history of asians in context

Question 1

naturalization act of 1790

Answer 1

“any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the US”

Question 2

filipino sailors

Answer 2

first to settle in the US around 1750 in the louisiana region

Question 3

1790s

Answer 3

chinese domestic servants in NY

Question 4

NINA

Answer 4

• “no irish need apply”
• great potato famine caused mass immigration to east coast in 1840s

Question 5

chinese sojournors

Answer 5

came to CA for gold rush

Question 6

1867 chinese workers’ strike

Answer 6

• union pacific vs. central pacific

Question 6

1865 transcontinental railroad project

Answer 6

• chinese sojourners didn’t find much gold
• couldn’t go back to china
• stayed to work on small businesses (TCR) to make a living

Question 7

why did the chinese go on strike?

Answer 7

• earned 60% of other workers
• dangerous conditions
• long hours, no breaks

Question 8

result of the 1867 chinese workers’ strike

Answer 8

the chinese were threatened with no wages, so they continued their work (aka big flop)

Question 9

13th amendment (1865)

Answer 9

abolished slavery

Question 10

14th amendment (1868)

Answer 10

people born in the US are citizens

Question 11

naturalization act of 1870

Answer 11

only white and black people can be citizens

Question 12

chinese exclusion act of 1882

Answer 12

• no chinese labor immigration (first for 10 years)
• no chinese could be a citizen
• no land, interracial marriage, homeowning, good jobs, education
• first US law that specifically targeted and singled out an ethnic group

Question 13

formation of chinatowns

Answer 13

• earlier concentrations formed with chinese laborers
• after exclusion, chinese had no choice but to retreat into their own isolated communities

Question 14

ethnic enclave

Answer 14

concentration of a certain ethnic group in a well-defined neighborhood
- e.g. chinatown

Question 15

early japanese immigrants

Answer 15

• 2nd largest immigrant asian group in US in late 19th century
• part of imperial expansionism
• 20,000 picture brides immigrated (diff from chinese)
• powerful homeland assured entrance with passports

Question 16

yellow peril

Answer 16

• painting of german kaiser wilhelm II’s dream in 1895
• like chinese, japanese viewed as “unassimilable” cheap laborers
• white people suspected they were a “colonizing” force sent to take over the west coast

Question 17

“the rising tide of color” by lothrop stoddard

Answer 17

3 dangers
- peril of arms (military expansion)
- peril of markets (economic competition)
- peril of immigration

Question 18

gentlemen’s agreement of 1907

Answer 18

• japan would stop issuing passports for passage to the US/hawaii to male laborers
• compromise, US school board allowed japanese students to attend public schools

Question 19

what made japanese immigrants differ from chinese immigrants?

Answer 19

they were allowed to bring their families…picture brides

Question 20

“becoming american: the chinese experience” documentary

Answer 20

• 1882 – permanent aliens?
• AD papers
• scott act

Question 21

scott act of 1888

Answer 21

prohibited US resident chinese laborers from returning to US

Question 22

1906 san francisco earthquake and fire

Answer 22

• burned birth certificates and chinese could say they were born in america and there was no proof
• brought about paper sons

Question 23

paper sons

Answer 23

immigrant buying papers from a chinese american citizen who agreed to pretend to be the their relative

Question 24

ellis island vs. angel island

Answer 24

paper sons were detained on angel island - ellis → symbol of hope - angel → symbol of detention

Question 25

anna may wong

Answer 25

- first chinese film star - often portrayed as a caricature of chinese people - revolutionized film industry for asian americans

Question 26

early korean immigrants

Answer 26

- fleeing japanese colonialism - 1882 treaty already allowed immigration more occupationally diverse, 70% literate and 40% were christian (converted by american missionaries) - different from chinese and japanese laborers

Question 27

importance of koreans in US

Answer 27

- prominent role in the korean independence movement - korean women active in nationalist activities

Question 28

japanese-korean exclusion league

Answer 28

“we are actively meeting to get these folks out of the country”

Question 29

early south asian immigrants

Answer 29

- 8,055 admitted from 1910 to 1932 - "hindu invasion" - anticolonial and nationalist struggles against british imperialism

Question 30

how were south asian immigrants excluded?

Answer 30

- “persons of poor physique” or “likely to become a public charge” in laws - coded language went from explicit to implicit

Question 31

early filipino immigrants

Answer 31

- philippines under US colonial rule began before turn of 20th century - 150k filipinos → “US nationals" - not subjected to same immigration restrictions

Question 32

what caused dissonance for the early filipino immigrants?

Answer 32

- taught that they were americans when in the philippines, but faced with unequal treatment as asians in the US - “little brown brothers” who would need “50 or 100 years” of close supervision

Question 33

1943 tydings-mcduffie act (philippine commonwealth and independence act)

Answer 33

- changed filipinos’ status from US “nationals” to “aliens” - backwards from what we saw from other asian groups

Question 34

immigration act of 1917

Answer 34

no immigration from the “asiatic barred zone” - literacy test - new categories of inadmissible people “mentally defective”

Question 35

takao ozawa v. US (1922)

Answer 35

court ruled that ozawa was ineligible for naturalization as a US citizen because he wasn't considered "white"

Question 36

US v. bhagat singh thind (1923)

Answer 36

- “caucasian” but not white in the eyes of the “common man” - subsequently, other indian americans lost their naturalization

Question 37

immigration act of 1924 (johnson-reed act)

Answer 37

national origin quota system (2% rule)

Question 38

2% rule

Answer 38

will only admit 2% of a certain country’s population

Question 39

why did they use the 1890 census instead of 1920 for the 2% rule?

Answer 39

wanted less asian immigrants and more european immigrants

Question 40

executive order 9066 (1942)

Answer 40

resulting in japanese internment during WW2 - rapid response to pearl harbor

Question 41

chinese exclusion repeal act of 1943 (magnuson act)

Answer 41

ended chinese immigration ban, but kept strict quotas

Question 42

immigration and nationality act of 1952 (mccarran--walter act)

Answer 42

- allowed asian immigrants to become citizens - starting to unravel nation quota system of bringing people into the country

Question 43

third world liberation front

Answer 43

coalition of "student groups" advocating for rights and representation of students from marginalized communities

Question 44

results of TWLF

Answer 44

- addition admission spots for underrepresented students - re-hiring of select faculty members - establishment of a college of ethnic studies

Question 45

racial formation theory (omi and winant)

Answer 45

race is socially constructed and has a profound determinant of one’s political rights, location in labor market, and sense of “identity”

Question 46

what was happening during the emergence of panethnicity?

Answer 46

- immigration and nationality act of 1965 - civil rights movement - post racial discrimination, organizing to address inequality

Question 47

panethnicity

Answer 47

process through which multiple ethnic groups relax and widen their boundaries to forge a new, broader grouping and identity