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Sample Student final exam answers 2016 (2016 final exam assignment) Part 3: Model Research Reports |
LITR 4340
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Madison Coates
From
the Land of the Rising Sun to the Land of the Free:
Japanese Immigration to
America
Japanese-Americans are few and far between in Texas or in the southern
states altogether. Part of this reason is the immigration patterns of
Japanese-Americans being in the West and North-West parts of America. Growing up
as a part-Japanese myself, I have not seen a lot of representation in my
community and therefore have not heard as much about the immigration of the
Japanese to America besides what I have heard in passing from my family. What I
have discovered through research is the struggle and complex history of the
brave men and women who made the journey to America to start a new life.
Today America has an odd fascination with Japanese culture. The food,
clothes, art, anime, music, and people are more main stream in the way people
talk about it today than ever before. This was not always the case. For
centuries Japan had been a closed nation that refused to trade with other
sovereign nations like America. It wasn’t until American Navy Commodore Matthew
Perry in 1853 sailed into Japanese harbors demanding they open trade with
America that the Japanese people were even exposed to a new and very different
culture. Over the course of the next few decades came the massive urbanization
and industrialization of the nation which led to more jobs in cities and less
need for agriculture. This caused a social upheaval that left many farmers who
were out of work looking at other prospects like emigration to America. Around
1886 floods of Japanese, most strong, young men eager to find work immigrated to
America on contracts to work in the archipelagos of Hawaii and the West Coast.
What most of these young men were looking for when they signed those
contracts to work in sugar cane fields in Hawaii was a quick and easy way to get
wealth and eventually return back home with their pockets full and more
potential for success in their home villages. Instead, their youth and naivety
found them in binding contracts that demand they stay for 3 to 5 years. The
immigration to Hawaii was also interesting because at the time Hawaii was not
yet officially an American state so the laws of immigrations were not as strict.
Immigrant labor was brought in by commercial companies who sought out a variety
of ethnicities to work the sugar cane and fruit plantations. The plantation
workers were segregated by ethnicity and treated like serfs with minimal pay and
were whipped for small misdemeanors like smoking or stretching during work in
the fields. The Japanese population soared in Hawaii until it eventually became
the dominant ethic group. The Japanese immigrants never had to assimilate to a
dominant culture because they eventually out-numbered the native Hawaiians.
One thing that Japanese did while on Hawaii was bring in their culture.
Buddhist temple were set up, shops, and living districts latter flourished. They
also still celebrated major Japanese holidays through the plantations. Since it
was easier with their vast numbers to establish their traditions and culture on
the island they were also able to influence their work environments. The
Japanese immigrants’ challenges mainly lied with the white European commercial
companies that employed them to work on plantations. After nearly fifteen years
the Japanese began organizing work strikes in 1900 which eventually led to the
organization of the first multiethnic workers union called the Hawaii Laborers’
Association (HLA). While the immigrants in Hawaii faced certain hardships such
as poor work conditions at the beginning and hard labor they still did not have
to face the same struggles as the Japanese who immigrated to the West Coast of
America.
On the West Coast of America a more traditional immigration story took
place for the Japanese immigrants. In comparison to the rapid 400,000 men and
women who immigrated to Hawaii, only about 25,000 Japanese immigrated to the
West Coast during those first 30 years. The Japanese immigrants found hard work
on farms, in the mines, and on the construction on the American Western
railroads. These Japanese-Americans went through the third stage of the
immigration of narrative as they went through “shock, resistance, exploitation,
and discrimination” (Objective 2C: Course Home Page).
The
shock was cultural, but it was the resistance that started the narrative.
Japanese-Americans first started off in small communities, such as the famed
Japan Town in San Francisco which still thrives today as a tourist destination.
The Japanese who later used saved up money to start their own businesses
tailored their grocery stores and shops to meet the need of other Japanese
immigrants. Sticking to these very tight communities allowed the
Japanese-Americans to build new lives in America through mutual support similar
to many other first wave immigrant narratives. What became their initial
downfall in the West was the discrimination and resistance from the dominant
culture. The dominant culture in America used similar slanders against Japanese
immigrants as they had against the Chinese immigrants. The accusations by
dominant culture about Japanese immigrants and workers were they stole jobs,
threatened women, and were corrupting the culture of America. The propaganda
stirred up more prejudice and lead to Japanese immigrants being excluded from
major American worker unions. Then the Gentlemen’s Agreement in 1908, which was
an agreement between Japan and American, did not allow any men to immigrate to
America except for the women and children. Eventually, the Immigration Act of
1924 restricted any immigration from non-European countries that caused Japanese
immigration came to a halt for what seemed like forever.
Then
on December 7th, 1941 the narrative of the Japanese-Americans and
their families drastically changed with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The ugliest
side of America came out over the courses of a year as prominent and famous
Japanese-Americans were imprisoned as risks to national security. Almost a year
after the bombing President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 forcing alien
and non-alien Japanese-Americans into internment camps. The Japanese internment
camps are often glossed over or not even mentioned in history books in most
public schools. While America fought overseas to free the Jewish from
concentration camps and prejudice, we were at home putting our own people in a
form of concentration camps. The culture of the Japanese-Americans changed
drastically behind the fences.
Thousands of Japanese-Americas were relocated to Midwestern internment camps
that were dry, flat, and desert like. Only the young, second generation
Japanese-American, referred to as the Nisei, were allowed to work paying jobs at
the camps because they were considered full American citizens. This caused an
imbalance of traditional Japanese values as the young took on more leadership
roles in the communities as the older generations, Issei, were force to take on
more minor roles. The camps were considerably less harsh than those of the
German concentration camps of the Jewish, but it still isolated an entire
ethnicity and no Japanese-American was ever found guilty of treason. Communities
inside the Japanese internment camps had schools, farming jobs, recreation,
church gatherings, and communal eating areas. The isolation and the
unconstitutional treatment of Japanese-Americans is still something that all
Americans need to be more aware of and remember so we never repeat one of our
largest mistakes ever again.
After
the Japanese internment camps and the release of Japanese-Americans they were
able to rebuild their lives and community. There was definitely a massive change
in how they entered society after the camps. The Nisei now had to take on a
leadership in the Japanese-American community and provide a voice about the
injustice of the internment camps. The Issei had to try and rebuild their lost
business and homes after being forced to liquidate everything during the
relocation period. One of the best things to come out of this was that
non-Japanese Americans began to recognize the errors of the internment camps and
tried to make amends with the Japanese-Americans. America also honored the young
men who served in WWII and their bravery for defending their country.
Japanese-Americans were finally able to be accepted by the dominant culture
after being completely separated from it all together.
Today, Japanese-Americans live in the million around the country. Most still
reside in Hawaii, the West, and North-West regions of America. During my
research I discovered that Seattle, Washington is a massive hub for
Japanese-Americans which is exciting since one day I plan to move there and
continue a career as a teacher. Over the course of my discovery of the complex
history of the Japanese immigrant narrative I found myself pulled to know more
and more about personal accounts and reconnect with Japanese culture in America.
I am now falling into the fifth stage of the immigrant narrative as I try to
rediscover a culture that I have always wanted to better understand. I feel
humbled knowing the struggles of the Japanese who first immigrated to America
and I hope I can one day pass on this knowledge to my own children.
Citations
Library of Congress: Japanese Immigration
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/japanese.html
Japanese-Americans: Historical Overview
http://archive.vancouver.wsu.edu/crbeha/ja/ja.htm
Foner, Eric, and Garratry, John A.
“Japanese-American Relocation.” History,
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation.
National Japanese American Historical Society
https://www.njahs.org/
