Negative Effects Of Alien Ineligible for Citizenship and Yellow Peril Designations before 1952 - Essay Example

Negative Effects Of ‘Alien Ineligible for Citizenship’ and ‘Yellow Peril’ Designations before 1952 Introduction Since the discovery of United States, the nation has seen an influx of foreign immigrants from all corners of the world for political, economic, and religious purposes. However, the existence of immigrants or foreigners prompted American negative policies such as ineligibility for citizenship and yellow peril. These policies affected Asian Americans who lived in United States before 1952. The policies diminished the possibility of Asian Americans living peacefully at a time when effects of World War 1 and 2 were still fresh (Brilliant 3). The effects of war coupled with the looming discrimination of Asian Americans became evident during that period before abolishment after 1952. The designation aliens ineligible for citizenship flourished at a time when immigration laws in United States were loose and targeted Asians from Japan, Chinese, and Indians who lived or intended to move to America at that time (Asjournal.org). It was put into effect through Chinese exclusion act, Naturalization Act of 1790, Immigration Act of 1917 and 1924 and Alien Land laws, 1913, 1920 and 1923. On the other hand, yellow peril was a designation directed against foreigners of Asian origin. Asians were seen as a threat to the spread of Christianity in United States, and this became a source of the racial conflict. From a legal perspective, the Asian Americans have been excluded from American citizenship at one time or another and this affected them negatively. The negative effects of designations ‘aliens ineligible for citizenship’ and ‘yellow peril’ will form an integral part of this research and explain in details what Asian Americans went through before the period of 1952. The Negative Effects Of ‘Alien Ineligible for Citizenship’ and ‘Yellow Peril’ Designations The designations discriminated Asian Americans on a racial basis In 1790, United States congress passed The Naturalization Act. The act prohibited the existence or immigration of blacks and Asian people to America and only white citizens could be naturalized. It gave white people an exclusive right to live in American soil (Kim 403). The legal system was not indebted to aliens who from a legal perspective deserved rightful citizenship in United States. Being white was seen as a source of social and economic empowerment at the expense of the Indians, Chinese, Japanese, and Africans who lived in there during the implementation of that act. The superiority tag conferred to white Americans was a downright show of racial discrimination. The Chinese Exclusion and Immigration Exclusion Acts of 1882 prevented travel of laborers to Americans for the mere fact that they were not white. The racial discrimination wave extended to a geographical exclusion. The geographical exclusion saw races that were different from white Americans secluded in one part of the United States. Their access to basic amenities was put under vigilance and control by law (Brilliant 125). The effect of abject racial discrimination based on color became evident in when Supreme Court decided on a case involving Bhagat Singh Thind in 1923. The court had changed the definition of white to Caucasian but cited historical and anthropological reasons to brush Bhagat argument that he was Caucasian. This shows that the legal body did not want to admit out rightly it favored whites over any other race. United States divided immigrants as desirable and undesirable based on color following Bhagat’s case in 1923 (Kim 1106). A number of the citizenship applications were revoked if the desired immigrant was in marriage involving an Asian American. They would lose their citizenship for good and expatriation right away as marrying an alien was inadmissible according to Immigration act of 1924. Asian Americans could not own land in United States United legal system in California and Washington passed strict laws that prohibited ‘aliens ineligible for citizenship’ from owning or leasing land. The Californian Alien Land Law of 1913 saw California permitted immigrants of African descent and white to lease land and perform a wide range of agricultural activities they felt fit (History-world.org). The law that became approved by both assembly and Senate through a majority vote left out the Chinese, Indian, Koreans, and Japanese farmers. Washington was not left behind for it was motivated through English Common Law to pass restrictive laws to any Asian immigrant living United States. The restrictive laws became part of Washington statutes that took effect as early as 1886. Another law that restricted Asian Americans further on land lease and ownership was approved in 1920. The Alien Land Law formed in 1920 made it clear that aliens did not have the right to transfer land through sale or lease to Asian Americans. According to United States laws implemented before 1920, they were ineligible for citizenship and could not even use their children’s names to hide guardianship for the land (History-world.org). If the government suspected or found out that an Asian alien owned land or an Asian alien provided the money used to buy the land, the property would be confiscated immediately to become the property of the state. The aforementioned laws were unconstitutional and punitive because they gave white Americans undue power over the Asian American immigrants. Following its effects, seventy-six cases were filed under Californian law to challenge the provisions of Alien Land Laws of California and Washington. Aliens became socially humiliated on American soil because of ‘yellow peril’ and ‘alien ineligible for citizenship’ tags White Americans saw themselves as superior over the Asian immigrants in united states. They could own and lease land as well as access public office facilities at will. This built pride amongst them and the influence brought social disorder amongst the aliens of Asian descent (Chin, Romero, and Scaperlanda 63). Asians were reduced to a state of lowliness and submission and their social status decreased around the states because they were seen as foreigners because of their origin. Moreover, they did not have the equal rights as Europeans immigrants who came to America that time. Social humiliation brought mistreatment and embarrassment through legal systems especially in California and Washington (Ono and Pham 46). The designation ‘Alien’ alone stripped Asian dignity, honor, and pride on American soil. The humiliation of one group based on the race was a potential source of disaster. In the pursuit of their right, Bhagat Singh Thind became humiliated in an Oregon court (Kim 1110). The legal docket had revised its definition of white as Caucasian but overruled that any light-skinned Indian or Japanese could not be counted as Caucasian. Even though the law seemed to contradict itself, it has already made a point publicly that the social status of Bhagat and any other Asian citizen was nothing but a