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Start of Issue: The People vs. Hall
The first time we see Asian's discriminated against is in the case of The People vs. Hall in 1854. The California Supreme Court case ruled that the testimony of a Chinese man who witnessed a murder by a white man was inadmissible. Asian's however are definitely not alone at the time, having many Indian, African, and mixed races being discriminated against also. This is also the first instance of people seeing Chinese people as an inferior race. (The People vs. Hall). -
Period: to
Asian Discrimination Over Time
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1882 Chinese Exclusion Act
After granting African Americans the right to become naturalized citizens with the 1870 Naturalization Act, the government banned the immigration and naturalization of Chinese with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. This was due to their strained ties with China. They didn't indicate whether 'Chinese' was a race or nationality, showing their inconsideration and racism at the time, banning anyone with a certain skin tone or look. (Smith, 2002). -
Anti-Chinese Riots in Washington State
The Rock Springs Massacre in occurred in September of 1885, in the climax of the Anti-Chinese actions. It left 28 Chinese killed and 15 wounded in a Chinese-dominated railroad work camp, starting the massive amounts of riots and hate crimes that would occur. On November 3, 1885, in Tacoma, Washington, a 300-man mob drove 700 Chinese out of their homes and forced them into wagons. (Lee, 2001). -
Asiatic Exclusion League
Americans switched their hatred at the turn of the century, to Japanese Americans. Anti Japanese groups began to form in California, as many Japanese immigrants arrived there. The Asiatic Exclusion League was organized in 1905 to stop further Japanese immigration and to prevent Japanese integrating into mainstream society. In 1906, the AEL got the board of education in San Francisco to force Japanese schoolchildren to attend classes at the segregated school. (Anti Japanese Movement). -
Angel Island
Angel Island Immigration Station formed in 1910, in San Francisco Bay. It functioned as both an immigration and deportation facility, at which some 175,000 Chinese and about 60,000 Japanese immigrants were detained under oppressive conditions, generally from two weeks to six months, before being allowed to enter the United States. Many Japanese and Chinese were reported to be unfairly treated and often abused at the station. (Wallenfeldt, 2019). -
Immigration Act of 1917
This Act created the Asiatic Barred Zone, which designated a region whose native peoples were barred from entering the United States. The act extended the exclusion formerly limited to the Chinese to all Asians and Pacific Islanders from Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the west to the Polynesian Islands in the east. President Woodrow Wilson tried to veto this law but was overwhelmingly overridden by Congress, demonstrating the nation’s nativist attitude at the time. (Asiatic Barred Zone). -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor not only caused Americans to hate Japanese in Japan but also in America at the time. In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 to send 120,000 people to internment camps because of their ethnic background. Two thirds of the people sent were born in America. "The Japanese race is an enemy race," wrote Lieutenant General John DeWitt in 1942. This shows the hatred of the people in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. (Oi, 2016). -
1952 Immigration and Nationality Act
The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act ended the Asian exclusion from immigrating to the U.S.. The Act eliminated laws preventing Asians from naturalizing, got rid of the Asiatic Barred Zone, and gave each Asian country a minimum of 100 visas annually. However, the law specified Asians based on race instead of nationality, which ended up limiting Asian immigration, as many Asians in the pacific triangle were able to cheat the system. (Immigration Act of 1952). -
Asians Now Model Minority
Starting in the early 2000's a movement began that believed Asians are now the 'model minority' or "a bright, shining example of hard work and patience whose example other minority groups should follow". Many studies have proven many of the high achieving statistics about Asian Americans are wrong but there are many studies supporting high Asian American education and income. The model minority however, puts unnecessary pressures on many Asians to highly smart and skilled. (Statistics Don't Lie) -
Asians Biggest Immigrant Group
In 2012, Asians surpassed Hispanics as the largest group of new immigrants in the U.S. A record 18.2 million Asians were recorded to be living in the U.S., making them the fastest-growing racial group in the country. (Semple, 2012). -
Prediction
The country is already recognizing the stereotypes we put upon Asians and Asian Americans. There are studies that show pressures put on Asian and Asian Americans to meet certain test scores and make certain grades. This is moving us towards being more respectful towards Asian Americans and treating them as completely equal and not stereotyping. The only problem now is awareness in the community. -
Citations
~C. (n.d.). The People vs. Hall. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://cetel.org/1854_hall.html
~Smith, M. L. (2002). Race, Nationality, and Reality. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/summer/immigration-law-1.html
~Lee, J. H. (2001). Anti-Chinese Riots in Washington State. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hist32/History/S01 - Wash State riots.html -
Citations 2
~Wallenfeldt, J. (2019, January 08). Angel Island Immigration Station. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Angel-Island-Immigration-Station
~Asiatic Barred Zone. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://immigrationtounitedstates.org/362-asiatic-barred-zone.html
~Oi, M. (2016, December 26). How Pearl Harbor changed Japanese-Americans. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38362504 -
Citations 3
~Immigration Act of 1952. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Immigration_Act_of_1952/
~Statistics Don't Lie . . . Do They? (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://www.asian-nation.org/model-minority.shtml#sthash.feF7TS0x.dpbs -
Analysis
The issue that changed the most over time was actually the thought that Asians were inferior and dumb. It is now the complete opposite as Asians being the 'model minority'. Asians and Asian Americans are now stereotyped as being extremely smart. The compromise in the issue was that the US eventually let all Asians in to the country. The changes occurred mostly because the US became more aware of it's flaws and many Asians worked hard when they came to the US to prove their worth.
