Pacific Northwest History, Essay Example

Asian immigration during in Pacific Northwest History (PNW) is interesting to me because it was a time that America got a better understanding about Asian culture, as the Asians became assimilated into American culture. The Asian people during PNW were mainly Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese, along with other Asian groups, and they came to the United States and worked as laborers, but they stayed true to their cultures. Other Asian groups that migrated to the United States during this time were Koreans, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders. As it relates to work, as noted, Asians worked as laborers and they often worked in dire conditions for low pay, and they suffered discrimination as well.

It is interesting that Asians migrated to the United States, even though immigration was illegal. They were drawn to work opportunities. During the mid-19th century, China was in a bad state with war, flooding, famine, and rebellion and this led to Chinese migration to the Pacific Northwest, as well as news about working in gold fields in California or sugar plantations in Hawaii. Also, during this period, around the 1870s, the Chinese worked on constructing railroads, lumber camps and in salmon factories.

Japanese immigrants came to the country following Western trade business during the 1850s. In Japan, many farmers were forced to give up their land because of industrialization, and many Japanese migrated and settled in Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations, and they also worked for produce, lumber, railroads and fish businesses.

The Filipinos migrated to the Pacific Northwest, even though the Philippines were a colony of the United States. This is why Filipinos were permitted to migrate anywhere within the country without much problem. Migration was driven by economic problems in the Philippines at the time, in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century.

Other Asian cultures also migrated to American for similar reasons of being pushed from their homelands because of economic or political problems, and pulled to America for opportunity. Many Asians came to the country to earn money and then returned to their native countries, but many of them stayed and made America their homes because they saw opportunity in becoming a permanent part of the country. Today, many Asian or Pacific Islander immigrants are U.S. citizens by working hard and advancing in society, as well as raising extended families.

I didn’t know much about the history of Asian immigrants prior to this study, although. I had heard of Asian/Pacific Islanders before. Asian immigrants in PNW history is a subject that tells a lot about how people struggled to get to this country that I was born in, so it teaches me that hard work pays off. Also, it teaches that the PNW movement is a significant piece of American history, because America is a diverse nation and knowing how it became that way is of great benefit. This is because it is helpful for people to have some cultural knowledge about other races. It fosters understanding and a sense of inclusion that everyone deserves, I believe.