Blogs >> Education & Books >>
Barriers to Bridges
Barriers to Bridges is a new exhibition which was unveiled at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) on November 21, 2008. This artifact case offers glimpses of a rich history of Asian Americans from the 19th century to the present.
The immigration process for Americans of Asian Pacific descent was never easy. Asians were initially tolerated, along with other immigrants, but resentment and racial tensions sparked of a series of exclusionary laws that were enforced in the late 19th century—for the first time in U.S. history, which led to immigrants being barred entry solely on the basis of race.
The Chinese were the first group to be excluded, by the early 20th century, even as most Asians were prohibited from immigrating and applying for citizenship until 1965.
Visitors to Barriers to Bridges will find anti-Asian images but the exhibition also includes stories of Asians who found ways to enter the country. After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fire in San Francisco destroyed public records, allowing many Chinese to claim that they had been born in San Francisco.
These Chinese immigrants claimed citizenship for their children living in China, even as these “slots” were often sold to strangers or handed to relatives. Immigration officials carried out extensive interviews attempting to uncover these “paper sons,”
The “coaching” book on display helped an immigrant meticulously memorize hundreds of detailed questions to “prove” his status as the son of a waiting American-born parent.
Another legal immigration path into the United States lay in being a picture bride—so named because often the couple knew each other only through the exchange of photos and family information.
In the early 20th century, over 20,000 picture brides from Japan and Korea arrived mostly in California and Hawaii to join their husbands. One such picture bride left a beautiful wedding kimono (Japanese traditional garment) and her wedding photo.
The Asian exclusion laws were replaced after 1943, with a very restrictive quota system. Some Asian countries received tiny allotments (105 people per year for China, for example) while certain non-quota immigrants became eligible for entry and eventual citizenship. Asian American populations in the U.S. increased after World War II as Asian women (wartime brides), children (adoptees), and refugees entered the U.S.
In the artifact case, visitors may see a Filipino nurse’s cap, Hmong story cloth, entry permits for Vietnamese political refugees, and a doctored Thai passport for an exploited laborer.
Today, about 15,000,000 Asian Pacific Americans make up 5% of the U.S. population and join Latinos as one of our fastest growing ethnic groups.
Barriers to Bridges is an ongoing exhibition. To know more about the Asia Pacific Americans, visit: www.apa.si.edu
Disclaimer: This is not an official blog of the Smithsonian Group nor I am associated with them.
The immigration process for Americans of Asian Pacific descent was never easy. Asians were initially tolerated, along with other immigrants, but resentment and racial tensions sparked of a series of exclusionary laws that were enforced in the late 19th century—for the first time in U.S. history, which led to immigrants being barred entry solely on the basis of race.
The Chinese were the first group to be excluded, by the early 20th century, even as most Asians were prohibited from immigrating and applying for citizenship until 1965.
Visitors to Barriers to Bridges will find anti-Asian images but the exhibition also includes stories of Asians who found ways to enter the country. After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fire in San Francisco destroyed public records, allowing many Chinese to claim that they had been born in San Francisco.
These Chinese immigrants claimed citizenship for their children living in China, even as these “slots” were often sold to strangers or handed to relatives. Immigration officials carried out extensive interviews attempting to uncover these “paper sons,”
The “coaching” book on display helped an immigrant meticulously memorize hundreds of detailed questions to “prove” his status as the son of a waiting American-born parent.
Another legal immigration path into the United States lay in being a picture bride—so named because often the couple knew each other only through the exchange of photos and family information.
In the early 20th century, over 20,000 picture brides from Japan and Korea arrived mostly in California and Hawaii to join their husbands. One such picture bride left a beautiful wedding kimono (Japanese traditional garment) and her wedding photo.
The Asian exclusion laws were replaced after 1943, with a very restrictive quota system. Some Asian countries received tiny allotments (105 people per year for China, for example) while certain non-quota immigrants became eligible for entry and eventual citizenship. Asian American populations in the U.S. increased after World War II as Asian women (wartime brides), children (adoptees), and refugees entered the U.S.
In the artifact case, visitors may see a Filipino nurse’s cap, Hmong story cloth, entry permits for Vietnamese political refugees, and a doctored Thai passport for an exploited laborer.
Today, about 15,000,000 Asian Pacific Americans make up 5% of the U.S. population and join Latinos as one of our fastest growing ethnic groups.
Barriers to Bridges is an ongoing exhibition. To know more about the Asia Pacific Americans, visit: www.apa.si.edu
Disclaimer: This is not an official blog of the Smithsonian Group nor I am associated with them.
|
|
