Case Studies in this Unit

The United States is the product of contact between different societies, from the colonial period into western expansion and global immigration and migration. Each point of contact has been a borderland in which power contentions and exchange have shaped our identity.

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Map of the United States and Mexico
Case Study
Borders with the World
This case study focuses on the creation of our Southern border and connects students with the experiences of people who were living in the borderland region before, during, and after the Mexican-American War.
Tom Torlino
Case Study
Borders within the United States
This case study examines Indian boarding schools as cultural borderlands that tens of thousands of Native youth were forced to occupy.
Children play baseball inside a playground with large buildings in the background
Case Study
Borders and Community
This case study explores Chicago during the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s, focusing on how diverse people create and re-create community.
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