Chapter 6:Diversity and its Discontents. Who is an American?

The Chinese Started coming to America during the 1849 Gold Rush to California. The 1790 Naturalization Act denied them citizenship in the US. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act stopped almost all immigration from China. They were forced to move to Chinatowns to find work. They usually worked in small businesses, like restaurants and laundries. Even if they went to prestigious colleges like MIT or Stanford it was still hard for them to find a job. After Pearl Harbor Chinese were discriminated against even more because they looked like the “Japs” two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor Time magazine released an article to show the difference between the Chinese and the Japanese.

The Chinese cont. They saw the war as an opportunity to be accepted as Americans. Many young Chinese men joined the military. During the war the Chinese found jobs in the defense industry. After decades of low wages the Chinese started to prosper. Many restaurants in Chinatowns had to shut down due to lack of workers. Chinese weren't just fighting for America they were also fighting for China. The Japanese used propaganda to turn other Asian countries against the US. To avoid conflict the US allowed a certain amount of Chinese to become citizens.

Filipino Fighters from America The Philippines was annexed by The U.S. in Most of them came to America to earn some money and return to the Philippines and buy some land. In the Philippines you are respected by other people if you own land. On the West Coast it was very difficult for them to find jobs. Some businesses had signs outside their door declaring that Filipinos were not allowed inside. In 1934 the Philippines was established as a commonwealth and immigration was prohibited. At the Battle of Bataan Filipino fighters and American soldiers fought side-by-side against the Japanese. After the battle Americans started to treat Filipinos better. Like the Chinese many young Filipinos joined the army.

Filipino Fighters from America cont. 40 percent of the Filipino population in California signed up for the draft. Filipino soldiers went to Marysville, Ca. during their weekend pass, but they were told “We don’t serve Filipinos here.” Filipinos who had served in the US Armed Forces were allowed to become citizens. A year after the war ended, Congress allowed Filipino to become citizens.

Korean American: A War to Free Their Homeland Even though the Koreans hated the Japanese they were mistaken as Japanese. Even the government recognized them as Japanese. The Koreans were also not allowed to become citizen. Came to America to earn some money, but they found out it was harder that they thought. Japan annexed Korea in 1910 and many Koreans lost contact with their relatives in Korea. A Korean man who served in the US Armed Forces during WWI petitioned for citizenship but was denied because Koreans were part of the Mongol Family. During WWII The Korean Immigrants weren't trusted but the ones who were born in America were recruited to translate secret Japanese documents.