Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to understand how different Asian-American groups advocated for themselves on campus.
Students will be able to understand the distinct types of discrimination different Asian American groups encountered at UW–Madison
Students will understand how different Asian-American groups sought to interweave themselves into the UW–Madison community.
Sources and Readings
Recommended Primary Sources:
Chinese Student Club Event Daily Cardinal Article: Read Article Here
This Daily Cardinal article detailed an event organized by the Chinese Student Association at UW–Madison. The event had several activities that sought to highlight Chinese heritage and culture. These included the singing of traditional Chinese songs, performances and plays, and even a speech that compared Chinese democracy to American democracy and why democracy would always be strong in China.
“Wisconsin in China Receives Endorsement” Daily Cardinal Article and “Wisconsin Hopes to Dispel Lethargy” Daily Cardinal Article: Read Wisconsin in China Receives Endorsement Article Here & Read Wisconsin Hopes to Dispel Lethargy Article Here
These two articles from the Daily Cardinal discuss the Wisconsin in China program, which sought to find faculty and students from UW–Madison to go to China and promote American culture. The program was sponsored by the YMCA and fundraised by various students and faculty, who believed that the program would help “civilize” Chinese youth and students and develop them culturally and intellectually. Note the racial and cultural stereotypes about Chinese people in the “Wisconsin Hopes to Dispel Lethargy” article.
Letters and Travel Permits for Miyoshi Ikawa: Read Letter Here & Read Travel Permit Here
These are the records pertaining to Miyoshi Ikawa, who attended graduate school at UW–Madison in 1942 to study Biochemistry. Ikawa was previously a student at the California Institute of Technology, and these two documents are some of the requirements for Ikawa to attend UW. This included a letter of endorsement signed by a dean at his previous school, and a travel permit to relocate to Madison.
Recommended Readings:
Public History Project Blog “The University of Wisconsin and Japanese American Students, 1941–44.” By Joy E. Block. Read Blog Post Here
Public History Project Blog “Japanese American Badgers,” By Joy E. Block. Read Blog Post Here
Chapter 3 “The China Institute in America Advocating for China through Educational Exchange, 1926–1937.” in Madeline Hsu. The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril Became the Model Minority. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2015). Read Book Here
Additional Primary Sources:
Map of Nisei Students: View Map Here
This is a map of all the Japanese American students in colleges and universities in 1941 and 1943. Note the students outside of the internment camps and west coast areas, and Madison’s presence on the map.
Statement of United States Citizen of Japanese Ancestry: Read Statement Here
This is a form that Japanese Americans had to fill out regarding their ancestry. This was required for both students at UW–Madison and for those being forced into internment camps.
Additional/Alternative Readings:
Chapter 2 “‘The Anglo-Saxons of the Orient’ Student Exceptions to the Racial Bar against Chinese, 1872–1925.” In Madeline Hsu. The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril Became the Model Minority. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2015). Read Book Here
Part I subsection I “One: The Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 and the Reconstruction of Race in Immigration Law.” In Mae Nagi Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2004). Read Book Here
Discussion and Questions
Primary Source Discussion Questions
Chinese Student Club Event Daily Cardinal Article:
- Why do you think the Chinese students emphasized and compared Chinese democracy with American democracy?
- What were some of the potential benefits and educational opportunities for the Chinese Student Association in hosting this event?
“Wisconsin in China Receives Endorsement “Daily Cardinal Article and “Wisconsin Hopes to Dispel Lethargy” Daily Cardinal Article:
- How do you see racial stereotypes from the early 20th century appear in this article and in UW’s Wisconsin in China program?
- Why do you think UW–Madison was interested in promoting their presence in China at this time?
- Why would the YMCA help sponsor this program?
Letters and Travel Permits for Miyoshi Ikawa:
- Why were Midwestern universities more accommodating or willing to accept Japanese American students during World War II, especially considering their treatment on the West Coast?
- Why do you think Ikawa needed an endorsement letter to get into Graduate School at UW–Madison?
- How do you think Japanese American students considered their identity both on campus and throughout the United States during World War II?
Reading Discussion Questions
- Compare and contrast the five students experiences in “Japanese American Badgers”?
- How would you describe UW–Madison’s admissions policies for Japanese American students throughout the war? What shifts and changes did you notice and what caused them?
- How did American attitudes change about Chinese people during the late 19th to early 20th century? Why did it impact education and prompt educational missions to China?
- Are there similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese students’ experiences at UW–Madison? Do these histories make for a good comparison, why or why not?
Discussion Norms: These are based on Walter Parker, Teaching Democracy: Unity and Diversity in Public Life, 138-9
- Do not raise hands
- Address one another, not the discussion leader
- Invite others into the conversation
- Cite and/or reference the texts to support your texts
- Base response in the reading/sources
- Listen to and build on others’ comments
- Critically Agree and Disagree
For more ideas about structuring discussion and asking good questions, see The Discussion Project
Source Citations
Chinese Student Club Event Daily Cardinal Article: “Oriental Plays and Open House Held by Chinese Students,” Daily Cardinal (Madison, WI), April 23, 1920, UW–Madison Archives, UW–Madison Libraries
“Wisconsin in China Receives Endorsement” Daily Cardinal Article: “Wisconsin’s Man in China, ”Daily Cardinal (Madison, WI), March 7, 1916, UW–Madison Archives, UW–Madison Libraries.
“Wisconsin Hopes to Dispel Lethargy” Daily Cardinal Article: “Wisconsin Hopes to Dispel Lethargy That Hinders Chinese,” Daily Cardinal (Madison, WI), March 11, 1916, UW–Madison Archives, UW–Madison Libraries.
Letters and Travel Permits for Miyoshi Ikawa: Letters and Communications re: Miyoshi Ikawa, Japanese Student Evacuee Files – Clarence Dykstra Files, UW–Madison Archives, UW–Madison Libraries.
Map of Nisei Students Japanese Student Evacuee Files – Clarence Dykstra Files, UW–Madison Archives, UW–Madison Libraries.
Statement of United States Citizen of Japanese Ancestry: Japanese Student Evacuee Files – Clarence Dykstra Files, UW–Madison Archives, UW–Madison Libraries.