Presentation: Angel Island

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What does the Chinese think of Americans?

According to this article, the relationship that the Chinese have with the Americans in the perspective of the Chinese are friendly competitors. I found it interesting that in an random interview with the people on the streets of China, the response of what people thought of the US varied from fast food to opinions about how Americans keeps meddling in other country's problems. In a sense, Americans feel like it is a responsibility to be a mediator and solve world wide issues. Even though the Chinese do not quite understand this, they are branching out as the next economic powerhouse. In the end, the Chinese are confused about whether they should be allies or competitors with the Americans.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/what-do-the-chinese-think-of-america/2012/09/28/4b2cdc76-08a8-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html

Primary Source: Immigration Issue

This was a photograph that I have chosen about the immigrants at the Mexican boarder coming to the US. The sign was for incoming cars at Instate 5 Highway in San Ysidro, CA warning the possible undocumented immigrants that would get killed for crossing. It was reported that before this sign was placed, more than 100 undocumented immigrants died from incoming cars while trying to cross the highway. In addition, it is said that the San Ysidro boarder is the most busiest land boarder with 17 million cars and 50 million walkers legally crossing. I have chosen this because it really shows how much immigrants are coming into the US.They have risked their lives to get to America in hopes of improving their life. Also as you can see on the sign, it the little girl seems like she is at the age where she is just dragged into running showing how she didn't even make the decision to immigrate if it was done illegally. With further analysis, this could also be a sign to beware of the illegal immigrants, not only look out for them but catch them if they are crossing illegally.

Primary Source: Letter from a Freedom Rider's Father

Letter from a Freedom Rider's Father
This was a really interesting letter from John Dolan, a Freedom Rider's father. The Freedom Ride was an interracial bus ride to desegregate blacks into the South. It was really different that Dolan's father was actually the one that discourages his son to be a participant. In fact, not only does his father not approve of this, he also felts disappointment for his son. Dolan's father expressed "presumably as a parent, I have miserably failed." I was so surprised when I read that. Although I understand why his father would feel like being in this ride would be putting in immediate danger and shutting his son's chances of finding a good job in the future, Dolan's decision to ride was incredibly brave. Surprisingly the only ones that supported Dolan's decision were his friends in college, "[his] father disinherited [him] and [his] mother was worried for [his]safety."  In relation to the college students today to the students during the Civil Rights Movement, most of us(from what I know) are actually distancing ourselves away from politics and riots rather than leaving home for something so political. Many times we do not take the time to even vote or look at the current events, let alone take part in a nonviolent demonstration that can lead to jail time.

Ch.23

In the 1920’s a lot of dramatic changes began. With almost every American owning a car, there was a boom in the demand for Fuel. This is still if not an even bigger demand for fuel today. It is almost weird for someone not to have automobiles that the prices on fuel is getting higher and higher. The creation of assembly lines were also proven to be an effective way of building a corporation like the Ford Motor Company. However, relating back to what Pope Leo has talked about how working in a factory like this diminishes the creativity of workers, the workers at GM were prohibited to even laugh or talk. It just further shows how these big corporations are dehumanizing their workers in order to gain profit. This is a time where we move away from the rural farming ways into urbanization. Supermarkets and department stores replaced how people used to directly grow food for survival and hand sewn clothes. The effect of automobiles became more prevalent as people saw it as a symbol of freedom and communication. I really agree with that. If I didn’t have a car, I would thing that I lost my legs and prohibited me from going to the places that I really want to go with ease by car.  Also because of people owning cars, the use of coal and electricity also increased. I feel like a lot of the problem they faced such as trying to preserve wildlife while trying to further the use of new technology is still present today. For example, to decrease pollution and use of gasoline, we are now trying to use other forms of oil by electricity and solar power rather than gasoline.        

 The interest of celebrities also became more influential in this era. Likewise, we are mostly interested in seemly ordinary Americans who are famous and their private lives. Magazines, radio, and movies about the famous were ways that people can feel as if they can be whatever they want to be and one day achieve that. Today, we look at reality TV and are more than ever involved in the lives of celebrity’s through social media.

Responses to Industrialization

In response to Leo's quotes about the rights of the working man, I found that there were a few quotes I was particularly interested in. The first ones were all about how work is actually beneficial to the society, which I found that to be true. When we are working, we not only learn new things but also the products that we make are beneficial to our society. We need work in order to further humanity. The quote about how we also have the right to rest is also interesting. We all know that rest is important to us, but sometimes resting gets lost in our busy schedules. During the Industrialization period, people had long working hours and were place in harsh conditions. The people were not given the right amount of breaks which lead to many accidents. It makes sense that without rest, people get careless then there work gets careless which could lead to dangerous accidents. Another quote that I found to be particularly profound was about just wages. A just wage is defined to be a sufficient income that can support a family with a wife, children, and himself. However, a just wage is not always seen. People are taken advantage of, especially if they are child workers. These problems still exists today where workers are given minimum wage and can barely support their family.

