Welcome

Becoming US is a new educational resource for high school teachers and students to learn immigration and migration history in a more accurate and inclusive way.

Map of Native American Boarding Schools

What is it like to live across borders and in more than one space?

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Joe Jordan on a music club match book and Pilgrim Baptist Church, 1941

What happens to a community when borders are created?

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How did we become US?

The people of North America came from many cultures and spoke different languages long before the founding of the United States, even before European contact. At the center of Becoming US is the understanding that some people were already in the land that is today the United States, some people were brought against their will, some people came voluntarily, and some people never moved but became part of the United States as its border expanded to include them.

  • Plains Indian Umbilical Charm
    Plains Indian Umbilical Charm

     

  • Statuette of Statue of Liberty, 1880s
    Statuette of Statue of Liberty,
    1880s

     

  • Shackles, Puerto Rico
    Shackles, Puerto Rico
    Early 19th Century

     

  • Retablo Devotional Image of the Virgin Mary
    Retablo Devotional Image of the Virgin Mary, New Mexico, around 1820

     

Explore key concepts for teaching the history of immigration and migration.

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Resources

Here you will find a number of teaching resources to help enhance your classroom activities.

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GLAMi 2021 Best in Digital for Culture Award Winner

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Smithsonian Website