Immigration has been an ongoing and central component of American history, with identifiable peak periods. Between 1820 and 1924, forty million immigrants were added to the population of the United States and in the process made immigration a major and defining aspect of American life. This opening program provides a historical context for the study of immigration, looking at the reasons for and consequences of the period historians call America’s “Century of Immigration.‟

The selected films for December 5 are New York, A Documentary Film: Episode 4, The Power and the People and The Jewish Americans: Episode 2, A World of Their Own. You can download the program one handout: The Century of Immigration (PDF)

This program is free and open to the public. To register, click here, email erincon@7gables.org or call 978-306-7001.

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About this program:  The House of the Seven Gables has been selected as one of 32 sites around the country for this unique series. Each event will consist of a documentary film screening and scholar-led discussion with Professor Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello from Salem State University’s American Studies Department. For full details about each event, please visit www.7gables.org. Each event runs from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Becoming American: A Documentary Film and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience is a six-week public program featuring documentary film screenings and moderated discussions designed to encourage an informed discussion of immigration issues against the backdrop of our immigration history.

Becoming American is a project of City Lore in collaboration with the Immigration and Ethnic History Society and the International Coalition of the Sites of Conscience.  The project has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. Community partners include Salem State University and the North Shore CDC.