Thesis on "Vietnamese Immigration to California"

Home > Topics > Asian History My Account

Thesis 4 pages (1731 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Vietnamese Immigration to California: 1975 to 1995

The United States is a country of immigrants, and except for the Native Americans who were already here, everyone in the nation can trace their roots to another country. Indeed, wave after wave of European and Asian immigrants arrived on the shores of America during the 19th and 20th centuries, and millions of people from other countries continue to seek a better life in the United States today. While most people who emigrate to the United States share a common goal of seeking a better life for themselves and their families, there are also other and vastly different reasons that compelled them to make this life-changing decision and this was certainly the case with the large numbers of Vietnamese people who arrived in two waves during the late 20th century following America's failed military efforts in their homeland. To determine what factors fueled their decision, where they settled in the State of California and their experiences following their arrival, this paper provides a review of the relevant primary and secondary peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning Vietnamese immigration to California from 1975 to 1995, followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Based on the 2000 census data, it is estimated that by 1995, there were slightly more than 440,000 Vietnamese people living in the State of California, accounting for just over one percent of the population.

According to Yang (1995), California was a highly desirable destination for Vietnamese immigrants because of its geographic proximity compared to the re

Continue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

st of the country as well as the large cities that offered them employment opportunities as well as a relatively safe haven because of the significant numbers of their countrymen who had already settled there. In this regard, Yang reports that Los Angeles has been one of the most popular destinations for newly arrived Vietnamese seeking a better life in the United States since 1975. As Yang point out, "The most important reason is economic opportunities in these metropolitan areas. For instance, Los Angeles, which has been the most favorite destination in the recent decades, underwent rapid economic growth in about the same period, which generated job opportunities for manual laborers, professionals, and entrepreneurs."

This is not to say that all newly arrived Vietnamese in California enjoyed immediate prosperity, though. In fact, depending on their ultimate destination in the state, newly arrived Vietnamese immigrants in California before 1995 were faced with a number of obstacles besides the numerous obvious ones including a dissimilar culture and language differences. According to Menjivar, some regions of the state have provided better opportunities for newly arrived Vietnamese depending on how many of their countrymen had already settled there thereby creating a cultural enclave in which they could better assimilate with the larger American society as well as providing job opportunities where they might not otherwise exist. For instance, Menjivar notes that, "Vietnamese in California, such as in Orange County or San Jose, have been able to establish a wide range of businesses, thus providing a broad base for ethnic employment, especially for recent arrivals who are unfamiliar with the language and the culture of the new country."

By sharp contrast, the Vietnamese who made their way to other major cities in California were faced with an entirely different environment upon their arrival, especially depending on whether they were part of the first or second waves of immigrants. The vast majority of the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants to California were highly educated, spoke some English and had marketable job skills; by contrast, the second wave was largely comprised of so-called "boat people" who did not possess these advantages.

In this regard, Menjivar emphasizes that for the second wave, "The Vietnamese in Sacramento faced a different situation because there is not yet a well-developed Vietnamese enclave in this city, and recently arrived Vietnamese have scant opportunities for employment in the shrinking job market there."

The wave of Vietnamese immigration to California after 1975 was driven in large part by U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. As the war drew to a bloody and unsuccessful climax in the 1970s, tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees took advantage of the humanitarian provisions of the U.S. immigration laws at the time and made their way to California in one fashion or another. In this regard, Yang points out that, "U.S. military interventions may create conditions for emigration. The most prominent example is U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War and the subsequent influx of Vietnamese refugees."

One of the outcomes of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War has been for the U.S. Immigration Service to more readily assign legal resident status to newly arrived Vietnamese immigrants that might not be available to the massive numbers of immigrants arriving from other countries, particularly Mexico in the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants to California.

According to one Vietnamese refugee who made his way to America, "The first wave of refugees, involving some ten to fifteen thousand people, began at least a week to ten days before the collapse of the government. The second wave, and probably the largest in numbers, involved some eighty thousand who were evacuated by aircraft during the last days of April 1975."

An account of the desperate and harrowing experience of escaping from the North Vietnamese is provided by Kim-Phuong, who was attending the University of California, Santa Barbara, at the time of her interview with Do:

We came during the summer. I remember my mom telling us to pack all our stuff and we were supposed to meet our father at the beach outside of Saigon. Our dad . . . had access to a boat so he met us there. I was only five but I remember it took a long time to get to where we wanted to go. I think we walked for a day. . . . I just remember rushing and rushing. . . . We got on a boat and we just went out to the water, we didn't know where we were going, we were just going out toward the ocean. We were finally picked up by an American ship.

While the Vietnamese immigrants to California in the first wave from 1975 to 1979 tended to settle in the larger cities such as Los Angeles as noted above, there were personal reasons for their ultimate destinations that transcended other factors such as employment opportunities with the vast majority settling where their family members had settled prior to their arrival. According to Menjivar, "Interviews with Vietnamese showed that the most important factor in the transition of these immigrants to the society at large is their family. Family-based resources provide the Vietnamese with a sense of continuity that in many ways helps them deal with the instabilities of a traumatic migration experience."

