Regarding the 4 letters from Samuel Baily's book, just pretend that you are a historian who is studying Italian immigration to Argentina between 1880 and 1920, and that are given these 4 pieces of correspondence between a few immigrants and their parents. Think about the kinds of questions a historian would ask, and what parts of the letters merit further inquiry. Try to learn as much as you can about the immigrants, where they live, where they came from, how they get their jobs, how wealthy they are, what their parents do, etc. etc. It is almost as if you are detective beginning a case, and this is the first evidence that you have to analyze. Get as much as you can from the letters and then think about questions that emerge from the letters that you would want to look into further.
In class we will spend a lot of time discussing these letters, so be ready.
- Brad
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