Freedom of religion has brought many immigrants to the United States. This article traverses the complex and largely unacknowledged historical struggle for religious tolerance in the United States.
Category Archives: Coming to America
What Part of Legal Immigration Don’t You Understand?
This graphic novel-inspired illustration takes an honest yet humorous look at the process of legal immigration. Click on the image to enlarge it and view details.
America’s First Immigration Center Was Also an Amusement Park
| Castle Garden, originally a Revolutionary Era fort, was repurposed into an amusement park for fashionable New Yorkers in the late 1800s. Then it became the nation’s first immigrant welcome center. Read this short feature to discover how. |
Born in the USA: The Chinese Immigrant Son Who Fought for Birthright Citizenship
In an important U.S. immigration law milestone, Wong Kim Ark sued the U.S. government to recognize birthright citizenship for children of immigrants. Read the remarkable story here.
The History of Naturalization Requirements in the U.S.
The process of becoming a U.S. citizen has undergone many changes over 200 years. This detailed timeline tells the story.
News for All: How the Immigrant Experience Shaped American Media
Read about how ethnic media has provided a link between immigrants’ old countries and their new homes in the United States throughout history.
Meet Angela, The First Named African Woman in Jamestown
An Angolan woman called Angela was among the first Africans to arrive in the North American territory that would become the United States. Learn more about Angela, the Central African kingdom of Ndongo where she was born, and how she and other captives lived in Jamestown.
How Immigrants Created America’s Mixtape
In this feature article, Howard Reich describes how the diverse musical traditions of immigrant Jews, Congolese Africans, Mexican mariachi artists and others have been combined to create unique American musical forms.
5 Powerful and Influential Native American Women
Native American women achieved important but often overlooked accomplishments in the early development of North America. Their success inspired later trailblazing efforts. Read the extraordinary stories of five Native American women whose impact went beyond forging the groundwork of an emerging new nation.
Fort Mose: America’s Black Colonial Fortress of Freedom
Fugitive African slaves seeking freedom in early America found refuge at St. Augustine. Granted freedom by the Spanish, these skilled laborers eventually established the first legal free black town in the present-day United States.
What Thanksgiving means for Native Americans
While Thanksgiving can mean many different things to different people, it is important to acknowledge the truth of the holiday and not perpetuate historical inaccuracies.
First Encounters in the Americas
Consider the initial meeting of Arawaks and Europeans through a fresh, critical lens.
For a radical new perspective on immigration, picture the US as an ancient tree
Watch as immigrants create the “tree” of the United States.
How America Thought About Refugees 70 Years Ago
Read a current journalist’s thoughts on journalism of the past as it pertains to sentiments on refugees.
America, The Startup: How European Settlers Launched The Most Entrepreneurial Economy In The World
In this article, Rob Wile compares the early European settlers to today’s entrepreneurs. Read to find out how the two compare.
Navajos share stories about their past, the world
In Phoenix, Arizona, a new program allows people to learn about Navajo traditions and stories. Children and their families hear traditional Navajo stories that help them learn more about their roots.
Land O’ Lakes replaces Native American woman logo, touts farmer-owned credentials instead
For nearly a century, a butter company’s logo featured a drawing of a Native American woman. Find out why that logo has finally changed.
Archaeologists Are Hunting for the Lost French Fleet That Nearly Conquered Spanish Florida
Archaeologists are looking for the wreckage of a fleet of French ships that was lost near present-day Florida in 1565. Why are scientists so interested in this shipwreck from long ago? The loss of the ships brought an end to French colonization in the Americas.
Pow Wow in the Club: A New Spin on First Nations Music
A Tribe Called Red brings their heritage to the dance scene to raise awareness and bring people together. Watch the video to see how this music group shares aspects of their culture with the public.
Not So Fast, Jamestown: St. Augustine Was Here First
Historians and locals celebrate the settlement of St. Augustine, which was founded 450 years ago and is the oldest city in the United States.