For example, is it acceptable for a law to be applied arbitrarily to one group while another group continues to defy the law with impunity? Also, do aliens have equal protection under our constitution? Such was the basis for a case that eventually made it to the Supreme Court late in the nineteenth century of Yick Wo vs. Many of the injustices were addressed by the courts. Again in the 1940s another wave of immigration occurred, prompted by the coming of communism in China. Many were lured under false pretenses, and streets paved with gold and opportunity were not to be found as expected. Chinese men flocked to our western coast in search of gold in the 1840s and in search of work on the railroads later in the century. Knowledge of this history of discrimination against the Chinese and changes resulting from Supreme Court decisions will serve as an important basis for better understanding two novels that I plan to teach: Bone by Fae Myenne Ng and Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. My purpose will be to expand that knowledge base to produce an empathy for Asian Americans to create an interest in reading the novel to provide background information that will assist my students in their understanding of the characters in the novels we will be reading if possible, to reduce racial prejudice against Asian Americans as we see that fundamentally, we share similar struggles and goals no matter what our race.Ĭhinese immigration to this nation is a shameful chapter in our history. Yet my students remain woefully ill informed about the horrendous acts of injustice that have been aimed at people of other ethnic origins.
They also possess an understanding, at least at a cursory level, of the horrific history of prejudice and discrimination toward blacks in this nation. They are acutely aware of any prejudice that may be aimed their way. I teach in an urban city school system, and my students are predominately African Americans. Chinese Immigration, Exclusion and the Chinese-American Experience by Deborah Samuel Rationale
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