Why Filipinos Came To America

Filipino’s history to America started with the Spanish trade ships that went around and through North America during the 15th century. Scared of the torture the Spaniards would do onto the Filipinos, some jumped ship and settled in the state now known as Louisiana. Although Filipino valued family as a priority, the Filipino slaves knew it would be better to jump ship than risk going through the whole voyage of torture. In these settlements, Filipinos started farming and fishing as a way to retain their Filipino identity in the new land. Filipino community came together easily as they experienced the same cruelty from the Spaniard voyagers. Officially, Filipinos came to the US by being a plantation worker at Hawaii. The Philippines were initially colonized by the Spanish and after the Spanish–American War in 1898, the United States bought the Philippines.This …show more content…
While in California, Filipinos mostly worked on farms and railroads. Competition between races became more violent because white Americans started to feel threatened by the Asians that were taking the jobs away from citizens. Filipino men threatened white American men because Filipino men were serenading and seducing the white women better than the Americans did. Filipinos in America were segregated and hated for their advantages and work ethics as were all the other Asian races in America. The turning point for the Filipinos was around the time of World War II. The McDuffie Act of 1934 provided Filipinos, in the Philippines, a commonwealth status and independence allowing the US to call on their citizens to serve. In 1942, President Roosevelt changed the law allowing Filipino Americans to serve in order to protect the Philippines. An All-Filipino battalion was formed in 1942 and grew bigger throughout the year. In 194, by serving in the army and swearing allegiance to America, these Filipino soldiers were granted citizenship in