ABSTRACT
In May 1905, the San Francisco Board of Education drafted a plan to establish separate schools for Asian students because it believed association with children of the Mongolian race was detrimental to Caucasian children. Far from protecting their rights against incursions by demogogic newspaper editors, politicians, and a frightened racist public, the US Supreme Court issued a series of decisions in the 1920s which further institutionalized anti-Japanese prejudice. The Supreme Court derided the issue of citizenship for Asians in November 1922 in the landmark case of Ozawa vs. United States. Despite a number of court cases challenging the existence of foreign language schools racist legislation against the Japanese in the area of education found less secure footing. Since Congress had never authorized naturalization for Asians, it is difficult to criticize the Court's failure to grant citizenship to Japanese aliens, but its decisions revealed a willingness to adopt the prejudice that immigrants from northern Europe would make the best US citizens.
