History

Matsuda’s and Moody’s American Experience

Over the years, the American experiences varied due to different encounters across the different major populations in the United States. Widespread experiences of racism and discrimination among many groups in the United States have different manifestations and experiences among varying groups. This paper will compare and contrast Matsuda’s and Moody’s American experiences and the obvious factors that led to the negative and positive experiences, as well as what it means to be an American in their eyes.

Mary Matsuda is an American who has experienced a lot in her life. She was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1933 and grew up during the Great Depression. During that period, all the Japanese Americans were enslaved in internment camps during the Second World War. Anyone with even a small percentage of Japanese ancestry was sent to these internment camps for fear that they would be helping Japan. Japanese-Americans were seen as a potential threat, even if they were born in the United States (Taylor). During World War II, Matsuda and her family were also interned with other Japanese Americans. Mary Matsuda was incarcerated within Camp Harmony, located in Washington, just one of the many camps set up after Pearl Harbor (Cheung). Inopportunely, Matsuda and her family could not leave the camp, and they were not allowed to have any outside communication. The conditions in the camps were terrible, with very little food and poor living conditions.

Mary Matsuda gives her experience in the Japanese American Internment Camps, which shows a clear story of her experience as a Japanese American. The experience of Matsuda in the World War II internment camp and the impacts the camp had on the Japanese-American community shows is linked to racial profiling that exists even today. The Japanese internment camps were used to incarcerate Japanese Americans and were considered the most vicious violations of American Civil rights. Considerably, the violation of civil rights through forcing people into the camps led to negative experiences among the Japanese Americans.

The experience of the Japanese-Americans during the internment camps was one of great tragedy. This was a time of great fear and racism in America. The Japanese Americans were seen as a threat to national security, even though there was no evidence to back up this claim. The internment camps were very harsh, and the conditions were often very poor. The Japanese Americans were forced to live in these camps for the duration of the war (Taylor and Kent, 2015). Many Japanese Americans could leave the internment camps and move to other parts. However, they were still treated as second-class citizens, and they were not given the same rights as other Americans.

The experience of Japanese Americans during World War II was a very difficult time for them. They were subjected to racism and discrimination and were forced to live in harsh conditions. Despite this, they managed to persevere and continue their lives. The story of Japanese Americans during World War II is linked to Mary Matsuda, who shows the experience of racism and discrimination that exists in America.

On the other hand, Ann moody wrote about her experience while growing up in Mississippi and the hardship she faced during her childhood. Ann Moody is a writer and journalist most famous for her best-selling memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi, published in 1968. The book is a coming-of-age story that follows Moody from childhood into adulthood during the civil rights movement. Her work is an autobiographical account of poor and black in segregated Mississippi. Moody was born in Water Valley, Mississippi, on January 15th, 1940. Since she had to move around a lot as a child because her father was often unemployed, Moody spent most of her childhood with her maternal grandparents on their farm outside Indianola. She attended high school in Greenville until 1955, when she moved back to Water Valley to attend a segregated all-girls academy Ann Moody gives an experience of segregated life in Mississippi and how the lives of the Black Americans were restricted compared to the Whites.

Moody describes the duality of her life as a young black girl in the South. Moody had to contend with the everyday indignities of Jim Crow segregation: being forced to sit in the back of the bus, using separate water fountains and bathrooms, attending all-black schools (Berrey). Segregation was high in Mississippi, and Moody gives an example of segregated life in Mississippi. Mississippi was known for its “Jim Crow” laws, state and local laws that enforced segregation of the races in all public facilities.

Relatively, Moody was also a part of a close-knit community of black Americans who emotionally and materially supported each other. Moody’s experiences as a young black girl in the segregated South inspired her to be a civil rights activist and writer. Her memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi, offers an understanding of the segregation in Mississippi and the rise of the civil rights movement (Boisseau, 33). Segregation in Mississippi led to a great impact on the lives of Black Americans. For instance, people were not allowed to sit wherever they wanted on the bus.

After the American Civil War, Jim Crow laws were established during Reconstruction. These laws were a way for white Southerners to regain control of the South by enforcing racial segregation and denying black Americans basic rights (Fremon). Jim Crow laws were gradually abolished in the 1950s and 1960s, but they left a lasting legacy of racism and inequality in the South. Ann Moody’s experiences as a young black girl exemplify segregation, like people not sitting wherever they wanted on the bus.

According to Ann Moody’s experience, segregation touched every life aspect in Mississippi. Racism was prevalent, making the Whites and African Americans live separate life in almost all aspects. For instance, they were kept apart in public and private hospitals and were prevented from entering the state-funded healthcare settings. The Black and White criminals were not incarcerated in the same prison cells. Segregation in Mississippi was largely a custom that led to tough experiences for the African Americans.

