Asian Americans in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Summary At the close of the century, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans comprise a rapidly growing and diverse population in the United States. This population consists of ethnic groups that have been here for up to five generations, as well as recent immigrants and refugees. The Chinese and Japanese were the two groups that were identified by the United States census just before the beginning of the 20th century; by the end of the 1900s, Asian Indians, Filipinos, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Pacific Islander groups were added. It is a population that has many internal differences, with some groups faring relatively well, achieving income, educational and occupational gains, while other groups are far from achieving them. The purpose of this article is to look at the Asian Americans at the beginning of the 1900s and to assess the changes in their demographic and socioeconomic status by the end of the century. The descriptive data in this article provide a background for understanding the Asian American experience in the 20th century.