Reading Questions:
3. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first major piece of immigration legislation in the United States and set a path for immigration in the 20th century. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was created and it only affected Chinese Laborers. This act made it illegal for Chinese laborers to enter the United States, but continued to allow merchants and teachers from China into the country. The textbook stated that the act was renewed in 1892, and made permanent in 1902, and continued to be relevant until it was repealed in 1943. Chinese laborers were very important in America, because they were one of the main reasons that the Central Pacific Railroad was completed. The United States government decided to then expand this …show more content…
In the case of Takao Ozawa, the court said that even though his skin was white, he was not white and the skin color was of little importance because science and popular knowledge made it clear that Japanese people were Asian and not white. A few months later the case of Bhagat Singh Thind came forward and contradicted the case prior to it by saying that even though scientists claim Asian Indians to be Caucasian, he was not white because of common knowledge. Takao Ozawa applied for citizenship in 1914, but was denied because as a Japanese person he was ineligible for naturalization. He petitioned this and the Supreme Court denied him because he was not white, even though he was lighter than some people that are considered white. To the court, white meant Caucasian, and ethnologists said that Caucasian and Asian were separate races, even though the skin complexion was similar. Three months had passed and the Supreme court was now dealing with the case of Bhagat Singh Thind. Thind applied for naturalization because he was a high caste Hindu and was Caucasian, so should therefore be white as well. Once taken to the supreme court, the court agreed that as an Asian Indian he was Caucasian, but they still would not consider him to be white. The text stated, “the average man knows perfectly well that there are unmistakable and profound difference between them today” (Haney Lopez 2006, 63). The author believes that since the supreme court reversed their decision on the …show more content…
Privilege associated with whiteness was very apparent in the 1900’s. During all the immigration cases, and acts that were created, white people were not affected. While others needed to get passports and visas to enter the country, white people had the privilege of just entering without those aspects of identification. Syrians, Mexican’s, Armenians, Irish, Jews and Italians all wished to be considered white by the government so that they could live life freely with no worries about passports, visas, etc. The author quoted Peggy McIntosh who stated, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks” (1989, 10). This shows the different types of things that immigrants had to deal with, but those considered white did not have to deal with. People of other cultures were trying to get the government to count their skin complexion as white so they could live care free of these extra
3. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first major piece of immigration legislation in the United States and set a path for immigration in the 20th century. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was created and it only affected Chinese Laborers. This act made it illegal for Chinese laborers to enter the United States, but continued to allow merchants and teachers from China into the country. The textbook stated that the act was renewed in 1892, and made permanent in 1902, and continued to be relevant until it was repealed in 1943. Chinese laborers were very important in America, because they were one of the main reasons that the Central Pacific Railroad was completed. The United States government decided to then expand this …show more content…
In the case of Takao Ozawa, the court said that even though his skin was white, he was not white and the skin color was of little importance because science and popular knowledge made it clear that Japanese people were Asian and not white. A few months later the case of Bhagat Singh Thind came forward and contradicted the case prior to it by saying that even though scientists claim Asian Indians to be Caucasian, he was not white because of common knowledge. Takao Ozawa applied for citizenship in 1914, but was denied because as a Japanese person he was ineligible for naturalization. He petitioned this and the Supreme Court denied him because he was not white, even though he was lighter than some people that are considered white. To the court, white meant Caucasian, and ethnologists said that Caucasian and Asian were separate races, even though the skin complexion was similar. Three months had passed and the Supreme court was now dealing with the case of Bhagat Singh Thind. Thind applied for naturalization because he was a high caste Hindu and was Caucasian, so should therefore be white as well. Once taken to the supreme court, the court agreed that as an Asian Indian he was Caucasian, but they still would not consider him to be white. The text stated, “the average man knows perfectly well that there are unmistakable and profound difference between them today” (Haney Lopez 2006, 63). The author believes that since the supreme court reversed their decision on the …show more content…
Privilege associated with whiteness was very apparent in the 1900’s. During all the immigration cases, and acts that were created, white people were not affected. While others needed to get passports and visas to enter the country, white people had the privilege of just entering without those aspects of identification. Syrians, Mexican’s, Armenians, Irish, Jews and Italians all wished to be considered white by the government so that they could live life freely with no worries about passports, visas, etc. The author quoted Peggy McIntosh who stated, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks” (1989, 10). This shows the different types of things that immigrants had to deal with, but those considered white did not have to deal with. People of other cultures were trying to get the government to count their skin complexion as white so they could live care free of these extra