Comparative Analysis of Asian Immigration to the U.S. Essay Example

Introduction

The diverse cultures and races in the American continent emanated from the fact that groups of immigrants made their way to America from different parts of the world in different spells of time. The Asian community in the United States is a significant population referred to as Asian Americans. A good number of the Asian-Americans can trace their origins from either the first or second Wave of Asian immigrants. The first wave of Asian immigrants made their way into America from far countries such as Japan, China, Malaysia, and Singapore in the early 19th century. They mostly settled in States such as Hawaii and most of the West Coast, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. The second wave of Asian immigrants entered the United States after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Jimenez, Julie and Juan 1051). This essay distinguishes the first and second wave of Asian immigrants in terms of their social, economic, cultural and political differences.

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Differences between the Asian Immigration Waves

Economic Differences

The earliest wave of immigrants in the first wave can be traced as far as the 16th century. A good number of these immigrants came to the United States to escape harsh economic conditions in their homeland. They also had to traverse risky weather in the Pacific. They were mostly uneducated, poor and with little skills to offer the American economy (Lueck 431). The second wave of Asian immigrants was allowed into the United States to offer their expertise and skills to grow the economy. The United States used programs such as the Lottery Visa and the Green Card to attract laborers for their industries as well as skilled labor to aid in scientific advancements and industrial growth (Massey, Douglas and Jonathan 1610). A majority of the second wave immigrants were offered citizenship, better living standards and good salaries to immigrate to America as the country needed their services.

Social Differences

The social orientation of the first wave of immigrants was that they mostly wanted to start a new life in the United States. A good number of these immigrants did not have any families back at home and wished to intermarry with Americans to earn their citizenship. At the time, citizenship was not offered to the Asian immigrant communities. They hence tried different strategies to fit into the American social culture (Jimenez, Julie and Juan 1048). The second wave of Asian immigrants came to the United States on Visas. They were already offered citizenship by the time they got America. A good population of the second wave Asians were also married or had close family members such as siblings and parents back in Asia (Massey, Douglas and Jonathan 1603). They thus did not seek to start a new life, intermarry with Americans or even challenge existing social conventions in the United States.

Cultural Differences

The first wave of Asian Immigrants sought to adopt American culture. They wanted to be integrated into America as much as possible and encouraged their children as well as other descendants to learn the new American way of life. They needed to learn English and also join American religions. The second wave of Asian immigrants did not want to associate with American culture. They were out to ensure that they gain the value they sought in the United States and still retain their identity (Jimenez, Julie and Juan 1046). This is because the second wave of Asian immigrants did not feel oppressed or threatened concerning their immigration status. They felt that they did not need to disown their home cultures and indeed, maintained dual-citizenship as well. From a social point of view, the second wave was more liberal than the first wave of Asian immigrants.

Political Differences

The first wave of Asian immigrants had very little political power. They were not allowed any form of citizenship and were mostly discouraged from having a political opinion about the issues affecting them. The first wave nonetheless did not care about political power (Lueck 431). They were more interested in ensuring that safeguarding their economic and social status and did not care much about political power and representation. The second wave of Asian immigrants, however, was very interested in the political setting of the United States. The country has since changed after the first immigrant wave. Many Americans now appreciate immigrant rights and defend them in political circles (Massey, Douglas and Jonathan 1606). Asian Americans have thus taken advantage of the new political space in the United States. Political inclusion in the United States has made the political space easier for the second wave of Asian immigrants and they are more recognized.

Conclusion

Asian immigration into the United States started even before the United States earned its name. The most significant waves of immigration took place in the 19th and 21st centuries. These waves are respectively referred to as the first and second immigrant waves. A lot of differences can be noted from the manner in which the two waves were able to be integrated into the American continent (Lueck 429). The reasons for their immigration also differ. It can thus be argued that since the first wave of immigration, Asia immigration into the United States has borne more significance and purpose.

Works Cited

Jimenez, Tomas R., Julie Park, and Juan Pedroza. "The New Third Generation: Post1965 Immigration and the Next Chapter in the Long Story of Assimilation." International Migration Review 52.4 (2018): 1040-1079. https://sociology.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9501/f/publications/jimenezparkpedrozaimr.pdf. Accessed April 4, 2019.

Lueck, Kerstin. "Socioeconomic success of Asian immigrants in the United States." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies44.3 (2018): 425-438. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1320940. Accessed April 4, 2019.

Massey, Douglas S., and Jonathan Tannen. "Suburbanization and segregation in the United States: 1970-2010." Ethnic and racial studies 41.9 (2018): 1594-1611. https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc6145815. Accessed April 4, 2019.