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• ELA.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
• ELA.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Social Studies Standards: 

• Historical Knowledge 8.1 Evaluate continuity and change over the course of United States history by analyzing examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups, societies, or nations.
• Historical Knowledge 8.4 Evaluate the impact of different factors, including gender, age, ethnicity, and class on groups and individuals during this time period and the impact these groups and individuals have on events of the time.
• Historical Thinking 8.6 Use and interpret documents and other relevant primary and secondary sources pertaining to U.S. history from multiple perspectives.
• Additional standards listed in PDF Download

Materials

• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Access to the Internet
• Copies of articles (optional)
• Copies of “Who’s Coming to America?” (optional)
• Copies of Graphs of Immigration Data (optional)
• World map
• Worksheets in PDF Download:
  • Article research activity sheet
  • Question activity sheet

Lesson

• Introduction: Introduce topic of study.
  • Explain that, whereas most U.S. immigrants of European descent entered the country through Ellis Island and other ports on the Atlantic Seaboard, the majority of Chinese, Japanese, and Pacific Islanders who immigrated arrived on the West Coast.
  • Utilizing a world map, a class discussion can be initiated centering on the details of geography, nineteenth-century transportation technologies, and socioeconomic factors that led to this unbalanced pattern of immigration.
• Building background knowledge: Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1880s.
  • Chinese laborers began immigrating to the United States in 1848. At first, they mostly came to work on the construction of transcontinental railroads. They also found work mining gold, harvesting fruit and vegetables, and processing salmon in canning factories. Chinatown districts sprang up in most cities and larger towns in Oregon and throughout the West. By 1882, however, the U.S. Congress passed the first in a series of Chinese Exclusion Acts, laws designed to severely limit the entry of Asian people into America.
  • Instructors should be forewarned: This area of study will expose a great deal of racial stereotyping and outright prejudice from Oregon’s past. It is good to address this at the beginning and provide the class with context on racial attitudes of earlier times.
• Discussion: An excellent starting point is to view and discuss this article:
  • “Chinese Flock to Portland for Winter” from Portland Sunday Oregonian, December 24, 1905.
  • This is a photographic essay on “the most populous Chinatown in the Northwest.” We must be thankful for these photos because they offer us a rare glimpse at a turn-of-the-century Chinatown in the Pacific Northwest. Consider the culturally and racially biased manner in which these photos were originally presented to readers of the Oregonian.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • What sort of attitudes toward the Chinese are revealed in the photographs and the accompanying article?
  • What do you think about the way the pictures are captioned?
  • Are the newspaper’s criticisms of the Chinese immigrants fair or unfair? Why?
  • What are some things the Chinese people pictured here might have said if they had been asked to tell their side of the story?
  • How do you feel when observing these pictures?
• Research: Students will take an article with a key question to focus on conduct research.
  • Split students into groups of 3 to 4 students, and assign an article to each group.
  • Pass out copies of the article, or give students the link to the article.
  • At the end of this lesson plan are links relevant to stories on East Asian immigration and Asian exclusion.
  • Pose the following questions to focus students’ research.
  • Make sure to give students enough time to do research and share their findings and experiences.
  • Monitor students, and offer support when necessary.
• Some focus questions to consider:
  • Why did Chinese workers first start coming to the United States?
  • Why did the Chinese sometimes have problems getting along in the dominant Euro-American society?
  • Why did some Americans begin to object to the presence of the Chinese in this country?
  • What are some ways that Americans tried to keep out Chinese immigrants?
  • Were other groups of people also affected?
  • How and why did some Asian immigrants try to get around laws against immigration?
  • How was the public debate circa 1848-1910 different and/or similar to the debates we are having about immigration today?
• Debrief: Bring students together to debrief their findings and share their feelings.
• Some debrief questions to consider:
  • What are some interesting facts you read about?
  • How do you feel about what you have read?
  • Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
  • Have you ever experienced something like the Chinese experienced?
• Transition: Begin with a brief overview of the earliest chapter of U.S. history in Oregon.
  • The first permanent U.S. settlement in Oregon was Fort Astoria, founded in 1811 by representatives of John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company. This pioneering group of sailors and trappers consisted mostly of immigrant Scots, Canadian citizens of mixed French and Native American ancestry, and Native Hawaiian Islanders. Nonetheless, this was officially a U.S. venture, and the fort flew the U.S. flag.
• Discussion: Get students to continue to think about culture and race.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Is it surprising to learn that our state’s first settlers were such a culturally and racially diverse group?
  • In light of this fact, what should we make of the attempts of later generations of Oregonians to keep out the Chinese, other non-European immigrants, and African Americans?
  • Are there any groups of immigrants who might be made to feel similarly unwelcome today?
  • Why do you think so?
• Activity: As a class, read the article “Who’s Coming to America?” from New York Times Online Teacher Connections Network, and study the Graphs of Immigration Data.
  • Optional: Give each student a copy of the article and graph, or provide students with the link to both documents.
  • Split students into groups of 3 to 4, and pass out the question activity sheet.
  • Give students enough time to digest the information and find the answers.
  • Monitor students, and provide support when necessary.
• Debrief: Bring students together to debrief their findings.
• Some debrief questions to consider:
  • What answers did you get for question 1? Question 2? Question 3? Etc.?
  • What are your reactions to what you have read?
  • What are some facts you learned?
  • Is there something you highly agree or disagree with? Why?

Extension Activity Ideas

• Newspaper editorial: After students have researched and shared the information they found in their articles, have them create a newspaper editorial of their own. Give students the viewpoint of an Oregon journalist in the 1880s, persuasively arguing against the Chinese Exclusion Acts. This can be done in groups or individually. To give students more connection, have them create their own newspaper, complete with title, headings, layout, etc.
• Interview: Interview an immigrant in your own community to learn about his or her experiences and impressions of moving to the United States.
• Current immigration policies: Using current newspapers or online news sources, find editorial/opinion articles both for and against current immigration policies. Write a paper or presentation summarizing the two sides of this issue.
• Family histories: Research family histories and cultural backgrounds. Have students bring in an object that reflects their heritage. These objects may be an article of clothing, country flag, book or magazine, craft object, dish of food, etc. Use a “show and tell” method to lead discussion on diversity within the United States.

Relevant Links

• “A Chinese Protest,” Willamette Farmer, July 19, 1873
  • Offers the Chinese perspective on immigration issues and U.S.-China relations
• “Free Versus Slave,” Daily Morning Astorian, February 23, 1886
  • Equates Chinese “coolie” labor with slave labor
• “Hard to Enforce,” Daily Morning Astorian, October 27, 1888
  • Issues of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border in 1888
• “Japanese Immigration,” Portland Oregonian, May 9, 1900
  • Labor unionists argue to have exclusion acts extended to Japanese as well
• “Keep Out Coolies Is Labor’s Cry,” Portland Oregonian, September 7, 1905
  • American trade unions fear competition from low-wage immigrant labor
• “The Mindu,” Coos Bay Times, September 12, 1907
  • Editorial with racist rhetoric typical of the time period
• “Trade Likely to Suffer by Exclusion,” Salem Daily Journal, December 13 , 1901
  • Offers economic arguments against legal exclusion of immigrants from Asia
• “Value of Our Salmon Fisheries,” Willamette Farmer, September 27, 1873
  • Article contains an early reference to the Chinese living and working in Oregon (Astoria)