The Struggle for Equality: Native-Americans and Asian-Americans

The Struggle for Equality: Native-Americans and Asian-Americans The struggle for equality has been going on since the first European settlers immigrated to the United States. Globalization and Imperialism forced the indigenous peoples of the United States, and also immigrants from other countries, to endure extreme cultural changes. Both the experiences of the Native Americans and the Asian Americans are similar in the attempts by the dominant white culture to affect a total cultural transformation of their way of life. Both groups were considered inferior, dealt with segregation, discrimination, and the rationalization of economic and social exploitations. Native Americans and Asian Americans both suffered restriction of education that was intended to change and control their beliefs and behaviors, in addition to forced internment and relocation. Both groups struggled to preserve their cultures and languages, to be accepted and to receive the liberties that are the right of citizens of the United States. The liberties Americans expect, freedom f rom discrimination, citizenship, the right to sit on a jury, the right to vote, to receive an equal education were for many years denied them. In both cases, fear and greed were the prevailing attitudes that guided those policies of intolerance. From the onset, both the Native Americans and Asian Americans were viewed as inferior to whites and uncivilized. The 1700s classification of Native Americans by Congress as domestic foreigners (Spring, 2010) denied citizenship based upon the Bering Strait Theory that they had crossed over from Asia on the land bridge, and therefore were not white . This was the justification for the classification that all people of Asiatic decent, called collectively by European Americans Mongolians, were not to be considered white and was the basis for the Naturalization Act of 1790 which denied both Native Americans and Asian Americans citizenship. The general view of the Native Americans was a filthy (in the moral sense) savage who not only did not avoid personal pleasure, they enjoyed sex, allowed their women power, were lazy and did not discipline their children. Asian Americans fared no better. Spring (2010) states that in the 1870s in California the Asians were considered an inferior race, barbarians, and any mixing of the races would be the lowest, most vile degraded of our race, and the result of that amalgamation would be a hybrid of the most despicable, a mongrel of the most detestable that has ever afflicted the earth (p. 72) he went on to say that California Representative Romualdo Pacheco maintained, Chinaman [is] a lithe, sinewy creature, with muscles like iron, and almost devoid of nerves and sensibilities. His ancestors have also bequested to him the most hideous immoralities. They are as natural to him as the yellow hue of his skin and are so shocking and horrible that their character cannot even be hinted (p.73). The mind-set of non-European cultures not being white and needing to be civilized, was part of the belief system that the English colonists brought with them that held they were culturally and racially superior. This was used as the validation for taking over the lands of the Native Americans and the forced relocation of the various tribes. Ostensibly, for their own good, the reality was that the land was desired by settlers. This is similar to the Japanese Americans losing their homes and possessions during their internment in concentration camps during World War II. Additionally it was this same not white argument that was used in the 1920s to deny Asian Indians citizenship, and was combined with restrictive court rulings to deny owning land. It was over 160 years after the Naturalization Act that the United States Government acknowledged that naturalized citizenship should not be restricted to whites with the passing of the McCarran-Walter Act in 1952. The political system headed by European-Americans believed that to preserve the survival of the country it was necessary that other groups repudiate their native religions and ways of life, and accept middle class America with its accompanying customs. The hope was to accomplish this by total deculturalization and assimilation through education. It was during the latter part of the nineteenth century that the major policy of the United States Government became one of destroying the customs of the Indians, replacing their languages with English and instilling in them an allegiance to the U.S. Government. The Japanese faced these same tribulations in Hawaii in 1914. Wanting to preserve their culture and language, the local Japanese communities had opened private schools for their children to attend after public school. Spring (2010) explains, they were criticized by local white leaders for hindering the Americanization of Japanese American children and a Territorial Government report f rom that time states, All Americans must be taught to read and write and think in one language; this is a primary condition to the growth which all nations expect of us and which we demand of ourselves (as sited in Hawkins, 1995, p.35). The idea of cultural assimilation combined with the restriction of education was meant to keep other cultures and ethnic groups in line. Both Native Americans and Asian Americans were experiencing segregation or being denied an adequate education. It was not until the civil rights movement that strides were made to redress the deficiencies in schooling, have the schools provide positive images, and reverse the efforts by federal and state governments to destroy the language and cultures of different ethnic groups. The Japanese were, at this time, at a great disadvantage as they were still reeling from the effects of anti-Japanese movies made during World War II and had been villainized by all other cultural groups as a result. The outcome of that polarization of popular opinion was that the Chinese Americans were able to overcome the image of the Chinese opium den deviant which had energized discrimination and segregation. The American Indians wish to be in charge of their own educat ion and re-establish their cultural heritage and languages was made difficult by the attempts in the 1940s and 1950s to end the official status of the tribes. This was not in line with the Indians desires as it would mean dispersal into the general population (Spring, 2010). Banding together into the Pan-Indian movement the tribes in the 1960s led demonstrations to call attention to the plight of the Native Americans and garner political support. At this time, the image of Asian Americans had evolved to the point where they were considered the model minority(Spring, 2010). Regarded by the European Americans as model students who worked hard and got good grades, they were used as poster children to hold up against the African Americans and Hispanics for not working towards the model minority image. Despite strides made by both groups discrimination in education has continued. With a new inflow of immigrants to the United States, multicultural education ranging from bilingual education to instruction in a variety of cultures was proposed. All ethnic groups were expected to benefit from these policies. Unfortunately, the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act which mandated standardized tests to measure achievement, tied to school funding, put an end to that hope. If instructors hoped to ensure the students would be prepared for the high stakes tests that had became mandated than the material needed to be standardized. Sadly, these government created tests create uniformity in knowledge and make a single culture the norm of schooling. (Spring, 2010, p.133)

