Blog on Chapter 9 The Century of Immigration: Chinese, Japanese, and French Canadians

            I agree with what Daniel’s definition of immigrant and that it was false and racist to hold the belief that Chinese and other Asians coming to the United States in the nineteenth century were not immigrants. This fundamental and troubling notion that Daniel’s describes has been the foundation for much of the racist and discriminatory attitudes and behavior towards Chinese and Asian immigrants that continues to be seen today.  The immigration of Chinese and Asians to California in particular has given such a rich dimension to our history it is terrible to think about it being denied as valid and positive in its contribution.

            The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1924 was particularly offensive to me and I ad never realized its impact on the demographics and acculturation of the Chinese immigrants here. When you study United States History, even at the college level, these things are covered so minimally, in such a matter-of fact manner, that the human impact and social-political impact of these kinds of restrictive legislative decisions is not really understood. As challenging as it sometimes is to read through Daniel’s text – and by that, I mean there is just SO much information in every chapter to try and take in, I really appreciate the comprehensiveness of what he is attempting to convey.

            The immigration history of Japanese persons is again of particular interest, too, because of their impact and contributions to California history. It was interesting to compare their demographic differences to the Chinese immigrant population, especially how not being subject to the Chinese Exclusion Act affected them.

            The immigration of French Canadians was interesting – particularly their slower acculturation to America. In some ways, I think it was very positive that they maintained their language and were comfortable going back and forth between their homeland and America. To me, it only adds to our own diversity that people are able to identify with more than one culture and I would think that a person comfortable in more than one culture might be more tolerant of the cultures of other people.