Ch.17

While reading about the conflicts of the Natives and the miners and settlers into the High Plains, what shocked me was how animals killed were acceptable and encouraged by the settlers and the Army. Especially when they said that in just one year, 430 bison were killed to feed the workers building the Unions Pacific Railroad. What surprised me even more it that the buffalo were seen as a tool to undermine Native resistance.  

The frontier life was hard for settlers as there was little rainfall and psychological troubles that surfaced. It was hard enough to build a house but such dry lands for even harder to grow crops. If I was living in the time, as a woman, I would also go crazy with the limited supplies and the sod houses that was described to be like the ones hogs would live in. I think I would be like the other who just gave up their land and moved on to somewhere that had more rich soil.

As for the new land that the US seceded from Mexico, even though they promised to protect the Mexicans residence but it never really happened. They were pushed out of their land and the Spanish people were expected to adapt to the Anglo American concept. This is really like the situation we have now where it is ironic that the land we lived in used to be from the Spaniards but we are dealing with immigration issues to keep them out of US borders. This issue still exist since Spanish speaking residents are either expected to go back south of the border or assimilate into the Anglo American concept.

Chapter 13

     While reading this chapter, I was really interested in the lives of the immigrants. When they first decided to come to America, they thought of America as an Utopia where they could have better job opportunity and lifestyle. However, they were really shocked after coming here how difficult it was to even acquire land and be landlords. It made me think of how my family were immigrants that was looking for a better life when in reality it was hard to live in a new environment and in an unfamiliar territory. It mentioned how the Germans were secluded within their own neighborhood because they had their own doctors, lawyers, teacher, and merchants making it hard for them to be influential politicians. It reminded me of how as Asians, we would gather in groups, see doctors who can speak my language, and shop in supermarkets that sell the food I am accustomed to.
     I was also surprised that it the Irish would actually have to compete with the free blacks for jobs. I would of though that since they are Europeans that they would have some kind of advantage over the blacks. It seems like the Irish were the poorest because even if they were skilled, they still had to compete with other Anglo Americans. They ended up working for the lowest paying job because no one else wanted to do them. Then towards the end of the chapter, it also mentioned about how Chinese were disliked as immigrant workers. However, after residing in San Francisco, Americans did not stop hiring the Chinese as workers. That really troubled me because if they really disliked the Chinese flowing into America, the Americans should stop hiring them to stop the immigration. However, it did make sense that the Chinese were probably
 the only ones that would want the kind of job that was offered.

Chapter 12

While reading chapter about the Old South and the life of the slaves during the 1800's, I felt that it was interesting how the slaves did not have that much rebellious events. Or if they did other slaves would actually ruin their plans and have them executed. In the case of Denmark Vasey and his abolitionist group, other slaves actually told the authorities that they were going to seize ammunition and rebel against their master. I found that it was interesting how the blacks saw freedom only as a dream and not actively make it into reality. Although there was the abolitionists who helped blacks escape, these hideouts were actually the first place their masters would find their slaves. Also, because the free states in the North was much more urban and had foreign immigrants competing with the blacks for work, it was actually better for the free blacks to become skilled artisans in the South. I feel like the life of a slave with a family is definitely holding them back from claiming their independence. Black people would much rather work and be with their children than risking for freedom, which seems so hopeless and uncertain. Actually their life in general is very hopeless, even if they had a family, many times, their youngest child would die due to malnutrition, diseases, hygiene problems, other times slave families would be sold off to different slave owners since law does not protect black slave families.

Chapter 8: Awakening of American Nationalism (Section 4)

While I was reading section 4 of Chapter 8, I wondered why Northerners wanted to stop slavery. The fact that words like "civil war" and "disunion" were thrown around because of the use of slavery in Missouri shows how important slaves were in the South. I feel like it is actually reasonable that the South needed slave much more than the North. It seems like there was more people residing in the North than the South. Not because of civil rights, the North no longer needed the slaves to work for them and sold them off to the South. The South not only rely more heavily on their plantations but also needed more people to work on their farm. At first, I was confused about why the North would actually support the discontinuation of slavery but later found the explanation above as a possible reason. Also, the Monroe Doctrine, I thought was one of the smartest things that the US could have said. Although it might not have meant anything to the Europeans at that point, these principles has helped us to remain a neutral country in a time of European upheaval and later successfully extend onto the West.

Ch. 7

    Even though a new president was elected, many citizens still fear the executive branch’s power. Since it was a new government placed by the Constitution, much of the president’s duties and the extent of its powers were unclear. It was not until the Bill of Rights was written up that the powers of the people of America was clearly addressed. If I was a citizen of America back then, I would also doubt the powers of the president. First of all, how different would this president be from the king? I wondered if at the time, even with the Bill of Rights that the people would actually exercise their rights?

    When the text was explaining about Hamilton’s financial plan, I was very confused. I didn't really understand why Hamilton advised no to pay back the loans but only the interest. I did not really know how that would help the US to have so much debt. However, I was very surprised to hear that Americans drank so much whiskey that they had to collect extra tax to buy liquor. Drinking became such a problem that a Whiskey Rebellion occurred, angering farmers who sold whiskey. 

