In 1898, the Japanese were able to enter U.S. mainland without a visa from Hawaii, resulting in a mass immigration of Japanese people (JACL, 3). In order to understand the history of Japanese-Americans, first, the origins of Asian-Americans must be understood. Broadly speaking, the term “Asian-American” refers to those of East, South, and Southeast Asian descent, with Chinese and Japanese-Americans consisting the largest portion of the Asian-American community. As Erika Lee, author of The Making of Asian American History puts it, “By the time large-scale Asian immigration to the united states began in the mid nineteenth century, diverse Asian people were considered one monolithic group and were fixed in the American mind as backward, submissive, and inferior” (Lee, 7). Thus, after the first wave of Chinese people– the first large Asian group to immigrate to America (Lee, 8)– other Asian immigrants, including the Japanese were labeled as racially inferior and disruptive to American society. The Naturalization Act of 1790 prohibited non-white immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens (JACL,
In 1898, the Japanese were able to enter U.S. mainland without a visa from Hawaii, resulting in a mass immigration of Japanese people (JACL, 3). In order to understand the history of Japanese-Americans, first, the origins of Asian-Americans must be understood. Broadly speaking, the term “Asian-American” refers to those of East, South, and Southeast Asian descent, with Chinese and Japanese-Americans consisting the largest portion of the Asian-American community. As Erika Lee, author of The Making of Asian American History puts it, “By the time large-scale Asian immigration to the united states began in the mid nineteenth century, diverse Asian people were considered one monolithic group and were fixed in the American mind as backward, submissive, and inferior” (Lee, 7). Thus, after the first wave of Chinese people– the first large Asian group to immigrate to America (Lee, 8)– other Asian immigrants, including the Japanese were labeled as racially inferior and disruptive to American society. The Naturalization Act of 1790 prohibited non-white immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens (JACL,