Becoming American Series Continues September 27

Becoming American
Six-Part Documentary Film and Discussion Series
Sponsored by Strawbery Banke Museum with community partners
Hosted at 3S Artspace

The six-part “Becoming American: A Documentary Film and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience" will begin on September 6 from 7 to 9 PM at 3S Artspace. The series is presented jointly by community partners Strawbery Banke Museum, 3S Artspace, Discover Portsmouth, Friends Forever, Portsmouth Public Library, ChildVoice, UNH Center for the Humanities and Southern NH Services Portsmouth Adult Education Program. The Portsmouth Public Library is the lead partner for the first program, and will be on hand throughout the series with books and other materials for check out, as well as items from our Special Collections!

Becoming American: A Documentary Film and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience is a six-session series of public programs featuring documentary film screenings and discussions led by Dr. Lucy Salyer, UNH Associate Professor of History, on immigration issues against the backdrop of the immigration history of the United States. The sessions are free and open to the public but reservations are requested at 3SArts.org.

The six sessions include:

• September 6, The Century of Immigration: 1820-1934 (View on Facebook!)
• September 27, Promise & Prejudice with film “Welcome to Shelbyville” (View on Facebook!)
• October 4, Between Two Worlds with film “The New Americans” (View on Facebook!)
• October 18, Help Wanted? with film “Destination America” (View on Facebook!)
• November 7, Family & Community with film “Between Two Worlds” (View on Facebook!)
• November 15, Immigration & Popular Culture with film “the Search for General Tso” (View on Facebook!)

The series begins with The Century of Immigration: 1820-1934.  The first program provides a historical context for the study of immigration, looking at the reasons for and consequences of one of the peak periods of immigration, when forty million immigrants were added to the population of the United States and in the process made immigration a major and defining aspect of American life. Two short documentary films (“New York” and “Jewish-Americans”) and the guided discussion look at how industrial expansion and the need for inexpensive labor spurred unprecedented waves of immigration from Europe and around the world that changed the make-up, culture and social institutions of America and helped transform the United States into the most dynamic economy in the world. The discussion explores such themes as the economic role of immigration, immigration and freedom, urbanization and the reactions of native-born Americans.

The program is free and open to the public. Each session lasts from 7 to 9 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. After brief welcoming remarks the session moderator offers a short introduction of the theme of the program, followed by a one-hour screening of “New York” (episode 4) and “The Jewish Americans,” then after a short break, the group discussion.

In the words of the National Endowment for the Humanities that produced the carefully-crafted series, “the purpose is to get people thinking about the social and historical impact that immigration has had over time and how that relates to the national debate currently taking place in the US and around the world.”

Becoming American: A Documentary Film and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience is a project of City Lore in collaboration with the Immigration and Ethnic History Society and the International Coalition of the Sites of Conscience. The project is made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.