Becoming Us
The mission statement of the National Museum of American History’s Becoming US: Teaching Immigration and Migration History in the 21st Century series is to provide “educational resources for high school teachers and students to learn immigration and migration history a more accurate and inclusive way.” The curriculum is based on the National Council of Social Studies standards' ten themes and provides teachers with key concepts related to these themes. The five units and case studies are organized around Borderlands, Education, Policy, Belonging, and Resistance. Borderlands look at the power contentions and exchanges in the borderlands that have shaped the United States. The education module examines the history of the fight for racial justice and educational equity that continues today. Policy examines the laws and policies enacted to restrict or reform immigration. The Belonging module examines how the American ideal of shared identity has been challenged by fear and insecurity. The final unit in the curriculum set, Becoming Us: Resistance, looks at the individuals and groups who have resisted the antidemocratic forces of inequality and oppression.