MICHAEL LU: I am American. My ancestor, Chang Lu, first arrived in California in 1863 with visions of gold mines. He came to San Francisco Bay and was instead recruited by the Central Pacific Railroad. He worked there—for one dollar a day—all of the five years it took to build those tracks. He lost three fingers to dynamite, he lost two friends to heatstroke in the desert, and he certainly lost his visions of gold. He was there, though, when the eastern line met West in Utah. America was united.
After that Chang farmed in the Bay Area and lived in Chinatown. (SILHOUETTES now embrace each other up center. They then turn around and link arms, forming a circle, outward facing.) He sent for his wife just in time before the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 went into effect, which prevented any more Chinese people coming to America. In fact, the government didn’t want any more Chinese until 1943, when we were allies in World War II. So, the Chinese that were here stuck together.
My grandfather still lives in Chinatown. Still speaks Chinese. He owns a grocery store. My parents and I live in the city. We are all Americans. (MICHAEL exits right, crossing paths with SHANA BLOOMSTEIN, who crosses to the down left corner as she speaks. SILHOUETTES unlink arms and begin a slow-motion dance, rotating in a circle, then reversing direction, clapping their hands above their heads, stomping their feet.)
SHANA BLOOMSTEIN: I am American. Before my family even came, there were others that had settled here, loving the idea of a country that allowed all religions, a country that would give “bigotry no sanction,” in the words of George Washington at the 1790 Newport Hebrew Congregation. My family arrived in 1903, fleeing mob attacks against the Jews in Eastern Russia. They were poor, and spoke only Yiddish when they moved into New York’s Lower East Side. They went to work in some of the clothing factories owned by their predecessors. They were made fun of for speaking Yiddish, but were helped all the same and learned American ways. The factory where my great-great-grandfather worked was one of the first to have a labor union. (SILHOUETTES stop their dance.) My great-great-uncle opened one of the first movie theaters, called a Nickelodeon, in an abandoned building downtown. We all know what a success the movies became. (3RD SILHOUETTE pantomimes a tragic death.) Many people do not understand the Jewish faith. Many times in history we’ve been picked on and unfairly persecuted. But this country helped end the Holocaust. This country is my home. I am American. (SHANA exits left. VINCENT LOPINTO enters right. SILHOUETTES congregate and pantomime an animated conversation.)
VINCENT LOPINTO: I am American. In 1910 my great-great grandfather came to America from Naples, Italy. He entered through Ellis Island. The only English he spoke was “America!” He moved into a one-room apartment on the Upper East Side, and after a few years married an Italian girl also living in America. They moved to Brooklyn, and my great-greatgrandfather got a job in construction with others that had come from Naples before him. I think he was scared to death, to be perfectly honest. Back in Italy, though, he would work his whole life for nothing. America promised to be different. A country where dreams could come true. (VINCENT exits right. JUANITA RAMIREZ enters left and goes center. SILHOUETTES begin a synchronized pantomime of harvesting fruit from an imaginary tree.)
JUANITA RAMIREZ: I am American. Half my family is from New Mexico. They stayed after the Mexican War ended in 1848. They were promised citizenship, but they didn’t get it until New Mexico officially became a state in 1912. My other half is from Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, just across the border from El Paso. In 1942, because of the war, the government let in temporary workers, called braceros, and every year after that my grandfather would travel up the coast following the crops, from strawberries in the valley, to apples and black cherries in Oregon. He worked 12-hour days and made minimum wage. One year my grandfather just stayed. He did not return to Mexico, and instead met my grandmother. We are American. (JUANITA remains center. SILHOUETTES slowly raise arms above their heads, as at beginning. In the following, the cast no longer represents specific personas, but others that have made America their home. Each actor should begin speaking just before the previous actor has finished, so the speeches layer on top of one another.)
MAX LITTLEFOOT (Entering right and coming to stand at JUANITA’s right): I am American. My parents traveled from India to go to medical school.
JANE BRADFORD (Entering left to stand at JUANITA’s left): I am American. My grandmother married a soldier who had been stationed in Japan.
TY SMITH (Entering right to stand beside MAX): I am American. My mother asked for political asylum from Cuba.
BETHANY MCLAUGHLIN (Entering left to stand beside JANE): I am American. My parents adopted me from Russia.
GRETCHEN SCHRIVER (Entering right to stand beside TY): I am American. My grandfather moved here from Czechoslovakia and worked in the coal mines.
MICHAEL LU (Entering left to stand beside BETHANY): I am American. We left Korea when I was three years old. SHANA BLOOMSTEIN (Entering right to stand beside GRETCHEN): I am American. My father worked in Saudi Arabia and was transferred here sixteen years ago.
VINCENT LOPINTO (Entering left to stand beside MICHAEL): I am American. My parents were sick of the sugar cane plantations in Puerto Rico and came here.
JUANITA RAMIREZ: I am American. We were brought here to escape starvation in Somalia. (SILHOUETTES join hands above their heads.)
ALL (In unison): We are American.
PRODUCTION NOTES
I Am American
CHARACTERS: 4 male; 5 female; 3 male and female silhouettes.
PLAYING TIME: 10 minutes.
COSTUMES: Regular, modern-day clothes. Silhouettes wear all black.
PROPERTIES: A drum.
SETTING: A bare stage.
LIGHTING and SOUND: The backdrop is brightly lit to highlight the silhouettes’ movements in front of it.
In the second part of the play, in which actors return as different characters and make short speeches, which two speeches emphasize the theme of immigrants coming to America to escape difficult situations?
(1 point)
Responses
Shana Bloomstein’s
Shana Bloomstein’s
Max Littlefoot’s
Max Littlefoot’s
Juanita Ramirez’s
Juanita Ramirez’s
Jane Bradford’s
Jane Bradford’s
Ty Smith’s
1 answer
The two speeches that emphasize the theme of immigrants coming to America to escape difficult situations are:
Ty Smith’s - He speaks about his mother asking for political asylum from Cuba, indicating a desire to escape a challenging or dangerous situation in his home country.
Juanita Ramirez’s - She shares the story of her family's experiences before and after the Mexican War, and how her grandfather came to the U.S. for work, which reflects the struggle of seeking better opportunities.
Thus, the correct responses would be Juanita Ramirez’s and Ty Smith’s.
