Prejudice Against Asian Immigrants
Contradiction of the US Ideology
America was founded based on the ideology of freedom and equal opportunity. The US was once a British colony and was governed by the empire. The Americans had to fight for their independence for their rights and freedom. Seeing that was the case, it symbolized a nation in which freedom and equality became the ideal. This ideology, however, contradicted itself as immigrants began to come into the US from many nations, especially Asian women. There were not many Asian women immigrants prior to the Magnusan Act in the 1943, which repealed the Exclusion Act, and even after successfully entering the US, they struggled to identify themselves in the new world because of the racial hierarchy. Most of the times, Asians were seen as the unwanted, contradicting the ideology of equal rights and freedom. I will argue that the way the Americans handled the Asians and Asian Immigrants during the World War 2 and Korean War, especially women, further created racial tension and hierarchy that went against unity. During the World War 2, Japan became the enemy nation against the US. The sudden bombing of Pearl Harbor put hatred in the Americans against the Japanese, which is an understandable fact. However, Americans responded in an uncivilized manner. The Japanese Americans were put in internment camps without their consent. They were told that “it was all in the interest of national security, it was a matter of military necessity, and it was an opportunity for them to prove their loyalty (Otsuka 70).” These statements in themselves imply that US is the dominant nation and superior to immigrants. Japanese has no other options but to submit to the US regulations. It was solely up to the US to decide whether Japanese individual was loyal or disloyal, and in that process, they were mistreated and had to spend the entire duration of the war in the camp (Okihiro 246). Because of this internment, Japanese Americans were separated from
America was founded based on the ideology of freedom and equal opportunity. The US was once a British colony and was governed by the empire. The Americans had to fight for their independence for their rights and freedom. Seeing that was the case, it symbolized a nation in which freedom and equality became the ideal. This ideology, however, contradicted itself as immigrants began to come into the US from many nations, especially Asian women. There were not many Asian women immigrants prior to the Magnusan Act in the 1943, which repealed the Exclusion Act, and even after successfully entering the US, they struggled to identify themselves in the new world because of the racial hierarchy. Most of the times, Asians were seen as the unwanted, contradicting the ideology of equal rights and freedom. I will argue that the way the Americans handled the Asians and Asian Immigrants during the World War 2 and Korean War, especially women, further created racial tension and hierarchy that went against unity. During the World War 2, Japan became the enemy nation against the US. The sudden bombing of Pearl Harbor put hatred in the Americans against the Japanese, which is an understandable fact. However, Americans responded in an uncivilized manner. The Japanese Americans were put in internment camps without their consent. They were told that “it was all in the interest of national security, it was a matter of military necessity, and it was an opportunity for them to prove their loyalty (Otsuka 70).” These statements in themselves imply that US is the dominant nation and superior to immigrants. Japanese has no other options but to submit to the US regulations. It was solely up to the US to decide whether Japanese individual was loyal or disloyal, and in that process, they were mistreated and had to spend the entire duration of the war in the camp (Okihiro 246). Because of this internment, Japanese Americans were separated from
Bibliography: Okihiro, Gary Y. Cane Fires. PA: Temple University Press, 1992. Otsuka, Julie. When the Emperor was Divine. New York: Julie Otsuka, Inc., 2002. Yuh, Ji-Yeon. Beyond the Shadow of Camptown. New York: New York University, 2002.