ClaireGegenheimer

RELI210
FinalEssay
BeingLatinoinAmerica
AfterreadingLeeChewsAmericanBornChinese,Icouldnothelpbutnoticethereare
severalkeysimilaritiesbetweenbeinganAsianimmigrantinthe1920s,andbeingaLatino
immigrantinpresentdayAmerica.ThisinitselfshowsthatwhiletheUnitedStateshasalways
embracedpeopleofdifferentracesandreligions,ithasstillstruggledinfullyacceptingthese
differencesaspartofaunitedAmericansociety.Inessence,wehaveallowedpeopletolive
heretoescapeinjusticesaroundtheglobeandtopursuetheAmericanDream,butitappearsthat
theseareveryconditional.Forexample,bothAsianandLatinoimmigrantshavehistorically
beenusedforcheaplabor,ultimatelyforcingthemintoacontinuousstateofpoverty.Inaddition
tothis,bothAsianandLatinoimmigrantsareconcentratedinspecificareasthroughoutthe
country,leadingonetobelievethatbothgroupsareandhavebeentoleratedincertainregions.
Thesetwocasesalsoshowarepetitivestoryofdiscriminationbothsocietallyandlegally.
WhenAsiansChineseinparticularfirstarrivedontheshoresofAmerica,theywerepraised
fortheirhardworkbutcriticizedfortheirlanguageandphysicalappearance.WithLatinos,and
Mexicansmorespecifically,thereisaneverendingcycleofpolicebrutality,higherjail
sentences,andconcernsregardingimmigration.Therefore,itseemshypocriticaloftheAmerican
peopletopreachvaluesofdiversityandinclusionbutthencontinuetoholdminoritygroupstoa
levelthatisinferiortotheirown.

BeinganativetoasmallvillageinChina,LeeChewwasraisedmuchdifferentlythanthe
typicalAmerican.HegrewupunderthepresumptionthatAmericanswere,allinall,badpeople.
Theywerewildandfierceandwicked...theylovedtorob,beatpeopleandmurder...theirmen
andwomenlivedtogetherlikeanimalswithoutanymarriageorfaithfulness(Chew620).
However,eventhoughLeeChewheldthosebeliefs,hestillchosetotraveltoAmericainsearch
ofopportunity.ThisholdstruetoMexicanandotherimmigrantsaswelleventhoughtheyare
raiseddifferentlyanddonotconsiderAmericanstobethebestpeople,thereisstillsomething
thatdrawsthemherefromtheirnativelands.Itisanunfortunatetruththatthesetwo
demographicshavecometotheUnitedStatesinsearchoftheAmericanDream,butare
immediatelyfacedwithracismanddiscriminationwhichconfirmstheirbeliefsofAmericans
beingbigotedandnarrowminded.
AccordingtoLeeChew,onlyAsianmenweregrantedentryintotheUnitedStatesin
ordertopursuework.Becausewomenandchildrenweredeniedtheopportunitytocometo
America,theywereleftbehindinharshconditionsandwithoutthesupportfromtheheadoftheir
household.In1888,CongresstookexclusionevenfurtherandpassedtheScottAct,which
madereentrytotheUnitedStatesafteravisittoChinaimpossible,evenforlongtermlegal
resident(history.state.gov).AsimilarsituationexiststodaywithMexicansandotherLatino
groupswhowishtoliveandworkintheUnitedStates.StategovernmentsofArizonaandTexas
inparticularhavebeenextremelyselectiveinwhoisallowedtoenterthisisbothdueto
institutionalracismaswellasthefactthatobtainingcitizenshiporevenaworkersvisais
expensive.Therefore,manyLatinopeoplecometothiscountryillegallyinsearchofwork,
leavingtheirspouses,childrenandotherfamilymembersbehind.Additionally,illegal

immigrantscaneasilydieontheirjourneyduetodehydrationorheatexhaustion.Boththese
scenariosleavefamiliesseparated,andcreatesfinancialhardshipsforbothpartiesinadditionto
damagingemotionaleffectduetothedistanceandtheinabilitytocommunicateregularly.
Anothersimilaritybetweenthesetwogroupsisthatbothofthemhavehistoricallybeen
usedforcheaplaboranddoingalotofAmericasundesirablework.AsthenumbersofChinese
laborersincreased,sodidthestrengthofantiChinesesentimentamongotherworkersinthe
Americaneconomy.Thisfinallyresultedinlegislationthataimedtolimitfutureimmigrationof
ChineseworkerstotheUnitedStates,andthreatenedtosourdiplomaticrelationsbetweenthe
UnitedStatesandChina(history.state.gov).FromtheChinesebuildingthetranscontinental
railroadandworkinginmines,toMexicansworkingonCalifornianfarms,thejobsthatthese
groupshavebeenforcedtotakehaveoftenbeenhardlabor,lowpaying,anddangerous.in
theindustrialcopperminingtownofBisbee,Mexicanworkersweresegregatedeconomicallyby
theirlowerpay('Mexicanwage')(Chomsky).Thishasleftthemwithfew,ifany,housing
options.ChineseandotherAsianimmigrantsinthe1920swereforcedtoliveinslumswith
minimalcomforts.TheMexicanfarmworkersareforcedtoliveincommunalhomeswithmany
otherworkers.Bothsetsoflivingconditionswereandstillaremiserable,andoftentimestheydid
anddonothaverunningwater,electricity,orgas.OtherLatinoworkerswhofindjobselsewhere
stillfindthemselvesinlowincomejobs,sotheirhousingislimitedtoghettoswhichisnotmuch
betterthanthecommunalfarmhomes.
AllofthesediscrepanciesleaveonetowonderwhatittrulymeanstobeAmerican.Lee
Chew,liketheLatinoimmigrants,cametothiscountryinsearchofabetterlife;justas
ProtestantsdidwhenleavingEnglandinthedaysofcolonialAmerica.Whenseparatingfrom

England,pilgrimscametoAmericainsearchofmanyofthesamethingsthesepeoplehave.One
canonlyviewitashypocriticalwhenAmericaisthelandoffreedom,opportunityandjusticefor
all,yetsomehowAmericansalwaysseemtofindagrouptoexclude.OurveryownDeclaration
ofIndependencestatesweholdthesetruthstobeselfevident,thatallmenarecreatedequal,
thattheyareendowedbyourcreatorwithcertainunalienablerightsFromitsveryfoundation,
Americaclaimstobeacceptingofall,butwheneverawaveofforeignpeopleorideascometo
thisland,itisnotfullyaccepted.Chineseimmigrantsofthe1920sandLatinoimmigrantsin
modernsocietyencounterandhaveencounteredhardshipsanddiscriminationatthehandsof
Americans.Ifwearetrulystrivingtobetheshiningcityuponahillasweclaimtobe,thenmore
actionneedstobetakentoensurethatpeoplearenotsubjecttoprejudicebasedoncolor,gender,
religion,orcountryoforigin.

Works Cited
"Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts - 18661898 - Milestones - Office of the
Historian." Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts - 18661898 - Milestones Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
Chomsky, Aviva. ""Illegal Immigration" Is a Policy Used to Exclude and Exploit." Truthout.org.
N.p., n.d. Web.
Yang, Gene Luen., and Lark Pien. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 2006. Print.