Question
Answer
The Chinese Exclusion Law dealt with the immigration laws for the Chinese people within the United States Government. It prohibited the immigration of Chinese low wage workers, restricting their entry into the United States. There were several cases against as well as for this Law. However, World War II (1939-45) was a major turning point for the Chinese Immigration. US was at war against Japan and in this war, China was one of its closest allies. In this spirit of camaraderie, the Congress government at the time scaled back this law, along with many other exclusion laws; thus allowing China citizens to stay as naturalized U.S. citizens. The rules against Chinese immigrants were somewhat relaxed during the war, compared to those of other Asians, especially the Japanese. Under the Magnuson Act of 1943, which repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the U.S. government restricted the number of Chinese immigrants allowed into the country to 105 per year.
Question
Identify and give the significance of the "No No Boys."
Answer
"No No Boy" is an Asian American Novel written by John Okada. It is an account of the life and struggles of Ichiro Yamada, a Japanese American, who has endured through the ordeal of the World War II. In World War II, the United States warred against Japan, putting the Japanese American residents in the United States in a very precarious position. In the novel, Ichiro Yamada goes through imprisonment for not pledging undying loyalty to the United States government. t very sensitively and aptly describes the conflict that Ichiro faces between his proud Japanese culture and his endearing home town of Seattle. He gets the tag of no-no boy, of belonging wholly to no specific country and is looked down upon by his peers in Japan. At the same time, he is scorned upon by the Americans, telling him to go back to Japan, despite the fact that he grew up in America. Thus, the phrase "No No Boy" correctly defines the conflict Ichiro goes through.
Question
Identify and explain the significance of the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952.
Answer
The McCarran-Walter Act, 1952 is an Act that deals with the immigration, naturalization and nationality laws in the United States Government. It is actually a revision act that improvised on the Immigration Act of 1924, especially on immigrant selection. It was brought forth during the Cold War, and also brought an end to the exclusion of Asians from immigration to the United States. It allowed for the presence of one-sixth of one percent of other countries' individual population inside the United States. It restricted the quota of Asian visas to 100 per year, thus continuing to discriminate against them. However, it also eliminated the laws which did not allow the Asians to become naturalized United States citizens. This notably improved the relationships between the United States and Asian nations. One pitfall of this new law was that it allotted quotas to Asians based on race instead of nationality.
Question
Identify and explain the significance of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965.
Answer
The Immigration Reform Act of 1965 was a revision of the Immigration Act in 1924, co-sponsored by Emmanuel Celler, a Congress member at the time. He was against the quota system which discriminated against Southern and Eastern Europeans. The new Act eliminated these quotas which were nationality-specific and significantly focused on family relationships with in-house citizens and job skills. Apart from Europe, the immigration laws were also realigned to Asia, Latin America and Africa. It allowed for 1,20,000 admissions from the Western Hemisphere for the first time. It thus was set forth with a mindset of racial equality, as the prior laws against immigration of other countries seemed to be a form of racism. This law had a large impact on the demographic balance of the United States population, with an influx of 75% immigrants into the country from other developing countries. Since Celler sponsored this Act along with Philip Hart, it was also known as the Hart-Celler Act.
Question
Describe ONE of the following. You can google answer if you wish: Daniel Inouye OR Dalip Singh Saund.
Answer
Dalip Singh Saund was an Indian native who was elected as a member of the United States Congress government in 1956, from the 29th California District. This election was significant because he was the first Asian to be part of the Congress. He was a native of Chhajulwadi, a village in the Punjab Province in India and graduated from the University of Punjab in Amritsar, earning a degree in Mathematics. He was a nationalist who felt stongly about India's right to freedom against the British who ruled the country at that time. He was elected national president of the Hindustani Association of America in Berkeley, thus starting his political career. He further gained a Master's and Doctorate degree as he launched his campaign and was a strong liberal. He never gave up on his Hindu religious practices despite being in a foreign country. He suffered a stroke in his campaign for a fourth term and was an invalid till died in 1973.
References
Bodenner, Chris. “Chinese Exclusion Act.” Issues & Controversies in American History. Infobase Publishing, 20 Oct. 2006. Web. 6 Feb. 2013. <http://icah.infobaselearning.com/icahfullarticle.aspx?ID=107565>.
Patterson, Tom. "Triumph and Tragedy of Dalip Saund". California Historian. 1992. PDF file.
A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS, Immigration Act of 1965. The City University of New York, n.d. PDF file.
The Immigration & Naturalization Act of 1952 (McCarranWalter Act). U.S. Department of State. Web. n.d. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/cwr/87719.htm>
Sang-Hee Lee, Shelley. Claiming the Oriental Gateway: Prewar Seattle and Japanese America. Temple University Press, 2011. Print.
