From Prussia to Kansas: The 1880 Census and German Immigrants

The author discusses how census reports, in combination with other primary sources and secondary sources, can be used for inquiry-based learning, in particular, to investigate local history in the high school classroom. The article features an investigation of twenty-one German immigrants to Larned, Kansas, which appeared in the 1880 census report. It is proposed that students can learn much by investigating the push and pull factors for immigration from Germany to Kansas during the late 1800s. In addition, students can learn about demographic information such as occupations and age, and can consider the challenges to adapting to life on the prairie. It is argued that similar local history investigations can and should be replicated in classrooms across the country.