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The United States and the Opening to Japan
On July 8, 1853, American Commodore Matthew Perry led his four ships into the harbor at Tokyo Bay, seeking to re-establish for the first time in over 200 years regular trade and discourse between Japan and the western world. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/opening-to-japan -
First Japanese immigrants arrive in America
The first Japanese immigrants to the United States of America were known as Issei, or “first generation.” A group of colonists arrived in California from Japan as early as 1869, and by the mid-1800s the first major influx of immigrants was recorded as Japanese laborers began working in Hawaii sugarcane fields. “Coming to America Japanese - Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation.” Heart Mountain, www.heartmountain.org/history/coming-to-america/. -
Albert Lemuel Bunker
Albert Lemuel Bunker, son of Chang Bunker, attends UNC as a student. he was the first Asian to attend school in America and this here opened the door to more Asians to get an education and more importantly giving a chance for Japanese Americans to attend school. -
Japanese americans Suffer Being Americanized.
During World War Two the American government attempted to "americanize" Japanese americans and integrate them into society. Through language classes inside there incarceration camps and upon release where given the instruction not to return to their past practices of there Asian culture. “Can Stereotypes Ever Be Good? - Sheila Marie Orfano and Densho.” TED-Ed, 2 Dec. 2021, ed.ted.com/lessons/can-stereotypes-ever-be-good-sheila-marie-orfano-and-densho. -
Military Service
In 1941 there were 5,000 Japanese Americans in military service. After Pearl Harbor
many were discharged as unsuitable for service and reclassified as enemy nationals, ineligible for
duty. On January 30, 1942, 169 dismissed Nisei formed the Varsity Victory Volunteers and
performed non-combat labor for eleven months. Subsequently, many of them volunteered for the
segregated 100th Infantry Battalion in May 1942, which eventually was deployed to the
European theatre. -
Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066, signed on February 19, 1942 permitted the exclusion of anyone
from anywhere without trial or hearing with criminal sanctions for violations of this order. It
was intended for the mass removal and detention of Japanese Americans and 120,000 were
removed from the west coast. Cite:
Justice For All Conference Committee. Perry Opens Japan, Early Years in America. -
Resettlement???
Japanese Americans were encouraged to leave camps and go north or east and join the
general population to get Americanized. Cheap labor was needed in these areas during the war
and jobs were more plentiful. They were not allowed to return to the west coast until exclusion
orders were rescinded. -
Suffering after the Incarceration Camps.
Many Japanese Americans suffered harsh treatment after leaving the internment camps. Examples include exclusion from being hired by jobs in the LA county, and being shut out by the produce industry, which was the lifeblood of many Japanese Americans prior to WWII. “Japanese-American Life after World War II.” Wikipedia, 31 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-American_life_after_World_War_II. -
Treaty of Sanfransisco
The American occupation of Japan ended in 1952, after the U.S. and Japan signed a security treaty for a “peace of reconciliation” in San Francisco in 1951. The agreement let the U.S. maintain military bases there, and a revision in 1960 said the U.S. would come to Japan's defense in an attack. Putting an end to most discrimination towards Japanese Americans. -
Model Minority Myth
The term 'model minority' was coined in 1966 by sociologist William Petersen in an article he wrote for the The New York Times Magazine entitled "Successful story: Japanese American style." The term has often been used to describe Asian Americans, a group seen as having success relative to other immigrant groups. Asians work hard, do well in school, and go on to have successful careers. “Model Minority.” Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition (AAPIC), aapicoalition.ucsf.edu/model-minority.