re: "Before Mao took over China, liberals and progressives, and conservatives- in fact most people in the US who had anything to say on the matter, demonized and stereotyped Asians"
Even Herbert Hoover?
Herbert Hoover worked as a mining engineer in China, leaned Chinese, and encouraged Stanford to begin studies of East Asia.
"..."The use of the atomic bomb, with its indiscriminate killing of women and children, revolts my soul." -Herbert Hoover
You see, a significant number of very influential Americans - at the turn of the century lived in East Asia (A. MacArther, D. MacArther, Hoover, Eisenhower, John Pershing, W.H.Taft), did they all demonize and stereotype Asians?
Sorry I took so long to answer your post, but it frankly stunned me. In the late 1800's labor union activities in the far west were infamous about their xenophobia when it came to asians. They had kept up a steady drum beat against Asians for 30 - 50 years before before Miller Freeman.
Most of the Anti-Japanese laws were passed during the period of U.S. History known as the "PROGRESSIVE ERA" and several of the Presidents and their Administrations of that period are generally considered PROGRESSIVES. In 1912, the Progressive Party (Bull Moose Republicans) - Teddy Roosevelt (I believe Hiram Johnson was his running mate) won California and the State of Washington. In that election, Nationally, the Progressive Party won 27.4% of the vote, a progressive Democrat (Wilson) won 41.8% of the vote, and a Socialist won 6% of the vote - versus a incumbent Republican who was first elected as a Progressive, but wasn't considered Progressive enough (one of the last things he did in office was veto a discriminatory immigration bill). How can you possibly say say that I am distorting history, because "most people with a say on the matter demonized and stereotyped Asians"? Most of the people with a say (politically), during the Progressive Era were likely to be Progressives.
In the Progressive Era, the conservatives of the era were probably establishment Republicans - Rich industrialists and capitalists... those that controlled (or helped manage) large business Trusts. It wasn't wealthy factory owners who incited the riots and massacre that took place in Rock Springs Wyoming, nor were these people likely the ones who inciting the citizens of Tacoma to round their Chinese residents and expel them. nor was it wealthy establishment figures or conservatives weren't the people who formed the Asian Exclusion League (aka the Japanese Exclusion League). |
