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Aim/Essential Question:
How did Ole Rynning's True Account of America
act as an incentive for Norwegian immigration to the
United States?
Materials:
Objectives:
- Students will analyze the challenges and opportunities
faced by the immigrants.
- Students will gain an understanding of the decision-making
process used by Norweigans in determining whether
or not to come to America.
- Students will compare and contrast the reasons for
immigration today with reasons for immigration in
the nineteenth century.
Motivation:
(A) The teacher will ask how many of the students or
their parents came to the U.S. from a different country.
Using their responses as a guide, the teacher will write
on the board a list of the reasons why these people
came to America.
(B) The teacher will write immigrant Gullik O. Gravdal's
1839 quote on the board or on an overhead:
"Hardly any other Norwegian publication has been
purchased and read with such avidity as this Rynning's
Account of America. People traveled long distances
to hear 'news' from the land of wonders, and many
who before were scarcely able to read began in earnest
to practice in the 'America-book,' making such progress
that they were soon able to spell their way forward
and acquire most of the contents. … Ministers and
bailiffs tired to frighten us with terrible tales
about the dreadful sea monsters, and about man-eating
wild animals in the new world; but when Ansten Nattestad
had said Yes and Amen to Rynning's Account,
all fears and doubts were removed. "
The teacher will hold a class discussion about the
quote, explaining that the class is going to investigate
the document that helped open the gates of Norwegian
immigration.
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