Name: Circle Period #: 8A / 8B
Development of the North, South, and West Study Guide
Define the following terms
Louisiana Purchase
Louis and Clark Expedition
Manifest Destiny
The Election of President James K. Polk and Manifest Destiny
Jacksonian Democracy
Andrew Jackson (President 1829-1837)
Trail of Tears
Industrial Revolution
Andrew Carnegie
Women's Rights Movement
Abolitionist Movement
Eerie Canal
Lowell Mills
Railroad
Whaling
Education Reform
Push Factor of Immigration
Pull Factor of Immigration
Use this reading for questions 1-6
A New Life in a New Homeland
Cheng's Immigrant Story
“There’s a lot of worry when you don’t know if you can stay in this safe place and stabilize your life.” Cheng is an immigrant from Zimbabwe. He fled his country and moved to South Africa to escape torture at the hands of a cruel dictatorship. Still, he knew that the only way he could restart his life was by moving to a safer country and finishing his education.
Read how Heartland Alliance helped Cheng immigrate to America and live his American Dream. Heartland Alliance was instrumental in securing a visa and employment opportunity for Cheng. Now an MBA student at the University of Chicago, Cheng’s goals are within reach as he continues to write his American Story.
If you passed him on the street, you’d never know how far he’d come – or how much he’d overcome – to be here. Thoughtful and soft-spoken, Cheng is a survivor of torture at the hands of Zimbabwe’s oppressive dictatorship. After calling attention to the violence occurring around him, Cheng, along with thousands of his countrymen, found himself persecuted and in danger. He first fled to South Africa, but knew he had to find somewhere safer – somewhere he could make a life for himself and finish his schooling. But how to get there?
It was through his small marketing business in South Africa that Cheng finally found the opportunity he needed. A young student he worked with had heard of someone who might be able to help. Cheng got the number to Heartland Alliance’s attorneys in Chicago and, once he was able to flee South Africa, he knew who to call. “I wanted to finish school and live the American Dream,” says Cheng, an immigrant from Zimbabwe who fled his home country to escape torture. “There’s a lot of worry when you don’t know if you can stay in this safe place and stabilize your life.” Heartland Alliance helped him gain asylum, obtain a visa, prepare for and find a job, and integrate into American culture.
“They helped me file for asylum – to stabilize my life and come to Chicago,” says Cheng. “Most of all, though, they were not only dedicated to my cause, but to my aspirations. That’s important when your life is in limbo [like mine was].”
1) Summarize this passage in your own words.
2) What are the push factors of immigration from this reading?
3) What are the pull factors of immigration from this reading?
Questions 4 to 6
Introduction: Some people think the United States should allow more immigration. Some people think the United States should limit immigration more. Read the story again and think how people on both sides of the debate might use the information to argue their point.
4) If someone wanted to use Cheng's story to argue that the United States needs more immigrants, what might they say?
5) If someone wanted to use Cheng's story to argue that the United States needs fewer immigrants, what might they say?
6) Which side do you agree with, and why?