Excerpts from these interviews are illustrative of the powerful cultural forces at work in the preferences of Vietnamese immigrants to settle in one area of California over another:

1. Mai, who came to the U.S. To join her husband: "There are more opportunities here, you can work, go to school, this is an excellent place for education."

2. Don, a 63-year-old woman: "The good thing in this country is that you can do many things; it's very convenient. You can receive help, you can get financial aid to go to school. With all this help, if one doesn't strive and succeed in America, one should be ashamed."

3. Hanh, a single woman: "So far, I am in school. I think that I am very lucky that I get welfare and financial aid to help me through school. And I think it's the best system Americans have. You have many resources helping you get through."

Following the enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980, there was a second wave of Vietnamese immigration to California. This law also helped to provide the second wave of Vietnamese immigrants with ready access to a legal status upon their arrival, thereby broadening the type and amount of social services and other resources that were available to them. According to Menjivar, pursuant to the Refugee Act of 1980, "Vietnamese, and other officially recognized refugees are eligible for cash assistance and medical benefits after arrival, which requires them to enroll in English language classes and in job training programs."

Conclusion

The research showed that during the period 1975 to 1995, approximately 440,000 Vietnamese people managed to make their way to the State of California in what scholars have described as two distinct waves, the first wave taking place between 1975 and 1979 and the second wave being dated from the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980. Although many of the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants enjoyed a number of advantages over their counterparts in the second wave, including the ability to speak some English, the possession of marketable jobs skills and a college degree, the research also showed that all of the… READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

Quoted Instructions for "Vietnamese Immigration to California" Assignment:

“

The topic of this research paper is Vietnamese immigration to California. The research data for this essay must come before 1995. This paper must be a well researched interpretation of history. Below is an attachment of the requirements for this paper. I can't thank you enough for providing your service!

Your research paper will be an original research project relating to any

one of the various subjects or topics in California history from Native

American Times up to 1995. The task is to provide a well-researched

interpretation of history in which you must use at least two primary

sources and at least two secondary sources. Primary sources are documents

such as diaries, journals, letters, newspaper and magazine articles,

treaties, birth certificates, etc*****¦ written by a person during the time era

you are researching. These can be already published in books, on the

Internet, or can be information which you obtain yourself by interviewing

relatives, family friends, or using letters and other documents from your

family history. You will need to use secondary sources as well in order to

demonstrate how the primary sources you have gathered relate to the

historical topic you are researching. Secondary sources are books and

articles in scholarly journals that comment on and interpret primary

sources. Note that bibliographies listed in secondary sources can help you

in your search for primary sources. You cannot list encyclopedias as a

secondary source, however.

Your interpretation of the history topic you are researching should be

clearly identified in your thesis statement. The thesis statement should

appear in your introductory paragraph. Your goal is to prove that the

thesis is a reasonable interpretation of the past. You will accomplish

this by using evidence from your primary and secondary sources and

organizing that evidence in an easy-to-read format in your paper.

The library has excellent staff and services available to assist you

during this process. We will also have at least one research paper

workshop to be held there or in the classroom.

Possible Topics:

There are practically an unlimited number of possible topics for you to

research. You can write on anything related to California history from the

Native American period up through 1995. Pick something that you feel

passionate about or have an interest in! If you need help with ideas on

what to research, briefly look at the sections of your textbook for some

possibilities: The introduction of each chapter, the chronology at the end

of each chapter and the paragraph topics can provide you with some

suggestions. Come see me for ideas! A few possibilities include but are

not limited to:

Native American Period, c. 10,000 B.C. to 1769

*****¢ Any tribe

*****¢ Lifestyles, tribal organization, hunting and gathering techniques,

tribal warfare

The Spanish Period, 1769 to 1821

*****¢ Father JunÃpero Serra

*****¢ Any mission, pueblo, or presidio

*****¢ Any Spanish Gobernante

The Mexican Period, 1821 to 1848

*****¢ Any Mexican governor

*****¢ *****no Vallejo

*****¢ JosÃ© Castro

*****¢ The Donner Party

The U.S. Period, 1848 to the present

*****¢ The Battle of San Pascual

*****¢ The Gold Rush

*****¢ Leland Stanford and/or the Union Pacific Railroad

*****¢ William Randolph Hearst or Hearst Castle

*****¢ Governor Ronald Reagan

Any issue during any of these time periods

*****¢ The effect of the missions on Native Americans

*****¢ Women*****s issues: family, career, political representation, feminism in

California

*****¢ The Hippie Movement

*****¢ Rock n***** Roll music

*****¢ Hollywood or any Hollywood star

*****¢ Labor issues

*****¢ Any Ethnic group issue:

o Japanese American internment during World War II

o Anti-Chinese activity

o African-Americans

o Hispanics

Source Location:

The best place to locate sources for your paper is the Mission College

Library. One of your class textbooks can also be used as relevant sources:

