America has changed greatly, from being a place inhabited by whom explorers called “Indians” to a place where people of diverse background now call home. All but one thing has not changed; people have continued to refer to America as the “Land of Opportunity.” Various push and pull factors triggered the need to come to America. Examples of the push and pull factors would be the Potato Famine for the Irish or Gold Mountain for the Chinese and a s a result, America was highly spoken of. As the Japanese described it, America was a place where “money grew on trees,” (Takaki, 233). Stories and rumors were spread to families back at home through letters, inspiring everyone to dream of going to “The Land of Opportunity.” Reality on the other hand
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This idea of white being equivalent to American lead to racial discrimination and a feeling of superiority, similar to that of the Whiteman’s Burden. On the other hand, European Americans such as the Jewish and Irish had also received racial discrimination; however being accepted as American was easier because they were in fact white and was enforced by the Naturalization Law of 1790. For immigrants that were not white, such as Asian Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans and so on, no matter how qualified they were to be an American citizen, they would only be referred to as aliens. “‘We try hard to be American but Americans will always say you always Japanese. Irish became Americans and all the time talk about Ireland; Italians become Americans even if do all time like Italy; but Japanese can never be anything but Jap,’” as an immigrant from the book, A Different Mirror, by Ronald Takaki, a professor of Ethnic Studies, described, (258). Indians were stripped of their land, African Americans were seen no more than slaves, the Chinese became targets of white labor resentment and events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and 9/11 worsened the unity of America. Stereotypes would flourish and discrimination came hand in hand with violence and
This idea of white being equivalent to American lead to racial discrimination and a feeling of superiority, similar to that of the Whiteman’s Burden. On the other hand, European Americans such as the Jewish and Irish had also received racial discrimination; however being accepted as American was easier because they were in fact white and was enforced by the Naturalization Law of 1790. For immigrants that were not white, such as Asian Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans and so on, no matter how qualified they were to be an American citizen, they would only be referred to as aliens. “‘We try hard to be American but Americans will always say you always Japanese. Irish became Americans and all the time talk about Ireland; Italians become Americans even if do all time like Italy; but Japanese can never be anything but Jap,’” as an immigrant from the book, A Different Mirror, by Ronald Takaki, a professor of Ethnic Studies, described, (258). Indians were stripped of their land, African Americans were seen no more than slaves, the Chinese became targets of white labor resentment and events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor and 9/11 worsened the unity of America. Stereotypes would flourish and discrimination came hand in hand with violence and