History of Asian Americans

[4] Asian immigration to the United States was influenced by events like the Opium Wars (1839–1860) in China, which caused economic instability and social upheaval.

Many Chinese laborers sought opportunities abroad, contributing to industries like railroad construction and mining.

Despite their efforts, they faced significant discrimination and exclusionary policies, shaping the early experiences of Asian Americans.Seeing the conflicts they were dealing with back home, They decided that they needed to seek refuge in safer areas The Chinese arrived in the US in large numbers on the West Coast in the 1850s and 1860s to work in the gold mines and railroads.

[5][6] A man by the name of Don Yee Fung wrote about his experiences immigrating from China to the U.S. in the article “My Journey from China to America” [7] and how things like the Exclusion Act, Angel Island and racial discrimination effected him during the immigration, struggling to get a job due to the fact he was Asian, whilst his white peers easily got jobs.

He fled to the U.S. Don Yee Fung states he moved due to the Japanese War around 1939 when he was only eleven, and it wasn't until some time around 1951 People of Japanese descent began to arrive in large numbers between 1890–1907, many going to Hawaii (an independent country until 1898), and others to the West Coast.