common person. They were not allowed to naturalize within United States, and that became confirmed in the ruling for the case of Bhaghat Singh against United States of America. It became a cause for social hatred between white Americans and Asian immigrants. Asian Americans lacked economic power This became a source of their poverty and lived under the mercy of the Americans. Racist economic laws were passed with the designation of ‘yellow peril’ and ‘alien ineligible for citizenship’. The economic restrictions of Asian Americans took effect through Alien Land laws of Washington and California. The Alien Land laws prohibited any lease, purchase of guardianship of land for Asian immigrants and it resulted to less agricultural activities. They could not farm crops for subsistence and commercial purposes because the state would confiscate everything if found out. The confiscation also entailed any involvement of Asian money, and this meant that their financial means were useless in terms of owning and purchasing property on American soil. The periods after 1924 registered a decreasing agricultural output and a later agricultural crisis in United States. It was attributed to declining numbers of Japanese immigrant farmers (History-world.org). The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 did not hold weightless proposition on Asians immigrants. United States appreciated coming of Chinese workers because of cheap labor, but overtime Americans developed economic fears. Native Americans cited possible cases of unemployment and declining wages if the Chinese workers came in numbers, in the future. America did not recognize Chinese input during the construction of transcontinental railroad in the central pacific (Kim 603). The naturalization Act of 1790 and Burlingame Treat with China in 1968 also affirmed to low economic empowerment for Asian Americans. The Burlingame treaty allowed importation of cheap labor from China to United States to assist in building Pacific roads. However, the labor importation was abolished upon implementation of Naturalization Act of 1790 (Kim 403). The Chinese laborers could not travel to America because they were denied citizenship in accordance with the new immigration laws. Citizenship became limited to white persons only, and any pursuit for economic development from an alien got prohibited. The economic restrictions existed until 1952 when the congress allowed Asians to migrate to America. They resulted to physical brutality death of many Asian Americans Naturalization, alien land ownership and immigration restrictions gave American employers in mining camps the authority to violate Asian residents especially Chinese who had been imported to America. In the racial regime of late 19th century, Californian residents targeted at Chinese laborers through sporadic labor violence. They stage-managed boycotts and destructions of flourishing Chinese businesses, and it resulted to frequent deaths (History-world.org). One of the effects of ‘yellow peril’ was seen in 1906 in San Francisco School Board. The board ordered alienation of all Japanese, Chinese, and Korean kids to a separate school alias oriental school. The brutality did not take effect on Asian adults only as the oriental school destabilized social and psychological states of children living in California. Children grew with the fear that they would be killed just because they were living in a foreign land. The gross deaths and physical brutality for Asian Americans accounted for the social gap existed in the United States. Other quotas of English origin could not intervene because of the tension brought about by the rumors of World War 2 (History-world.org). The peak of the brutality reached its peak when another racial act took effect on 1924. There were subsequent interventions to reduce the racial brutality but not until enactments and treaties after 1952. This is the time McCarren Walter Act modifications of the new legislation abolished the physical and deaths of Asian immigrants in American soil. Yellow peril stripped Asian Americans off their religion power. Yellow peril took effect in the 19th century and was aimed at any persons of Asian descent. The epithet was not only evident in America but also in Europe. Western civilization value Christendom at the time but the culture-abhorred invasion of Asians. They were depicted as barbarian hordes who could destroy Christianity for good. Therefore, the Asians could not perform their religion activities because they were seen as absolute threat to Christendom. The system did not accord them freedom of expression in terms of religion (Ono and Pham 25). Conclusion There is no doubt that Asian Americans suffered under racial legal system before 1952. The tag Yellow peril and Aliens ineligible for citizenship existed because of the acts of law enacted on American soil. They destroyed the racial structure in United States. The racial destruction affected Asian Americans who were racially inferior amongst white persons. The economic fabric was not spared either. The proof provided by China Exclusion Act of 1882 coupled with Immigration Act and restrictive laws Alien Land laws shows that Aliens did not have economic power. They could not own, purchase or lease land or farm for agricultural gain on American soil. Chinese workers aimed at the United States’ economic development but could not gain any benefits following the inadmissible nature of Immigration Act of 1924. Religion power for non-Americans was also suppressed as it was as a direct threat to the rising wave of Christendom and its influence spread further to Europe. Not only was the religion power of aliens suppressed but they also underwent social embarrassment amongst Americans. They did not have any social status because of their color and origin thanks to discriminative policies. Finally, the cause of deaths and physical brutality in employment centers has been discussed. Labor violence came in the form of boycott and destruction of businesses. In the process, alien workers were maimed and murdered under the watch of the United States legal system. The abject slur through congressional legislation, public opinion, education, and discriminative diplomacy depicts dark history of United States. The country righted its wrongs after 1952 through thorough modifications of the suppressive acts. Works cited Asjournal.org,. Asian Americans and American Immigration and Naturalization Policy - American Studies Journal No. 49 (2007). N. p., 2014. Web. 15 May. 2014. Brilliant, Mark. The Color Of America Has Changed. 1st ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Chin, Gabriel J, Victor C Romero, and Michael A Scaperlanda. Immigration And The Constitution. 1st ed. New York: Garland Pub., 2001. Print. History-world.org,. ASIAN AMERICANS. N. p., 2014. Web. 15 May. 2014. Kim, Hyung-chan. Asian Americans and The Supreme Court. 1st ed. New York u.a.: Greenwood Press, 1992. Print. Ono, Kent A, and Vincent N Pham. Asian Americans and The Media. 1st ed. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2009. Print. Read More