Factors Influencing the American Experiences

The American experience for Moody and Matsuda was influenced by racism, segregation, and discrimination. Racism in the United States results in negative perceptions and attitudes on race or ethnicity (Lee). The deep ethnic and racial disparities in the United States are a direct reason for systematic racism. Matsuda shows the negative effects of racism on the experiences of Japanese Americans. They were looked down up by the White who is the majority and, in most cases, were considered second-class citizens. For instance, Matsuda shows how the Japanese Americans were separated from the whites due to systematic racism.

Relatively, Moody shows how racism and the problem of the color line brought about unequal opportunity and profound differences in education within Mississippi. In the United States, racism is evident across various areas, including employment, education, leadership, and the criminal justice system. Racism in the United States can be traced back to slavery, Jim Crow laws, education systems, and land ownership.

Segregation in the United States has led to huge social repercussions due to segregation from residential areas, schools, transport, and public areas. Segregation has led to negative experiences due to increased rates of inequality. Segregation leads to ethnic prejudice and also creates unequal economic and social conditions. For instance, Matsuda shows how the Japanese Americans were segregated since they were labeled disloyal (Berrey). They were ordered to leave their communities, careers, and homes and forced to live in isolated camps. The systematic incarceration and removal offer a clear picture of separation among the Japanese Americans and the Whites.

Relatively, Moody shows incidences of separation between the Whites and Black Americans in education, housing, and other services. The Society was increasingly segregated along racial lines, and the political, social, and economic rights of the Black Americans were suppressed through the Jim Crow system. For instance, education was segregated just like the public facilities such as buses and hotels under the Jim Crow Laws. Segregation influenced accommodations and treatment that was always inferior among the Blacks compared to the white Americans.

Experiences among non-whites show the high odds of discrimination in the United States. Discrimination results from racial and ethnic groups that have different attitudes and perceptions. Over the years, discrimination, especially racial discrimination, has negatively influenced the experiences of racial groups such as Blacks and Hispanics. Therefore, discrimination was one factor that contributed to Matsuda and Moody’s negative experiences in the United States. They both had a challenging time fighting racial discrimination that persisted in their lives. For instance, Moody and her family were incarcerated since they were Japanese Americans, while Matsuda faced severe discrimination from the segregated South. The racial differences, discrimination, and segregation negatively affected their experience since the White was unwilling to acknowledge them as racial and social equals.

With regards to the experiences of Moody and Matsuda, being an American in their eyes means being ready to live in racialized Society where discrimination, racial disparities, and ethnic identity influence privileges and opportunities. The experiences of an individual as an American and their personal lives are shaped by their racial and ethnic background. Many dimensions of racial disparities exist in the United States, closely linked with economic, social, and environmental disadvantages. Segregation, discrimination, and racism are three words that highlight the negative experiences of non-whites in the United States when put together. There have been various incidents throughout American history where non-whites were segregated from white communities. During the Civil War, the Jim Crow laws were a prime example of segregation, where non-whites were forced to live in separate communities from whites.

Conclusion

Moody and Matsuda provide different American experiences due to their racial background. Considerably, being a Japanese American or a Black American influences experiences in the United States. The struggles of the Japanese and Blacks in America are evident in the American experiences of Moody and Matsuda. Ann Moody provides a first-hand account of the discrimination and racism faced by African Americans in the early 1960s. Relatively, Matsuda during incarceration reflects on his experiences as a Japanese American and how they suffered different but parallel forms of racism. The Jim Crow laws in Mississippi and internment camps of the Japanese Americans were some of the ways through which their American experiences were influenced negatively. Unfortunately, segregation, racism, and discrimination have been prevalent in the United States for centuries. These factors have resulted in negative experiences for African Americans and other ethnic minority groups in almost all aspects of life, including education, employment, housing, and health.

Works Cited

Berrey, Stephen A. The Jim Crow routine: Every day performances of race, civil rights, and segregation in Mississippi. UNC Press Books, 2015.

Boisseau, Tracey Jean. “Coming of Age with Anne Moody: Looking Within and Without for the Origins of Black Women’s Activism in the Civil Rights Movement.” Meridians 19.1 (2020): 32-64.

Cheung, Floyd. “Book Review—Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese American Internment Camps. By Mary Matsuda Gruenewald. NewSage Press, 2005. xi-227 pp.” Advances in Literary Study 2014 (2014).

Fremon, David K. The Jim Crow laws and racism in United States history. Enslow Publishing, LLC, 2014.

Lee, Randy T., et al. “On the prevalence of racial discrimination in the United States.” PloS one 14.1 (2019): e0210698.

Taylor, Charlotte, and Deborah Kent. The Internment of Japanese Americans. Enslow Publishing, LLC, 2015.