Discrimination Effects from the 1930's

The autobiography illustrates personal experiences of discrimination and prejudice while also reporting the political occurrences during the United States’ involvement in World War II. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States government unleashed unrestrained contempt for the Japanese residing in the nation. The general public followed this train of thought, distrusting the Japanese and treating them like something less than human. In a country of freedom and justice, no coalition stepped up to defend the people who had lived there most of or all of their lives; rather, people took advantage of the Japanese evacuation to take their property and belongings. The government released demeaning propaganda displaying comical Japanese men as monsters and rats, encouraging the public to be vigilant and wary toward anyone of Japanese descent. The abuse of the Japanese during this period was taken a little too lightly, the government apologizing too late and now minor education of the real cruelty expressed toward the nation’s own citizens. Now we see history repeating itself in society, and if we don’t catch the warning signs today, history may just come full

The stereotype that Asian Americans just naturally have a step up above the rest that paves the path for the jealousy other ethnicities is really the result of ridiculous amounts of dedication and this group of people should be praised for their work ethic.

Of all the problems Asian Americans face that Ronald Takaki mentioned, it seems that the “Yellow Peril”, “Bamboo Ceiling”, and “Model Minority” are the major issues. The hysteria of Asians are going to takeover the United States is such arrogance. In addition, the notion that Asian Americans are having the most success in America is completely overblown. Moreover, the misrepresentations that all Asian Americans are not leaders or have poor communication tendencies are wrong. These stereotypes have negatively affected Asian Americans and it still being used today. Ronald Takaki believes that those three major issues “Yellow Peril”, “Bamboo Ceiling”, and “Model Minority” are cause of Asian Americans discrimination.

During the Progressive Era, many citizens attempted to stop the racism within former confederate states by exposing the horrors of the wrongdoings, through speeches, protests, literature and other means of expression, who were known as progressives. One progressive, Ida B. Wells. helped to expose lynchings and racial discrimination through the use of bold and clear literature. Another, Booker T. Washington, believed that blacks should become more economically independent, so that discrimination will eventually cease. W.E.B. Dubois, another progressive, wanted and expressed instant racial equality through the use of forming groups and classic literature.

What is segregation? Segregation is set apart or separation of people or things from others or from the main body or group. (dictionary.com) In the 1930s African Americans did not have the right to vote. The policy of segregation meant that blacks had their own churches, schools, football teams, and even their own cemeteries. The Great Depression also took place in the 1930s. The economic crisis of the 1930s, the Great Depression, is one of the most studied periods in American history. Racism was at a high point in the 1930s.

Though Asians make up the largest portion of the world’s population, Asian-Americans are one of the least represented minority groups within the United States. Out of an estimated 318 million people living in the U.S., Asians account for 5.2%, or approximately 17 million people. Compared to Hispanics at 54 million and African-Americans at 42 million, Asians and/or Asian-Americans are vastly outnumbered by the two other major minority groups and even more so by the majority, European-Americans. Even though Asians are typically considered the “model minority”, they are faced with the same issues that plague many other minority groups within the U.S. today to include stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and ethnocentrism. There has been a history of discriminatory national policies directed at the immigration of Asians to the U.S. and in times of duress, the labeling and targeted institutional discrimination of specific ethnicities of Asian-Americans as traitors based solely on country of origin and not on the deeds and actions of said U.S. citizens (Japanese internment camps of World War II).

(Racism and Anti-Japanese Sentiment), Even before the events of Pearl Harbor there was a lot of resentment against the Japanese that came to the states because of their heritage and their traditions. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the resentment against the Japanese grew and their “human rights” were taken from them when they were thrown into the internment camps.

