In the 18th and 19th centuries, U.S. immigrants were experiencing discrimination in many areas. Mexican and Asian people were not allowed to become U.S. citizens and always faced stigmatic treatment. The children could not attend schools for whites, and just as African Americans were sent to the “schools for colored.” This research paper aims to discuss the history of Mexican and Asian people’s educational discrimination in the U.S. and to look at the current situation.
U.S. government and its ambitions were one of the main reasons for Mexican people’s implementation as citizens of the country. As a result of Anglo-Americans conquering new lands, Mexico lost close to half of its territory, and the people living there had to become U.S. citizens. The children’s education suffered because they had to attend segregated schools in order to not intersect with white kids (Pérez-Soria, 2017). Overall, throughout the nineteenth century, Mexican citizens faced significant discrimination, had to work at low-income jobs, and attend low-level schools.
Asian people also suffered major discrimination and were treated as an inferior race. They traveled to the U.S. in the middle of the nineteenth century. The government proclaimed them to be Native Americans’ descendants. This meant they had to receive education in specialized schools. U.S. government has tried to prevent further immigration of Asian people by limiting their access to the country (Office of the Historian, n.d.). In the early days of immigration, Asian Americans were a cheap labor force, so their status was influenced by the treatment they received in the country.
Unfortunately, both Mexican and Asian people still experience discrimination, albeit a reduced one compared to the nineteenth century. In Texas, “[Mexican Americans] already the majority of students in the state … predicting further increases in those proportions” (Kauffman, 2019, p. 916). Meanwhile, Asian students’ success in academic studying exceeds even those of the white population (McMurtry et al., 2019). The progress in the different nationality’ treatment is improving, which only suggests a better future.
The U.S. is home to diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures. Unfortunately, Mexican and Asian people have suffered educational discrimination in the U.S.A. throughout history. Even though the modern situation has changed in a positive manner, stereotypes and discrimination are still present. This research paper discussed the history of Mexican and Asian people educational discrimination in the United States and analyzed the issue’s modern status.
References
Kauffman, H. A. (2019). Latino education in Texas: A history of systematic recycling discrimination. St. Mary’s Law Journal, 50(3). Web.
McMurtry, C. L., Findling, G. M., Casey, S. L., Blendon, J. R., Benson, M. J., Sayde, M. J., & Miller, C. (2019). Discrimination in the United States: Experience of Asian Americans. Health Service Research, 54(2), 1419-1430. Web.
Office of the Historian. (n.d.). Chinese immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Act. Office of the Historian. Web.
Pérez-Soria, J. (2017). Mexican immigrants in the United States: A review of the literature on integration, segregation and discrimination. Estudios Fronterizos, 18(37), 1-17. Web.