   The subject that interested me the most was about the life of white females. I was surprised at how marital rights were forced as women. They had to become pregnant out of wedlock to force their fathers to approve of their marriage. Even though they could go to school by 1789 in Massachusetts, their education was nearly useless outside of being a mother or an obedient wife. It is sad for me to hear that the women at the time had such little opportunities politically, in terms of ownership, and even marital rights. Although our rights as women has improved,there are still inequality that can be seen in our everyday life.

Chapter 6

       In chapter 6, the thing that made the most impression on me was how the loyalist thought they were obligated to stay loyal to the king. If they did not continue to defend the king, they though they are going to sacrifice their own honor. It was surprising that the issue of separating from Britain could mean that their honor was at stake.  I think it is hard for me to image that this could become a personal thing. Although it does make sense that these loyalists would be hesitant to support something other than what the king has told them to. It is what they have always have known. These colonist always had a monarchy and to diverge away from that scares them. As expected, by 1776, these loyalist are the elites that can not make up their mind about rebelling against whom have given their riches. I think they must of thought: is my way of life going change if all ally with the Whigs? If I ally with the other side, what are people going to think of me back home? Being part of the elites has done me well so far, is it worth fighting for independence?

       Even when the British finally recognized America as a separate country, the price that both sides had to pay was unbelievable. No matter what color they were, 5% of them died while fighting for independence. Thousands of natives, slaves, and even loyalist were even put into exile. However, the biggest question of all, is how the colonist will develop a new government, different from the one that they were freed from.

Chapter 4 / 5

        While I was reading Chapter 4, I was most intrigued by the colonial life of men and women. In the British colonies, everyone was welcomed as an immigrant unless they are Catholics. As a result, many non British found it the best place to practice whatever religion that they pleased. I was really surprised that even criminals and murders from England also can to North America and became slaves. Most people also did not have enough money to actually own land once their parents died. They had to work and become farmers to pay back the mortgage. Only when they become 50 years old do they fully pay back all their debts. It is incredible how long and the tedious process that the next generation had to work just to live debt free. Also, I would not want to live during this time as a women. I basically had no rights as a wife. My only chance of actually gaining something from my husband is for him to die. Once I become a widow will I have the rights to property that we both worked for.
       The process towards Independence is what interested me the most in Chapter 5. At first, the colonist did not want to separate from their homeland. However, after the Boston Tea Party the British government further push for colonial subordination. Although the colonist have established a Continental Congress as a way to diverge away from the British government. It was not surprising to me that some colonist would still want to be associated with Britain. After all, that was there mother land. It was not until Thomas Paine published Common Sense to change everyone's mind about their royalty with King George III. This really signifies how important words can be so powerful to change people's minds.

Chapter 3

In this chapter, the colonies are more developed, some colonies people were even treated better than their counterpart in England. I was most interested in the rights of women at the time. In the Chesapeake Bay and New England, there was an imbalance of  men and women. I thought that it would actually be better as a female to immigrate there instead of staying back in England. They would get property rights once their husband had died, marriage protection, and although they were pressure to remarry, at least their family was not cramped into a tiny living space. Witchcraft was also on the rise in Salem as women were accused of being possessed by the devil and being unfeminine. To me, it just seems like an excuse for the husbands to accuse their wives or any female of disobedience. Although public education was beginning to be made possible by the Old Deluder Act, girls were still not treated the same compared to the boys who gets extra attention in academics.

Chapter 2

       As I read Chapter 2, there were things about the West Africans and Europeans socially that I found interesting and questionable. Unlike today where a marriage is joined by love and personal relationships, Africans married to have more people working in the fields. They did not marry for emotional purposes but for the desire to have a growing population. As a result, children were the biggest work force. I then wonder if the Africans ever felt happy with their extended family since they are not tied by any emotions. While West African women were expected to work alongside the men, Europeans had a more specific role for each family member. The husband's main job would be to work and should be the head of the household while the wives were to bore children and all are expected to have total obedience towards their father figure. In both societies, the children must contribute to the work force. I found it interesting that they did not want their child to go to school as an opportunity to move up the social ladder. However, it might be because education would not be an option for peasants and farmers since education was only available for the rich and influential. Moreover, more knowledge for the lower class would be a threat for the upper class.
      Once Europe expanded into the Atlantic World, slave trade also became more important. I was surprised to read that the African kingdoms were once powerful enough for it to decide base on self interest whether or not to trade with Portugal. In the past, I have always thought that Africa was weak to European rule and subjected by default into slavery. However, according to this text, it seems as though African slavery was a gradual expansion of racial justification. When the Europeans colonized into the New World, it was surprising that disease became the number one killer along the Natives. The  Native Americans did not even have the chance to defend their territory against the Europeans. To me, that seemed like the native people were fighting a losing war. To trade with the Natives, the Europeans had to adapt to Native ways to become successful. Europeans practiced reciprocity with the Native. In exchange for magical beads, the Natives had the help of the French to fight off the other native tribes. Their exchange confused me about how the Indians had allies and killed other Indian groups for territory when in Chapter 1, it talked about how the Indians barely killed each other in battles.

Yay- I'm done!