Asian Diaspora PDF

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Asian Diaspora Capstone...

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Pre-Lab: 1. Briefly discuss the concentration of the three major Asian ethnic groups in California before 1965. Indicate their respective reasons for immigration to the U.S. The three major Asian ethnic groups in California before 1965 were the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Filipinos. These groups went to California in search of employment opportunities. During this time, the Gold Rush was occurring in California and led immigrants to believe that America can offer them this type of success. Chinese people wanted to leave due to poverty while the Japanese moved to California for the same reason, along with poor agricultural conditions. The Filipinos went to California due to the 1899 Treaty of Paris which caused the U.S. to gain possession of the Philippines, which led to economic hardship. 2. Compare and contrast how the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the 1907 Gentlemen's Agreement in terms of how they affected the changing geographies of the Chinese and the Japanese in America. Also discuss the nature and impacts of California discrimination against both groups and how it changed their U.S. geographies. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act caused a decrease in the Chinese population, going from 105,000 in 1880 to 85,000 in 1920. This was also the only law passed that restricted an ethnicity group from immigrating to the U.S. The racism that the Chinese population faced during this time led them to create Chinatowns as a escape from discrimination. In the 1990s, when word of a health plague spread in San Francisco, officials quarantined Japanese and Chinese districts. This then led to the “First Gentlemen’s Agreement,” which was passed to tighten emigration. However, in comparison to the consequences of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese emigration was not halted, with many Japanese laborers heading to the Pacific Coast for it’s higher wages. This increase in the Japanese population also led to an increase in anti-Japanese sentiment. In addition, due to the relocation of the Japanese after the San Francisco fire, it led to more discrimination against the Japanese, with many white people seeing this as an invasion in their area. 3. How did World War II differentially impact Asian ethnic groups in the United States (Chinese vs. Japanese)? When WWII occurred, Japanese-Americans were taken out of their homes and placed into internment camps. On the other hand, since China was fighting Japan in the war, Chinese-Americans helped raise war funds, which helped their status as ChineseAmericans as well. In addition, since there was a labor shortage during this time, this led to job opportunities for all Asian immigrants except Japanese immigrants. 4. Which U.S. legislative acts influenced Asian immigration to and status within the United States? How did each one operate? The U.S. legislative acts that influenced Asian immigration include the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, McArran Walter Act, 1980 Refugee Act, and the 1990s INAs. The 1965 Hart-Celler

Act removed the quota system and instead created a new rule which was based on skill and family relationships. This act gave exemptions so that immigrant families could be reunited. The MccArran Walter Act kept the quota system but removed race as a factor. This act also included a preference system, which was based on family reunification and skills. The 1990 Immigration Act gave out 140,000 immigrant visas and added a lottery system. This act also increased the annual H-1B visas and people that have these visas can apply for permanent residency.

5. Which Asian ethnic groups have come as refugees after 1965 and what impact have they had on the general profile of Asian Americans? How does ethos relate the “model minority myth”? The Asian ethnic groups that came as refugees after 1965 are Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians, Hmong, and Indians. The model minority myth sees Asian Americans as hardworking people and will work hard to get out of any hardship they face like model citizens. The textbook gives numbers about the U.S. Asian/Pacific Islander population regarding education, employment, and home ownership, and most of these statistics showed a positive profile. These numbers let people think that even though the odds were against Asian Americans, they were able to find a solution despite everything. This further increased the amount of discrimination against the African American population. Post-Lab: 1. According to Figure 1, which two states served as Asian population centers in 1960? Which three Asian ethnic groups constituted the majority of the overall Asian populations in the U.S. in 1960? From class lectures, who were the three current largest groups by the year 2017? Using Figure 1, New York and California were the two states that served as Asian population centers in 1960. The three Asian ethnic groups that made up the majority of the overall Asian populations in the U.S. in 1960 are the Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. By 2017, Chinese, Indians, and Filipinos were the largest Asian ethnic groups in the U.S. 2. According to Chapter 17, which Asian ethnic groups had the largest percent changes in population since 1970? Why? According to Chapter 17, Filipinos, Chinese/Taiwanese, Asian Indians, and Koreans had the largest percent changes in population, with Asian Indians having the biggest percent change of 2,487% and the total percent change being 659%. This happened due to the 1965 Hart-Celler Act.

3. Describe the Asian distributions that appear in Figures 2 and 3. Use the terms “gateway” and “dispersion” to discuss these patterns. What does Figure 4 (county-level data) add to the understanding of U.S. Asian settlements? In Figure 2, the Asian population was the largest in California, with New York, Illinois, and Washington having lower numbers. During this time, California and New York acted as gateway states and these had the highest Asian population in Figure 3, with newer gateway states like Texas and New Jersey having lower numbers in terms of Asian population. Compared to 1960, 1970 consisted of a dispersion of Asians towards the midwestern region of the U.S. Figure 4 shows that the percentages of Asians in counties in California, Washington, and New York were the highest in the U.S.

4. What are the changes in the state-level distribution of the U.S. Asian population between 1970 and 2017? Which Asian ethnic groups helped to change the spatial distribution, and where did they settle? (Refer to both maps and required reading) By 2017, Asians were moving to states around California, Washington, New York, and Illinois, being located in almost every U.S. state. However, the population was still the greatest in New York, Texas, and California. The Asian ethnic groups that helped change the spatial distribution were the Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Indians and they settled in California, Texas, Illinois, and Florida. 5. From the more recent state-level maps of 1990 and 2017 Asian population distributions, which states have the highest populations of Asians in each period? Which urbans areas have the highest concentrations (country-level maps)? Why do you suppose this is so? Discuss the changes in Asian geographies between all the maps provided in 1990 and 2017? (Figure 5, 6, and 7 A and B)

The states that have the highest populations of Asians in 1990 include California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Washington. The states that have the highest populations of Asians in 2017 include California, Texas, and New York. 6. Discuss and compare the spatial distributions of Asian ethnic groups in 2017, as shown in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. The Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indians had a heavy concentration in southern California in 2017. The Chinese and Indian ethnic groups were the two groups that spread out a little more in southern Florida, the east coast near New York, and the west coast in Washington. These areas listed are mainly urban areas. The reason for this...