Personal and Imaginative – Waiting Room

I stepped up cautiously to the tiny speaker, where I reluctantly pressed the call button. The high-pitched mechanical sounding voice of the receptionist asked me to enter. She led me into a room that was painted in fluorescent yellow. Don't copy this coursework you rat. After scanning the room thoroughly for thirty seconds to look for somewhere to sit, I saw a squashed corner between a large woman and a damp, frayed wall. My ears started to twitch; they could hear the dentist calling out complex numbers to the nurse who scratched her sharp pen on the desk. My whole body shivered from the cold draft that swept in like a horde of rats scurrying through an open door. Don't copy this coursework you rat. I saw a leather chair, which repelled me instantly and made me cringe because it reminded me of what I would be tilted back onto soon. I waited impatiently for the nurse to call out my name; the war between the dentist and me desperately needed to be over soon. I leant over and fiddled with my hands. There was also an old man Don't copy this coursework you rat. who seemed very tense, my eyes fixed upon him for a short moment and discovered small droplets of sweat forming on his bald head. As I leant backwards, my eyes started to shut. However, the sudden blow of air from an extractor fan woke me abruptly and I pushed my cold hands under my thighs to keep them warm. Don't copy this coursework you rat. I looked up at the clock, ticking almost as loud as the road drill I passed on the way here, my time was due. The shock made me sit up swiftly, trying to look confident and ready, the nurse came in, pointed at me and Don't copy this coursework you rat. said, ‘you're next. ‘ This made me slouch over in distress. Rising from this back aching position, I walked over to the room. This overjoye Don't copy this coursework you rat. d, bewildered man greeted me; my mind wondered why he was so happy; was it the pain he is going to inflict upon me? Or the slaughter he put the previous person into? ‘Usual check-up? ‘ After giving a faint nod as he glared over at me. Smelling for the usual, cheap soap smell that covered the room was Don't copy this coursework you rat. normal, no one could miss the filthy stench; the flavour of the soap settled in my mouth and under my tongue, making me pull a crooked face. The phone rang in the background, I thought to myself that I could be ‘saved by the bell' but the wretched receptionist, who bought me into this hellhole, answered it. The merciless dentist started to fill my mouth with his heap load of ironmongery, he jabbed at my gums, poked at my teeth, knocked them around and worst of all, took a needle, sharp as a newly p Don't copy this coursework you rat. olished, murderer's knife, and pushed it on my gums. I gave a gasp of pain and shot up, knocking the junk out of his hands, spitting violently like a hailstorm Don't copy this coursework you rat. nto the sink beside me as blood trickled from the centre of my large tooth. I turned to him, with a face full of hatred, but his only tactle Don't copy this coursework you rat. ss answer was, ‘sensitive teeth? ‘ At this point, my rage was taken over by my fear, as I leant backwards and signalled a sign for him to continue. I asked myself, dentists must be sadists†¦ As he fished around in my mouth, I noticed the old, damp ceiling, where the brown water rings were poorly covered up by harrowing posters of gum disease and pictures of peoples teeth who just so happened to have unsightly cavities across their mouths. I tried not to stare at the pictures for too long. To distract myself from the continuous Don't copy this coursework you rat. throbbing of my gums, after being brutally stabbed by, I fiddled with my hands, I scraped the leather chair I was in, and an extremely high pitched sound came out, I gave a slight shudder and just left my hands to lay beside me. It felt like a whole hour had passed by, but when I looked at the clock it had only been twelve minutes and 43 seconds to be exact. I starte Don't copy this coursework you rat. d to feel uncomfortable sitting and waiting for this building work to be completed. The man took put a small tool, and slowly turned on a switch, which started up the extractor fan. This suddenly reminded me of how it startled me earlier, this small machine seemed to clean and suck up dirt from Don't copy this coursework you rat. my mouth. However, all I saw it do was dry up the insides of my mouth and make me want to shut my mouth to Don't copy this coursework you rat. re-hydrate it. He switched the machine off and I sighed with relief because he convinced Don't copy this coursework you rat. me that the deed was over. No more for another six months was the usual occurrence. To my surprise he walked out of the room after, and mumbled something serious to the receptionist. He came back in and told me, ‘you must see me again ne Don't copy this coursework you rat. xt week, I have to remove some dead teeth that are softening your gums,' at the point where he said, ‘remove,' I instantly felt a heat wave pass through my head feeling like the sun had just burnt through my skull. I could not argue, there was nothing to say apart from, ‘have a nice day. ‘ My e Don't copy this coursework you rat. yes bounced up and down rapidly thinking of someway to get out of more, grievous harm to my mouth. My mind wondered what I had done to deserve this Don't copy this coursework you rat. unfair treatment, but then I remembered the nights of not brushing my teeth and date with a packet of wine gums and once, only once, for a whole week, forgetting to buy that toothpaste. I tried to escape the tooth prison without arranging a time for the next appointment. But no, with my extremely bad luck, I w Don't copy this coursework you rat. as ‘saved Don't copy this coursework you rat. ‘ by the dentist†¦ ‘You have to ask Miss Sassin here for an appointment date and time. Instead of making my anger obvious, I tried to put a silent curse on him and wished that he is run over on the way home. However, all I heard was ‘ask the assassin to point to the teeth she may kill. ‘ I was forced to make a date and time, on the spot. I declined all open appointments left between the next day and three months later, after that, the od Don't copy this coursework you rat. d pens ioner had booked their abnormal 7am appointments, but the rest were free, so there was no hope in begging to be excused any more. In 4 months, I was back, there to serve my time for committing the crime.

