Apigo, Cal

Williams HG
2/13/19

Strangers from a Different Shore AQs

1.1) Most of the Asian Indian immigrants had families back at home and were married. Most
believed in Sikhism, a reform religion based on a doctrine of equality that was a syncretism of
Islam and Hinduism. Many moved for financial reasons because Capitalist exploits by Great
Britain forced small farmers into debt and forced them to sell their land.
2.1) In Collier’s Weekly, they called Asian Indians “inferior workmen,” in order to alienate and
justify American Imperialism. In the Overland Monthly, they claimed Asian migrants were
threatening American society, but Asian Indians were “Tall of stature, straight of face, swarthy
of color, [and] were brothers of our own race.” Here, they still claim that Asian Indians are
inferior (“cheap” wages and subsisting on little money) and that they are not accepted in
America.
2.2) The Asiatic Exclusion League described Asian Indians as having “no standards” and being
“immodest and filthy.” The did this to alienate Asian Indians and use them as a scapegoat
because they had little power in fighting back and were an easy target to blame. During a
turbulent time, when America was becoming an imperial power, they needed to justify their
exploits and it was easy to blame Asian Indians not only to justify themselves but also distract
the masses from the real problem.
2.3) In U.S. v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the court ruled that Asian Indians were ineligible for
naturalization because they redefined “white person” as coming from northern or western
Europe. This is an example of social construction because an Asian Indian should be considered
white as they have the same heritage and ancestry but because the court said they had
“unmistakable and profound differences” (whatever that means) they were able to racially justify
Asian Indians as genetically inferior even though they came from the same ancestor. Thus, they
were able to manipulate the vocabulary and call Asian Indians Caucasian, but not white (not
allowed to be a citizen/an outsider).
2.4) The Asian American laborers were organized into gangs, 3-50 laborers in each group. The
gang leader (who was usually the one most fluent in English) received a commission from the
gang, got a wage from their employer and served as a general supervisor. The gang system
provided board and shelter for their labor. However, this labor was extremely repetitive and
hours were super long (10-14 hours a day). These gangs also provided a sense of community as
close bonds were created from working, eating, and migrating together.
3.1) They had different professions and wealth, as the first wave were mostly poor, uneducated
farmers while the second wave brought highly educated professionals. They also differed in
gender. In the first wave, almost all immigrants were male and in the second group, it was split
about 50/50 between men and women. The second wave spoke English while most first wave
immigrants did not. Both came for economic reasons though. The first wave came because they
needed money to revive their farms and pay their debts while in the second wave, many could
not find jobs in India despite their education level, so they came to America to find one.
However, despite the huge disparities, both waves were still Asian Indian, so they received a lot
Apigo, Cal
Williams HG
2/13/19

of prejudice and “racism.” But many Asian Indians in America want to be identified as
Americans and have settled permanently in America (as opposed to saving money and moving
back like the first wave).