History of Asian Americans

History Of Asian Americans


Asian American history is the history of an ethnic and racial groups in the United States who are immigrants or descendants of persons from the continent of Asia. Spickard (2007) shows that "Asian American" was an idea invented in the 1960s to bring together Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino Americans for strategic political purposes. Soon other Asian-origin groups were added, such as Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong and South Asian Americans. They had arrived as unskilled workers in significant numbers 1850-1905, and largely settled in Hawaii and California. They were the subject of intense hostility on the mainland into the 1940s. Since the change in the immigration laws in 1965, middle class Asians from many countries arrived in large numbers as college students, engineers and businessmen. Their image of success was portrayed with headlines of the "Model Minority". For the contemporary situation see Asian American.

Read more about History Of Asian Americans:  Hostility, Historiography

Famous quotes containing the words history of, history, asian and/or americans:

    The history of medicine is the history of the unusual.
    Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Prof. Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll)

    ... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps the underground aquifers flowing; it is the liquid voice that can wear through stone.
    Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)

    If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
    You’ll know it is the Asian Lion.
    Carolyn Wells (1862–1942)

    When Americans look out on the world, they see nothing but dark and menacing strangers who appear to have no sense of rhythm at all, nor any respect or affection for white people; and white Americans really do not know what to make of all this, except to increase the defense budget.
    James Baldwin (1924–1987)