Is Angel Island the Ellis Island of the West? Teaching Multiple Perspective-Taking in American Immigration History

Abstract

Education in the twenty-first century requires that all students learn the social studies skills that help them understand the complex issues related to civic ideals and practices. One of these skills is developing multiple perspective-taking. Many educators believe that this critical thinking ability is not only for upper level students but also plays an important role in elementary social studies education. The author shows how he has worked with elementary preservice teachers to develop multiple perspective-taking. Immigration history is one of the areas that is especially appropriate for using multiple perspective-taking. This article shows how to develop these skills by comparing two main immigration stations, Ellis Island and Angel Island, during the first half of the twentieth century. It challenges the commonly held perspective that both immigrant stations served very similar functions. Indeed, it shows how to teach the perspective that the treatment of the Chinese immigrants at Angel Island was more inhumane and racially discriminating than that experienced by their counterparts on Ellis Island. It is important for students of all ages to learn that the immigration policies of our nation have not always lived up to the civic ideals and practices of a democratic pluralistic society.