排華期間美國華日族群的互動(1882~1943)

Abstract

The Chinese Americans are the largest American Asian ethnic group. They immigrated to the United States in the 19th century where many of them provided cheap labor which helped the development of the West Coast of the United States. However, the U.S. Congress passed the “Chinese Exclusion Act” in 1882. Over the succeeding approximately 60 years, Chinese could not enter the United States as legal immigrants. During these 60 years, the Japanese began entering to the United States beginning in the 1890’s. Japanese immigrants filled the labor shortage caused by the prohibition of Chinese immigration to the United States. However, in 1924, the U.S. Congress passed the “National Origin Law” in which, like the Chinese, the Japanese also lost the right to immigrate into the United States. Unfortunately for the Japanese, with the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, while Chinese became America’s good friends, and in 1943 the Chinese Exclusion Act was abolished, suddenly all Japanese were the enemy. The influence of the sudden change in policy during this period is a very interesting discussion topic. In this thesis, we will discuss the Chinese in America from 1882 until 1943; and the relationship between Chinese and Japanese Americans from the 1890s until 1943 during which time they both helped each other and also contended with each other. Both have a history of being squeezed onto the fringes of the American society and being refused American citizenship. During the war, from 1941-43, while Chinese were accepted as friends, Japanese Americans had to choose between supporting America, or following their parents in supporting Japan and therefore being imprisoned in America for the duration of the war. Both Chinese and Japanese chose to become part of American society.