Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about American immigration at the beginning of the 20th century? What countries did most immigrants come from during this period? What were their reasons for coming to the US? Where did the largest numbers of immigrants settle? Generally, what were their lives like once they arrived?

Teaching Suggestion: The first question in this series can be answered from students’ prior knowledge, but the more specific questions that follow may be beyond some students’ historical knowledge. You might ask students to pause after answering the first question, then allow them time to peruse the resources listed below before attempting to answer the remaining questions.

• This article from UShistory.org offers an introduction to the “new immigrants” in turn-of-the-century America.
• This presentation from the National Women’s History Museum offers a historical overview of the female immigrant experience in America.

2. What is a sweatshop? When were sweatshops most common in the United States? What kinds of people worked in these places, and what were their working conditions like? Are sweatshops completely a thing of the past?