Asian American History and the Making of the U.S. Immigration System

Notes

1. There's no term officially named the "Mexican Exclusion Act." However, this term is frequently used to refer to the Undesirable Aliens Act of 1929, which resulted in the prosecution of over 44,000 unlawful entry cases by the end of 1930s. https://immigrationhistory.org/item/undesirable-aliens-act-of-1929-bleases-law/
2. The detention barracks on Angle Island served as a processing and confinement facility for  hundreds of thousands of immigrants from 1910-1940, primarily enforcing the Chinese Exclusion Act.
3. The process of adopting the values, behaviors, and customs of a new culture while keeping part of one’s own original culture.
4. Rubén G. Rumbaut is a Cuban American sociologist and Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine, renowned for his research on immigration, refugee resettlement, and generational transitions.
5. While the definitions 1^st Generation, 1.5 Generation, 2^nd Generation and 3^rd Generation are standard for the U.S. Census Bureau and Statistics Canada, there can be minor variations in how different cultures and academic institutions use the terminology.
6. Oklahoma Great Schools: https://www.greatschools.org/oklahoma/tulsa/1565-East-Central-High-School/
7. Immigration History Timeline https://immigrationhistory.org/timeline/
8. 'Free White Persons' ='White male property owners' https://immigrationhistory.org/background/ paragraph 2.
9. San Diego State University https://loveman.sdsu.edu/docs/1875Immigration%20Act.pdf SEC. 3.
10. Densho Encyclopedia https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Picture_brides/
11. Judy Yung "Unbound Voices: A Documented History of Chinese Women in San Francisco" (University of California Press, 1999). Jew Law Ying's Coaching Book, 39 & 40.
12. A restrictive geographic zone created by the U.S., limiting annual immigration visas to 100 per country.
13. Embarking on leaky and overcrowded boats on dangerous seas to escape countries of violence.
14. A person is forced to flee their home country due to war, violence, or persecution.
15. 2001 federal law that expanded surveillance powers, enhanced information sharing, and increased penalties for terrorism. President G.W. Bush signed into law October 26, 2001.
16. Mandated biometrics on travel documents, required interagency information sharing among law enforcement, and expanded tracking for foreign students.
17. Traditional, knee-length breeches made of leather.
18. A racist stereotype mustache that embodies the 'Yellow Peril' - a 19th and 20th-century Western fear of East Asians.
19. Ancient musical horn, typically made from a ram's horn.
20. Thi, Bui: “The Best We Could Do” (Abrahm/Marks publishing, 2017), 1-336. https://www.amazon.com/Best-We-Could-Do-Illustrated/dp/1419718770
21. Lack of basic physical and financial resources needed to live, such as food, proper housing, and money.
22. U.S. immigrations policy between 1975 and 2000 shifted from accommodating Cold War refugees to emphasizing border enforcement, employer sanctions and legal caps. Key legislative programs from this era include the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975, the Refugee Act of 1980, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
23. https://whobuiltamerica.org/item/making-sense-of-oral-history Making Sense of Oral History offers a place for students and teachers to begin working with oral history as historical evidence. Written by Linda Shopes, this guide presents an overview of oral history, tips on questions to ask when reading or listening to oral history interviews, a sample interpretation of an interview, an annotated bibliography, and a guide to finding and using oral history online.