3S Artspace presents: Becoming American Program 1 of 6

Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Program 1: The Century of Immigration: 1820-1934 provides a historical context for the study of immigration, looking at the reasons for and consequences of one of the peak periods of immigration, when 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. Two short documentary films and the guided discussion look at how industrial expansion and the need for inexpensive labor spurred unprecedented waves of immigration from Europe and around the world that changed the make-up, culture and social institutions of America and helped transform the United States into the most dynamic economy in the world.