Documents Set for California and The West has primary sources. (You may

consult your other textbook, Competing Visions, but cannot cite it as a

secondary source). Some other useful resources are:

*****¢ Gale Research Sources (in the Library)

*****¢ The History Cooperative http://www.historycooperative.org/ (for journal

articles)

*****¢ Websites on your topic

*****¢ Annals of America (also in the Library)

*****¢ The Internet (Mission and West Valley Colleges websites and other websites)

*****¢ Local Museums (or their corresponding websites)

The paper must be six pages in length: double-spaced and with a 12 point

font. Please number each page and be sure that they are securely stapled

together! You may also want to put your last name on each page as a header

or footer to ensure that your paper will be easy to re-assemble should the

staple come lose as sometimes happen. (I also strongly recommend that you

keep paper copies and save your work on your computer and floppy disks or

CD ROMs repeatedly throughout the semester. You might also want to keep a

few extra ink cartridges ready should your printer run out).

Writing methodology:

Again, you will want to muster evidence and details to prove your argument

when writing this paper. Your paper must have the following:

An introduction- The opening paragraph which contains your thesis. A

body- The paragraphs where you present your primary and secondary sources

to support your thesis. Please also be sure to define any complex or

technical terms that you have come to understand while conducting your

research, but the reader might not. If you use the word *****long tom***** for

example, please explain that a *****long tom***** was an invention to sift gold

out of mud. Assume that the reader knows nothing about your topic. A

conclusion- The last paragraph of your essay in which you restate your

thesis and summarize your argument.

A list of endnotes or footnotes- All the sources you cite in your paper

must be in endnote or footnote format.

Bibliography- A list of all the sources you used in writing the paper. You

can also type, under a separate category after your bibliography, a list

called Works Consulted but not used; these may be sources you intended to

use earlier in your research but ultimately did not as your research needs

or thesis changed.

Finally, you are welcome and encouraged to include photos or other visual

material as part of your paper, but these cannot substitute for text. You

cannot submit four pages of text and two pages of pictures.

Requirements: These will be graded and count towards your paper:

Research proposal *****“ 5 points Due Date: 9/17/09, 12:40pm

Type a one paragraph (or so) description of your topic and include two to

three questions you would like to answer in your paper. Try to be as

specific as possible concerning the time period you want to research. If

you are researching *****William Randolph Hearst,***** that is an overwhelmingly

large topic. You should narrow this down to something more specific such

as *****Hearst and his castle***** or *****Hearst*****s influence in newspapers.***** You do

not have to give me a thesis statement with your research proposal. You

shouldn*****t actually have a thesis until you have done some research. Simply

write down some preliminary ideas and questions.

Proposed Bibliography *****“ 5 points Due Date: 10/8/09, 12:40pm

Give me a typed list of all the primary and secondary sources you are

using in your paper. The sources must be listed using the correct Chicago

Style bibliographic form (use the Pocket Guide to Writing in History or

the library resources if you need examples). You can add more sources

later if necessary. Again, you will need at least two primary and two

secondary sources for this paper. At least one of your secondary sources

should be a journal article from a professional history journal. Use gale

Research Sources to search for potential journal articles. You can also

use the Internet to find links to universities and other libraries to

locate primary source archives. Remember not to list encyclopedias as a

secondary source for your paper.

Timeline *****“ 5 points Due Date: T.B.A. 10/29/09, 12:40pm

Provide a minimum one page outline of the important events which shape the

period your paper deals with. Be sure to include the births and/or deaths

of important people relevant to your research, dates of important

political, social, economic, and other relevant factors, and whatever else

you feel is important for the subject you are examining. This can be a

simple list of dates and you don*****t need to use correct grammar when typing

this outline: Simply list the information in an easy-to-read format.

Workshop *****“ 10 points

I will give you ten points towards your paper when we discuss the paper in

a brief workshop in late September or early October. Simply attend and you

will receive credit!

Final Draft *****“

Be sure your final draft contains footnotes/endnotes and a bibliography. I

will be grading your final draft on:

*****¢ A clear thesis

*****¢ Adequate evidence to prove your thesis

*****¢ Organizational writing style

*****¢ Accuracy

*****¢ Use of primary and secondary sources

*****¢ Endnotes or footnotes

*****¢ Grammar and spelling

How to Reference "Vietnamese Immigration to California" Thesis in a Bibliography

“Vietnamese Immigration to California.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2009, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656. Accessed 4 Oct 2024.

Vietnamese Immigration to California (2009). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656

A1-TermPaper.com. (2009). Vietnamese Immigration to California. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656 [Accessed 4 Oct, 2024].

”Vietnamese Immigration to California” 2009. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656.

”Vietnamese Immigration to California” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656.

[1] ”Vietnamese Immigration to California”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2009. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656. [Accessed: 4-Oct-2024].

1. Vietnamese Immigration to California [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2009 [cited 4 October 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656

1. Vietnamese Immigration to California. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/vietnamese-immigration-california/86656. Published 2009. Accessed October 4, 2024.

Related Thesis Papers: