ASIAN IMMIGRATION

Xia Zhang
Dec 2009
What do you know about Asian American?

 America is a nation of immigrants. People from many different

countries settled here and contributed their culture to this
relatively young country.
 While Asian Americans "only" make up about 5% of the U.S.'s
population , they are one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic
groups in the U.S. Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing
yet least known groups of immigrants in the United States.
 The First Asian Americans

 The original Native American Indians originated in

Asia, so technically they were the first Asian
Americans.
 The Bering Land Bridge-Beringia is a route that the
ancient Siberians or other northeastern Asians could
have taken to reach the New World
 The First Asian Americans
The Bering Land Bridge-Beringia

 Archaeologists agree that the ancestor of the Native Americans came from
northeastern Asian. They must have crossed over the Bering Land
Bridge(Beringia) when it was open, that is, when glaciers on land had
lowered the sea level enough to expose a land passage. Some archaeologists
say it is possible that some of these Ancient peoples came over by watercraft.
 The First Asian Americans
In the Post-migration Period
 In the migration period, Asians came to the
Americas by way of those currents of
commerce and conquest beginning in the mid-
sixteenth century with Spain’s Manila galleon
trade between the Philippines and Mexico.
 The first Asians to come to the “new world”
were Chinese Filipinos who settled in Mexico.
Eventually, Filipino sailors were the first to
settle in the U.S. around 1750 in what would
later be Louisiana
 Asian Americans
Gold Rush

 The first large-scale immigration of Asians into the U.S.

happened during the California Gold Rush period since
1849. The Gold Rush was one of the pull factors that led
many Chinese to come to the U.S. to find their fortune and
return home rich and wealthy.
 It is estimated that some 25,000 Chinese arrived in
California from 1849 to 1851.
 The Diverse Asian American Ethnic
Groups

 There are around 12 different Ethnic groups in

Asian American.
 In this presentation, we focus our discussion on
Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean and Indian
ethnic groups.
 Chinese American

History
 The first Chinese immigrants that traveled to the West Coast wanted
to strike rich during the Gold Rush.
 In addition to prospecting for gold in California, many Chinese also
came as contract laborers to Hawai'i to work in sugarcane plantations.
 In 1865, many Chinese came to U.S. as railroad workers on the famous
Transcontinental Railroad project. The Railroad is built to connect the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States.
 In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned further immigration
of Chinese workers, was enacted.
 Chinese American
Transcontinental Railroad

 At its peak, 9,000 to 12,000 Chinese worked for the Central Pacific in some of the
dirtiest and most dangerous jobs.
 Many sources claim that up to 1,000 Chinese died during the project as a result of
avalanches and explosive accidents as they carved their way through the Sierra
Mountains.
 The project was completed on May 10, 1869 and a famous ceremony was staged where
the two railroad lines met in Promontory Point, Utah
 The transcontinental railroad is considered one of the greatest American technological
feats of the 19th century
Chinese American
Chinatown
 The first Chinatowns
allowed Chinese to make
a living among
themselves during the
Chinese Exclusion period.
 Chinatown, San Francisco
was not only the first, but
also is one of the largest
Chinatowns to be
established in North
America.
 Chinese American
Modern Era
 Nationwide, levels of educational attainment among
Chinese Americans were significantly higher than those of
the general U.S. population in both 1980 and 1990, and skill
level increased over time.
 The 1990 Census showed that 41 percent of Chinese
Americans (aged 25 to 64) have attained four or more years
of college education, compared to 21 percent of non-
Hispanic whites.
 Chinese Americans continue to concentrate in the West and
in urban areas. California accounts for 40 percent of all
Chinese Americans (1.1 million). New York accounts for 16
percent, second only to California, and Hawai'i for 6
percent.
Filipino Americans
History
 The large-scale immigration of Filipino
started after Philippines became a territory
of the United States in 1898.
 They arrived as laborers, mostly in
agriculture and domestic service.
 The first wave of Filipinos immigrated to
Hawaii from 1906 to 1935, working in sugar
and pineapple plantations and later the
farms of California as migrant laborers.
 In World War II, thousands of Filipinos
were recruited to serve in the military,
especially the Navy, where they took jobs
mostly as stewards and cooks. This
population comprises the second wave of
immigration and an important segment of
the Filipino population in the United States
today.
Filipino Americans
Modern Era

 By the 1990s, the Philippines sent more

immigrants than any country except Mexico.

 In 2000, seven of the ten cities with the largest

Filipino populations were in California.
 More recently, economic opportunities have
lured Filipinos to states like Nevada. In cities
like Reno and Las Vegas, Filipinos occupy
jobs within the tourism industry as employees
in hotels, shops and restaurants, and in the
health care industry, primarily as nurses.
 The continuing nurse and teacher shortage
will mean significant streams of low-/semi-
skilled and skilled workers from the
Philippines will continue to emigrate.
 Indian Americans
History

 By the end of the 19th century, less than 800 Indians are recorded to have emigrated here. On
April6 1899, four Sikhs landed in San Francisco.

 The earliest immigrants came from the Punjab region of India. Most were Sikh men, though
some came from the Muslim and Hindu communities.

 Sikh soldiers fought on behalf of the British Empire in the Middle East and Africa, were sent
to Beijing, China and fought in World War I. After their service, many made their way to
Vancouver, Canada. Later they found their way further south, into the northwestern United
States.
 Indian Americans
Modern Era

 Indian-Americans have been one of the fastest-growing and most successful

immigrant groups.
 Indian American are highly concentrated in the Northeastern part of the United
States--about 35 percent live there. And more than half of Indian Americans live in
Southern and Western regions of the United States. The San Francisco Bay Area has
the highest percentage of Asian Indians.
 U.S. Census estimates two years ago showed some 2.6 million people of Indian
ancestry, including immigrants and U.S.-born, a jump of nearly 1 million from 2000.
 For years, Indian have proliferated in this country in the fields of health care,
information technology and engineering, with higher education levels and incomes
than national averages
 Japanese Americans
History

 Immigrants from Japan began entering the United States in the 1880s. They were largely farmers from
southern Japan before U.S. The mass labor migration began in 1885 and ended in 1924.
 Before World War II, roughly 450,000 Japanese migrated to the United States (including Hawaii when it

was an independent country, then a U.S. territory).

 The 1907- 1908 Gentlemen’s Agreement between the U.S. and Japan resulted in Japan agreeing to restrict

Japanese male immigration in exchange Japanese women entered U.S. –some as “picture brides”
 The majority of Japanese immigrant women arrived from 1908 to 1924, entering as wives of men

previously settled in the United States.

 On Feb.19,1942, President Franklin signed Executive Order 9066authorized the mass evacuation and

imprisonment of Japanese Americans in Washington, Oregon, California and parts of Arizona for most
of World War II.
 Japanese Americans
Picture Brides
 Between 1910 and 1920, young
Japanese women journeyed to U.S.
to become the wives of men they
knew only through photographs
and letters.
 Picture brides made up a
significant amount of the Japanese
immigrants during this time. They
account for perhaps half of all
Japanese immigrants to the United
States.
 In 1910 there were 4,500 American
born Japanese children; in 1920 the
number jumped to 30,000 and by
1930 there were 68,000 American-
Picture brides arriving at Immigration Station
born Japanese children.
Japanese Americans
Modern Era
 According to the 1990
census figures, there
were 847,562 Japanese
Americans in the
United States.
 About 723,000 of the
Japanese Americans
lived in the West,
312,989 of those in
California.
 Korean Americans
History

 From 1903-1905, about 7,000 Koreans were recruited and brought

to Hawai'i as plantation laborers.
 Before 1924, about 1,100 Koran “picture brides” were brought in.
 American intervention in the Korean War (1950-53) triggered the
second wave of Korean immigration. Between 1951 and 1964,
approximately 6,500 brides, 6,300 adopted children, and 6,000
students came to this country
 Korean Americans
Modern Era
 Korean Americans are concentrated in a few
large metropolises like Los Angeles, Riverside,
New York City and the surrounding northern
New Jersey.
 Surveys confirm that about one-third of Korean
immigrant households engage in a self-owned
business. Their tendency to enter into business
is one of the highest among all minority
ethnic/racial groups.
 Asian Immigration
Angel Island

 Angel Island was the main immigration checkpoint during

Immigration Period. It located in San Francisco’s North Bay.
 Angel Island was a detention barrack where new immigrants were
processed and given medical examinations.
 About 60,000 Japanese and 3,000 Indian are estimated to have come
through Angel Island Immigration Station.
 Between 1910 and 1940, there were as many as 175,000 Chinese
immigrants detained and processed at Angel Island
 Asian Immigration
Conclusion
 Asian American history is an account of
America’s past. The history of Asians in the
U.S. is the history of dreams, hard work,
prejudice, discrimination, persistence, and
triumph.
 Asian Americans have made major
contributions to the American culture and
economy. In the modern era, Asian Americans
have made considerable contributions in
science and technology in the United States.
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