American History (Period 2) Assignments

Part I: Researching the Issues 
Each group will research one of the following questions. You can read the stories linked below the questions or look for additional stories in The Times’s archives, listing key facts and arguments to answer your question.

 

1. Will an immigration overhaul only succeed if it tackles all problems or issues at once?

• “Besides a Path to Citizenship, a New Path on Immigration”
• “Bipartisan House Group Reaches Preliminary Immigration Deal”

2. Is an immigration overhaul more likely to succeed if it focuses on one or two simple issues?

• “Room for Debate: Understanding Immigration Reform”
• “Perfection Is the Enemy of Reform”

3. Should an immigration overhaul solve the question of border security and safety before tackling other issues? Or is the border safe enough for Congress to move forward on other immigration changes?

• “Immigration Officials Say Safeguards Were Added”
• “Arizona Desert Swallows Migrants on Riskier Paths”

4. Should America improve its “guest worker” visa programs to help American farms and businesses get the workers they need?

• “Fate of the Immigration Bill May Hinge on Farm Districts”
• “Workers Claim Racial Bias as Farms Rely on Immigrants”
• “Tech Industry Pushes to Amend Immigration Bill”

5. Should American-born workers come first, with any immigration bill being designed to protect the jobs and interests of American workers? Or should an immigration overhaul focus on helping the United States economy by targeting skilled workers that the country needs to become more productive?

• “Room for Debate: The Economics of Immigration”
• “Sessions Says Immigration Bill Is a Threat to Workers”

6. Is it fair to offer a path to citizenship for people who entered the country illegally? And can America offer a path for those who deserve it without spending too much money or encouraging thousands of other people to try entering illegally?

• “Conservatives See a Turning Tide on Immigration”
• “Rubio Disputes Report on Immigration Bill Costs”
• “Immigration Plan Sets 2011 Cutoff for Path to Legalization”

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Part II: Choosing Preferences
Once your group has researched the questions, each group should write a list of recommendations or proposals for inclusion in a new immigration bill. Your recommendations may be general or very specific, but each proposal must be backed up by facts from your research. Your group should also be prepared with facts to respond to any potential criticisms or competing proposals.

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Part III: Deciding on a Bill

“Jigsaw” Committees: You will form new legislative committees, making sure that the committees have at least one member from each of the various research groups. Then in this “jigsaw” formation, your committee will try to design an immigration bill. Members of your committee will share their list of recommendations or proposals they came up with in their research groups, and as a committee your committee will try to hammer out a new bill.

Then, the different committees can present their individual bills to the class.