During the brink of war in World War II to the Civil Rights era, the United States was globally known for their considerable dedication of nationwide pride and prosperity as the outside perspective of the nation was depicted as a powerhouse along with a booming economy. However, the inside perspective of the nation gave away its true colors, becoming a tough pill to swallow as the minority of the United States’ population experienced a time of turmoil facing the white majority. It was fairly easy to overlook the prime examples of racial injustice in the 20th century, but not unfairly to sense the hardship for equality. Victims of the crimes of hatred and vengeance were heavily targeted as being Japanese-Americans and African-Americans. The motive for the discrimination of the Japanese-Americans was influenced by the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan, which caused mainstream hatred toward all persons of Japanese ancestry. As an act of precaution, all Japanese-Americans were forced to be imprisoned in internment camps until the end of the war. Moreover, the pursuit of racial equality for African-Americans was a continuous struggle that ensured the limitations of their freedom and civil rights. Whereas one of the incentive for the cause of segregation was merely to input fear to distribute the mindset of whites being the dominant race. Both the Japanese-Americans and the African-Americans battled the impaired judgement that was written all over the partial citizenship they were

The 1920’s, also known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, was a decade in which the increase of discrimination was prevalent due to immigration and migration. Immigration is the movement of people from their country, to a foreign country. Migration is the movement of people from one area to another. The migration and immigration of people was primarily due to the end of WWI.

Upon first glance, Takaki’s evidence seems to be very convincing. He seems to point to population size as a possible confounding variable in public perception. He also says that while Asians may hold high positions in certain companies, this fact may only be because Asians have more education than their peers. He also points out, in an attempt to turn this “stereotype” on its head, that many Asian grocery

In the 1880’s, America began seeing the first Japanese immigrants arrive in the Pacific Northwest. The Japanese came to this country searching for a better life. Many hoped to begin a new life in America where they could raise their families. There were others who came here merely to earn and save money only to return to Japan later on. The Japanese people who began their lives in America experienced little racism and discrimination, that is, before December 7th, 1941 when the country of Japan bombed the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After this event, the Japanese-American people’s lives would change dramatically.

Starting in the 1880s, the story of Japanese Americans and their presence within the grand scheme of America’s culture has its fair share of controversies, but perhaps the most contentious chapter is the internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. Widely considered one of the most egregious breaches of civil rights during this era, Japanese internment was blatant discrimination that took advantage of the panic during World War 2, and the predisposed notions many Americans had concerning the Japanese. In order to best understand the cultural impact that this period had on the American racial landscape, one must understand the Japanese immigration to America, racial relations leading up to World War 2, the causation of the internment,

→ The author shows the racism in American from a lot of sources; such as cartoons, official documents, advertisements, movies, and songs. The mass media drew Japanese people as an immature children (p.142) and animals. Especially, cartoons depicted the Japanese as monkeys, apes, rats, bugs, beetles, lice, and other kinds of creatures that had to be wiped out. (pp. 181-189) An example is that one restaurant sign on the West Coast said "This Restaurant Poisons Both Rats and Japs". (p. 92)

America’s initial response to the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 was that of disbelief and shock. This attack took place on a Sunday morning and what surprised many was the fact that a tiny island nation situated in the Asian mainland could bring out that kind of a feat thousands of miles away from its actual homeland. A major part of this shock and disbelief was based mainly on the stereotypical view that the Americans had on the Japanese people – short people with oriental features that appeared exaggerated.

The history of United State has shown many racial discriminations since colonists arrived America. African Americans have suffered unequal treatments and punishments in comparison to white people and European immigrants. Even when slavery was abolished in 1865, African Americans were still victims of many inequalities like employment, rights, housing, and transportation. However, due to these inequalities and mistreatments like the Jim Crow Laws, many African Americans started to make a change during the 1950’s, also called the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks, that was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Alabama. Rosa Parks case made the supreme court to ban segregation in public transportation. The social difference during the 1950’s was very notable and obvious, and voting was a big example of the huge discrimination suffered by African Americans and minorities. In the south, white people would take away minorities’ right to vote by making them take a test that would decide if they were or not capable to make a political decision. Fortunately, big characters like Martin Luther King vouched for the end of this inequalities. Martin Luther King played a big role in the 1960’s making everyone aware about the change that was about to come.