Thousands fled political persecution during the 20th century, seeking political asylum in other nations. As a result, a refugee crisis often began, as these other countries were unable to find places for these newcomers to stay as they awaited immigration approval. A famous group of refugees during the 1970s were the Vietnam Boat people, who left Vietnam as a communist government was taking control of the region. They left Vietnam in makeshift vessels and travelled in dangerous open waters, hoping to reach nearby countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. However, the sheer number of Vietnamese refugees overwhelmed the nearby countries, who later refused to accept any more refugees and left those who had come in overcrowded camps.
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The following decade was marked by a shift in domestic, foreign, and economic policy, as well as the emergence of the “yuppies”, young adults with materialistic and self-serving tendencies. Under Reagan’s administration, the United States turned towards deregulation, tax and spending cuts, and advocacy of “trickle-down” economics, where if corporations and other individuals keep more money, it encourages more spending and investment, resulting in a stronger economy overall. Americans called Reagan’s policies “Reaganomics”. Despite a recession in 1982 being the worst since the Great Depression, the policy proved to be popular among Americans, especially to the middle and upper classes. Nevertheless, Reagan’s policies created America’s biggest budget deficits due to increased military spending and tax cuts. Also, the Reagan administration attempted to prevent the spread of communism around the world, and supported various anti-communist governments and rebels in Latin America ("The 1980s"). The rise of conservatism during the late 1970s and 1980s likely contributed to the lukewarm response to the Vietnam boat …show more content…
After the war, the United States and Vietnamese government refused to address the issue of these children until the late 1980s. In 1982, the Amerasian Immigration Act facilitated the immigration of some children, but only a limited number successfully did under the act (Berman and Newman 608). Under the act, children had to wait years before successfully moving to the United States. Only with the Amerasian Act of 1988 that most Amerasians and their families were able to immigrate to the United States (Berman and Newman 608). The belated response regarding Amerasian children only further illustrates the inefficiency of US government in dealing with the refugee issues. Since the United States waited so long to address the issue, it clearly had no sense of urgency, and unnecessarily kept Amerasian in children in Vietnam for years. Despite the length of time most Vietnamese had to wait to even enter the United States, many did eventually successfully immigrate to the United States. However, many of them had difficulty assimilating and finding
The following decade was marked by a shift in domestic, foreign, and economic policy, as well as the emergence of the “yuppies”, young adults with materialistic and self-serving tendencies. Under Reagan’s administration, the United States turned towards deregulation, tax and spending cuts, and advocacy of “trickle-down” economics, where if corporations and other individuals keep more money, it encourages more spending and investment, resulting in a stronger economy overall. Americans called Reagan’s policies “Reaganomics”. Despite a recession in 1982 being the worst since the Great Depression, the policy proved to be popular among Americans, especially to the middle and upper classes. Nevertheless, Reagan’s policies created America’s biggest budget deficits due to increased military spending and tax cuts. Also, the Reagan administration attempted to prevent the spread of communism around the world, and supported various anti-communist governments and rebels in Latin America ("The 1980s"). The rise of conservatism during the late 1970s and 1980s likely contributed to the lukewarm response to the Vietnam boat …show more content…
After the war, the United States and Vietnamese government refused to address the issue of these children until the late 1980s. In 1982, the Amerasian Immigration Act facilitated the immigration of some children, but only a limited number successfully did under the act (Berman and Newman 608). Under the act, children had to wait years before successfully moving to the United States. Only with the Amerasian Act of 1988 that most Amerasians and their families were able to immigrate to the United States (Berman and Newman 608). The belated response regarding Amerasian children only further illustrates the inefficiency of US government in dealing with the refugee issues. Since the United States waited so long to address the issue, it clearly had no sense of urgency, and unnecessarily kept Amerasian in children in Vietnam for years. Despite the length of time most Vietnamese had to wait to even enter the United States, many did eventually successfully immigrate to the United States. However, many of them had difficulty assimilating and finding