Katie Chau

Professor Larry Hashima

ETHS 171

12 September, 2020

Reading Quiz #3

The exclusionist era provides context into the lives of many Asian American immigrants
not only as victims of such exclusion, but as survivors, and purveyors. Creating a path for a
modern, thriving diverse presence of Asians in societal aspects. However, there was a pursuit in
attempting to exclude such Japanese immigrants, once again developed from Orientalist fears.
Which turned into multiple conditions regarding economic, legal, and social status. One could
also say that it was "gatekeeping" in the context of Asain immigration.

Economic associations of exclusion could be traced back to the early beginnings of

Japanese immigration to Hawaii. With a large number of Japanese laborers working on
plantations. Yet this was one of the many examples of cruel mistreatment and living conditions
faced by many. It sparked multiple revolts and riots of demand for equal pay, and an end to a
racially discriminatory system which paid specifically, Japanese laborers significantly lower than
those of other ethnicities. " Strikers demanded higher wages, equal pay for equal work, and an
end to the racially discriminatory wage system that paid Japanese laborers less than laborers of
other nationalities (Lee, 87)." Changes were made, but despite them being so, Japanese laborers
continued to pursue more economic opportunities in the contiguous U.S.

However, legal discriminations persisted, even more so inside the mainland United
States. An example of this was with the increase in an Japanese immigration through Hawaii into
the States in the 1890’s to early 1900s. This came until President Theodore Roosevelt passed
such an executive order banning alien immigration through Hawaii. Exclusionists attempts also
extended towards citizen naturalization, seen in Takao Ozawa vs. United States. The decision
however, only reflected the anti-Japanese sentiment of this time, resulting in Ozawa’s
ineligibility to be naturalized, as ruled by the court. “To no avail. Ruling that the U.S.’s 1790
Naturalization Act expressly allowed the naturalization of only white persons, the court argued
that since Ozawa was not white or Caucasian, he was ineligible (Lee, 93).” Despite all of this,
Japanese-Americans would continue to fight against discriminatory decisions such as the one in
Ozawa vs. U.S., responding with respectable establishments and educational campaigns in an
effort to create understanding with non-Japanese.

Along with such economic and legal exclusions, came its powerful product, which
ultimately was social forms of exclusion. Spread across multiple generations of
Japanese-Americans whether faced in racial discrimination and hatred from microaggressions
caused by preexisting Orientalist fears. These fears were even more so capitalized on by the
“yellow peril”. Such experiences were documented in Lee’s chapter, of a young girl Yoshiko,
who was one of many that suffered first hand exclusion and humiliation from certain public
areas. “Yoshiko and her other Japanese American friends began to be singled out and excluded.
In order to avoid embarrassment and humiliation at clothing stores, theaters, beauty salons,
swimming pools, and other public venues, (Lee, 90).” In the midst of racial tension and
aggravation against the Japanese-Americans, they responded with the formation of their own
organizations and clubs. Along with their own aspect of Japanese culture knit within a small part
of American society.

While this time was remembered as an exclusion era of Japanese populations, it only
further revealed their persistence and response against such discrimination. Building legacies of
establishments and communities that continued to persevere. Allowing them to assimilate into
American society, and at the same time connecting their ties to Imperial Japan. Through attempts
to exclude the Japanese-American population through social, legal and economic aspects, such
efforts only fortified their responses. Fighting against a developed Orientalist fear and
stigmatization of not just Japanese, but all of Asian immigration.