The Chinese were the first Asian immigrant group to move to the United States during the 1850s; they migrated to the U.S mainly as low-skilled laborers who worked in gold mines, agricultural farms, railway construction sites, and industries such as the garment industry. The Asians endured generations of officially authorized racial discrimination; this included regulations that proscribed the immigration of Asian women, the Immigration Act of 1917, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the National Origins Act of 1924. The large immigration of the Asians increased following the enactment of the Landmark Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Through the years, the modern wave of the Asian Immigrants has been associated with increased levels of education and skills. The current Asian immigrants are twice more likely to have a college degree than the Asian immigrants who migrated to the U.S three decades ago, and they often get absorbed in high-paying faculties such as finance, medicine, engineering, and science (Jahng, 2013). The evolution of the Asian Americans has been impelled by the adjustments in the United States labor markets and immigration policies.
Discrimination
Asians have experienced severe political discrimination over the years. The Naturalization Act of 1790 debarred Asian immigrants from naturalization. The Act debarred Asian immigrants from acquiring the U.S citizenship and participating in the U.S voting activities. The Act established the “aliens ineligible for citizenship” legal category which subsequently played a significant role in the enactment of future discriminatory regulations. During the 1850’s and the early 1900’s Asian immigrants experienced malevolence from the anti-Asian organizations such as the Chinese Exclusion League and the Asiatic Exclusion League and mob violence which included aspects such a lynching. Amid the year 1853 and 1873, Asians were not allowed to testify against a Native American in court; this restricted the legal defense of the Asians against White aggression. The Gentlemen’s Agreement in 1907 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited further immigration of laborers from Japan and China with exceptions favoring the Asian merchants, teachers, students, and diplomats (Lee, 2015). Further, according to Lee (2015), subsequent practices and regulations triggered the return-migration of the Asians and fostered the deportation of low-skilled Asians. Many states and cities imposed discriminatory fees and taxes on Asians, and many professional organizations and learning institutions discriminated against the Asian immigrants. Amid the year 1913 and 1923, the western states sanctioned an increasingly severe Alien Land Acts which proscribed Asian immigrants from possessing or leasing land for an extended time. Various enacted laws such as the Cable Act of 1922 and the Expatriation Act of 1907 restricted intermarriages between the Asians, Whites, and the U.S citizens. The United States forcibly relocated approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans to detention campsites during the Second World War.
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Similarities and Differences amid the Asian Values and the Dominant American Values
One major similarity between the Asian and the dominant American values is based on the value accorded to education; both cultures perceive education as an important aspect of life. Different social philosophies typify dominant Americans and Asians; Americans put a strong emphasis on autonomy and individualism, Asians, on the other hand, emphasize the aspect of collectivism. Individualism is a social philosophy which emphasizes the moral worth of a person. Collectivism is a cultural value which is typified by the emphasis on cohesiveness amid individuals, and it prioritizes the conceptualization of group over self (Nicolaides, 2015). According to the Asian cultural values, hierarchy dictates authority in all aspects of life such as in the workplace and within a family. The aspect of equality influences the orientation of authority within the American culture. For instance, the implementation of decisions within an organization in the U.S is based on a consensus.
Impacts of Education and Family, and Extended Family Behaviors on the Asian American’s Economic Success
According to Nicolaides (2015), the social and historical context of the Asian-Americans in the U.S often impacts their expectations and demands that the Asian-American guardians have for their respective children. The immigration of many Asians to the U.S was motivated by the pursuit of the “American Dream;” this incorporates aspects such as financial needs and better education and employment opportunities for their families. Educational pressure from various Asian-American parents plays a significant role in the vocational outcomes of their children. Many Asian-American parents require their children to get into high demanding faculties such as medicine to increase their likelihood of acquiring a well-compensating occupation and high socio-economic positions. Asian-American guardians often have complementary goals for their children due to their common cultural context in the Confucian values and ideology of interdependence and filial piety.
Impact of the Difference in Cultural values on their Perception as a Model Minority
The model minority image is associated with negative effects on the psychological well-being of Asian-American students. Asian-American students may acknowledge the model minority stereotype and develop the desire to maintain an academic achiever’s image. However, a student’s incapacity to maintain excellent grades and uphold the straight (A) student reputation, may largely impact his self-esteem thus impacting his psychological well-being. On the contrary, the model minority image has been associated with positive impacts on the academic performance of these students. A study conducted by Sue and Zane attributed the excellent academic performance of these students to their family and cultural values (Lee, 2015).
Model Minority Stereotype
The model minority stereotype applies to all ethnicities within the Asian-American group. The stereotype is found on the notion that Asian-Americans successfully overcame aspects such as racial discrimination through hard work and self-improvement. The stereotype has been associated with the Asian-American populace since the 1960s because of their capacity to attain higher levels of success than other ethnic minority groups.
References
Jahng, K. E. (2013). Rethinking the History of Education for Asian-American Children in California in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century. Educational Philosophy & Theory , 45(3), 301-317
Lee, E. (2015). A Part and Apart: Asian American and Immigration History. Journal of American Ethnic History , 34(4), 28-42.
Nicolaides, B. M. (2015). Introduction: Asian American Suburban History. Journal of American Ethnic History , 34(2), 5-17.