How Technology Can Open Doors For Some Students - 1518 Words

Sequence of Events 1. Nate told students they will need a QR reader and to download one if they do not have it. Students were then instructed to go find the four locations of the QR codes and answer the questions on a piece of paper. 2. While the students were working, I walked around to see if students were struggling to find the codes or with a question. 3. Once they were all back in the classroom, I announced they had about one minute to finish writing down their answers. 4. Students were asked to share their answers for how technology could open doors for some students. Many answers were given and built on with more questions. 5. The next question discussed was what a credible source and how to evaluate one. Students responded with a†¦show more content†¦9. I then explained students would then be given the opportunity to create a technology based lesson using technology not familiar to them with the challenge of not using the ones we listed on the board. As a closure, the class would have created their own QR codes for the next day. Reliving Events #1 - Nate told students they will need a QR reader and to download one if they do not have it. Students were then instructed to go find the four locations of the QR codes and answer the questions on a piece of paper. Students were talking or discussing various different things and not everyone was paying attention. A few students ask what we were doing and wanted to get started, so they downloaded the app. Nate explained what we were going to be doing, but not everyone was listening still. Students were asking which QR reader was needed for the activity, so Nate explained any of them will work. It is what the individual student prefers their app to do. When students started getting up out of their chairs, the other students finally decided to pay attention and asked what they were supposed to be doing. Nate then explained it again for those who were not listening the first time. AsShow MoreRelated Technology’s Impact Essay1482 Words   |  6 Pagesoutgrowth of technology real ly a threat to college student? â€Å"Hey are you in the room, Ashley?† Kate knocks the door. â€Å"Hey I forgot my key, will you open the door for me,† Kate shouted. After five minutes, Kate went next door and knocked on her suitemate’s door. Her suitemate opened the door for her. She went through the bathroom, and reached to her own room. As she opened the door she was shocked; actually there was more of an angry expression on her face. â€Å"Ashley! Why didn’t you open the doorRead MoreAdvantages of Online Learning1634 Words   |  7 Pagesthe way we deliver the message to the students. As brokers of information, we have to seek new mediums to reach our students or consumers. Online learning is becoming more popular to reach students to help increase their reading and comprehension of what they read. 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The Great Depression Of Sylvia Plath - 869 Words

In the 1930s many life altering events were occurring, like the Great Depression. During that time some 13 to 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half of America’s banks had failed. These events led to many hardships and widespread unemployment and poverty. While these events were occurring, Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents met while her mother, Aurelia Schober, was a student at Boston University, where her father, Otto Plath, taught German and biology. The two were married in January 1932, and had Sylvia nine months later. Since she was born while the Great Depression, was occurring, one could say her life was not off to a great start and the ending of her life was also not ideal. Sylvia was no longer an only child, when her brother Warren was born in 1935. Soon after his birth, Otto’s health began to decline. Sylvia blossomed early in the way she noticed everything. She love the power and beauty of the sea tha t was located close to where her family lived. She also was mesmerized by her father’s ability to handle bees, even though he did not treat her well. Sylvia was a week and a half from being eight when her father died of lung cancer because he waited too late to seek help. People were astonished that Otto would have let it get this far. One of his friends even asked â€Å"How could such a brilliant man have been so stupid?† Otto’s death probably was confusing to Sylvia, because she was so young but also becauseShow MoreRelatedContributions Of Sylvia Plath1302 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the decades many great poets and writers have influenced and impacted the literature that we read today. Henrik Ibsen’s pivotal work regarding social and moral issues of his day and Sigmund Freud’s writing pertaining to peoples’ mental health are just a few of examples of profound writers who contributed to the growth and development of literature. 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