Overview/Objectives

I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. To learn that present-day Chinese Americans are descendants of both pre-Exclusion Act immigrants and those who immigrated after World War II.
2. To understand the occupational profile of Chinese Americans.
3. To learn what life is like inside Chinatown.
4. To understand the family and religious life of Chinese Americans.
5. To learn about the migration of Chinese people to the United States.
6. To understand the historical situation of Japanese Americans in the United States.
7. To understand and evaluate how Japanese Americans encountered discrimination and ill treatment in the early twentieth century.
8. To explore the wartime evacuation experience of Japanese Americans during World War II.
9. To learn about the economic picture of Japanese Americans today.
10. To understand the family and religious life of Japanese Americans.
11. To explore and evaluate the remnants of prejudice and discrimination of Chinese and Japanese Americans in the United States.

II. CHAPTER OVERVIEW

While many Americans tend to see Asian Americans as one group, the experiences of Japanese Americans and Chinese Americans illustrate the differences between these groups. Japanese Americans experienced extreme discrimination during World War II, but have since managed to maintain a level of economic success. Chinese Americans, who have a longer history in the United States, adapted to their new country by establishing Chinatowns that continue to give this community many strengths and weaknesses. In this chapter, Schaefer also compares and contrasts these two groups in the areas of family and religion, and in the continuing ramifications of prejudice and discrimination.