ASIAN-AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATESBy Roman Matveev & Andrew Cedrone

The First Immigrants• The discovery of gold in California attracted Asian-

Americans (mostly Chinese)• Settled in camps around rivers• Constituted 22% of miners population in 1880• Made contributions to the economy by providing reliable

source of inexpensive labor (ie. mining, construction, laundries, fresh food, domestic services)

The First Immigrants (cont.)• First Chinese-Americans hired in 1865 to construct the

Transcontinental Railroad• Did dangerous work such as blasting• Without Chinese labor the Transcontinental Railroad

would have never existed• Laid track over Sierra Mountains which was 7,000 high

and 100 miles long

World War II & The Japanese• Global conflict lasting from 1939-1945• On December 7th, 1941, Japanese government attacked

Pearl Harbor• On February 19, 1942 F.D.R. signed the Japanese

internment order• Japanese were sent to internment camps for suspicion

(110,000)• 62% of interned Japanese were U.S. citizens• Congress was motived largely by racial prejudice, war-

time hysteria and faulty political leadership

Effects of Internment Camps• Japanese were left with nothing when they left home• Received 10 cents for every dollar they lost• Many had trouble finding jobs, getting loans, and

purchasing new houses• Families suffered enormous damages which still have

lasting effects

The Atomic Bomb• On April 6th, 1945 the U.S.A. dropped “Little Boy” on

Hiroshima and on April 9th, 1945 dropped “Fat Man” on Nagasaki

• Resulted in about 246,000 deaths and counting due to the radiation still poisoning the people

• Only nuclear weapon ever used to date

Chinese Immigration Laws Change (1965)

• Families could immigrate to the states, not just males• This new immigration law changed the way the U.S.

counted its immigrant population• Allowed far more skilled workers and family members to

enter the country then ever before • Eliminated the old system that gave preference to western

Europeans.• There was a resulting surge in the Chinese American

population  • This new group of immigrants did not come from the same

few rural provinces • Many came from urban cities such as Hong Kong and

Taiwan, and had greater expectations of social mobility

Vietnam’s influence on Asians• In 1975 following the Vietnam War, more than 130,000

refugees fleeing from the Communist governments of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos arrived on U.S. ground

• Vietnam created prejudice within the U.S.A. and neighboring Asian countries towards the Vietnamese

“Model Minority”• Coined in 1966 in “The New York Times” magazine • This term is associated with Asian-Americans• High educational achievement and a high representation

in white collar professions • Medicine, investment banking, management consulting,

finance, engineering, and law• Stereotype that all Asians are geniuses

Economic Contributions • In 2002, there were over 286,000 Chinese-owned firms in

the U.S. generating more than $105 billion in revenue.  • The number of Chinese-owned businesses mostly in

professional, scientific and food-related services, grew 13.2 percent between 1997 and 2002.

• California had the most Chinese-owned firms with 110,823 firms or 38.7 percent

• New York was second with 57,673 firms or 20.2 percent• Texas was third in number of Chinese-owned firms with

13,735 firms or 4.8 percent

Discriminations• Banned from entering the States (Chinese Exclusion Act

1882)• Beat relentlessly for their physical appearance, never

reunited with families, forced to carry identification card at all times

• Forced to do harder labor• Japanese interment camps during WWII• Stereotyped as “smart”• Puts extreme pressure on students to succeed

Asian Americans Today• Part of the entertainment industry since the 19th century

(Usually play stereotypical roles)• Created a huge business in grocery stores, medical and

law practices, laundries, restaurants, beauty stores, and hi-tech companies. (Jerry Yang, the creator of “Yahoo”)

• Military service (Japanese-American 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team)

• Science and biological discoveries • Space travel • Have various Olympic accomplishments and feats (ice-

skating, tennis, table tennis)

Discussion• What are some personal stereotypes of Asian Americans?• Why are these generalizations so prevalent among these

groups?• Do you think internment camps were the correct way to

handle the fear of Japanese? How do you think we could have handled the situation better?

• Was the bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki justified?