Philippines is a country that is made up to more seven thousand islands and is located to the southeastern part of Asia. The Philippines is separated from its neighboring Asian countries by the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea. For being known as one of the smallest country in Asia, the Philippines consists with more than sixty cultural communities and has more than eighty dialects (Bautista, 1998). With the Spanish colonization in the fifteenth century, Philippines’ culture is strongly influenced by the Spaniards. It can be seen through its architectures, food, the language, Tagalog, the national language of Philippines is similar to the Spanish language, and traditions. After the Philippine Revolution, despite the proclamation of the Philippine independence and establishment of the First Philippine Republic, the Philippines did not become a member of the family nations (Bautista, 1998). The United States had then decided to annex the Philippines as its territory in the Pacific.
The first Filipino American population started booming after the United States in 1898. In 1906, fifteen young Filipinos boarded a ship for Hawaii, starting a migration of Filipinos who would provide a steady supply of labor for the farms and agricultural enterprises in Hawaii and later in the West Coast (Francia, 2010). Early Filipino immigrants came to the United States for a better life, better opportunity. Filipino immigrant communities were formed mostly by men because women were discouraged from emigrating to forestall the formation of families and putting down roots which would remain until the World War II. These pioneers and the men that followed in their footsteps were called manong, or “elder brother”. By 1926, around 150,000 Fili...
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...ng admitted to the hotels, restaurants, and other public places. In the 1920s and 1930s, Filipinos were banned to marry white women, but laws against Filipino was later declared as unconstitutional. Today, it is rare that people turn heads when a white man is with a Filipino woman, or vice versa.
The Filipino culture is a combination of acquired ways and manners, including personal behavior in social interaction. It also includes the total elements of the Filipino way of life: customs, traditions, beliefs, values, arts, language, rituals, attitudes, and the total characteristics of the members of Filipino society. Much of the present Filipino culture is an assimilation of cultural influences from past colonizers. In Filipino culture he Filipinos have positive and negative values
Today, Asian Americans is then fastest growing racial group in the United States.
This book serves as the best source of answers to those interested in questions about the origin of ethnicity and race in America. Impossible subjects is divided into seven chapters, and the first two talk about the action and practices that led to restriction, exclusion and deportation. It majorly traces back experiences of four immigrant groups which included the Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Mexican. Ngai talks of the exclusion practices which prevented Asian entry into America and full expression of their citizenship in America. Although the American sought means of educating the Asians, they still faced the exclusion policies (Mae Ngai 18). All Asians were viewed as aliens and even those who were citizens of the USA by birth were seen as foreign due to the dominant American culture (Mae Ngai 8). Unlike the Asians, Mexicans were racially eligible to citizenship in the USA because of their language and religion. However, she argues that Mexicans still faced discrimination in the fact that entry requirements such as visa fee, tax and hygiene inspection were made so difficult for them, which prompted many Mexicans to enter into the USA illegally. Tens and thousands of Mexicans later entered into America legally and illegally to seek for employment but were seen as seasonal labor and were never encouraged to pursue American
The Philippines was annexed because they needed guidance in leading their new nation. Owning our children is like the United States annexing the Philippines. The Philippine Islands our like children who are small and weak, but with the United States is like the parents that help the children grow and prosper into strong people. “That there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellowmen for whom christ also died” (Doc C). The
Written by Margaret K. Pai, the Dreams of Two Yi-min narrates the story of her Korean American family with the main focus on the life journeys of her father and mother, Do In Kwon and Hee Kyung Lee. Much like the majority of the pre-World War II immigrants, the author’s family is marked and characterized by the common perception of the “typical” Asian immigrant status in the early 20th century: low class, lack of English speaking ability, lack of transferable education and skills, and lack of knowledge on the host society’s mainstream networks and institutions (Zhou and Gatewood 120, Zhou 224). Despite living in a foreign land with countless barriers and lack of capital, Kwon lead his wife and children to assimilate culturally, economically, and structurally through his growing entrepreneurship. Lee, on the other hand, devoted herself not only to her husband’s business but also to the Korean American society. By investing her time in the Korean Methodist Church and the efforts of its associated societies, such as the Methodist Ladies Aid Society and the Youngnam Puin Hoe, Lee made a worthy contribution to the emergence and existence of Hawaii’s Korean American community.
...al Sam Gillis.” Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903. New Haven, CT: Yale University, 1982. 87. Print.
Immigration has existed around the world for centuries, decades, and included hundreds of cultures. Tired of poverty, a lack of opportunities, unequal treatment, political corruption, and lacking any choice, many decided to emigrate from their country of birth to seek new opportunities and a new and better life in another country, to settle a future for their families, to work hard and earn a place in life. As the nation of the opportunities, land of the dreams, and because of its foundation of a better, more equal world for all, the United States of America has been a point of hope for many of those people. A lot of nationals around the world have ended their research for a place to call home in the United States of America. By analyzing primary sources and the secondary sources to back up the information, one could find out about what Chinese, Italians, Swedish, and Vietnamese immigrants have experienced in the United States in different time periods from 1865 to 1990.
they cannot deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” The Filipinos weren't treated as equals, but rather were governed over, which ultimately deprived the life styles of many. Also, the Filipinos were far from the pursuit of happiness, thousands of natives died trying to win independence, causing resentment and anger, the opposite of life, liberty, and safety. Understandably, the United States, a very successful nation in many ways, thought that their “charity case” to the Philippines was beneficial. Allowing the uncivilized to be part of a powerful, profitable, civilized culture seemed like the proper outreach to a country that had just been ruled over for 300 years.
Theme three focuses on the Filipinos use of culture as a resistance or domination. In this context, Filipino culture and tradition is used as a method of maintain Filipino identity while resisting assimilation into the concept of ‘whiteness’. Specifically speaking, Filipino culture is used as a tool to point out the flaws they see in American culture. Additionally, it is a tool they use to steer their children away from the temptation of acting in a way that American culture is said to act; that is,
While modern Chinese immigrants come to the United States seeking jobs as did their predecessors, new motivations have drawn families to the country. In the mid-1800s large numbers of Chinese people began to arrive in America. These immigrants were driven from their homeland by the opium wars, British colonization, peasant rebellion, floods, and ...
In 1898, in an effort to free Cuba from the oppression of its Spanish colonizers, America captured the Philippines. This brought about questions of what America should do with the Philippines. Soon, controversy ensued both in the American political arena as well as among its citizens. Throughout its history, America had always been expansionistic, but it had always limited itself to the North American continent. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, however, there emerged a drive to expand outside of the continent. When America expanded to the Philippines, the policy it followed was a stark break from past forms of expansionism. Despite much controversy, America followed the example of the imperialistic nations in Europe and sought to conquer the Philippines as an imperialist colony that they would rule either directly or indirectly.
The journey of Filipino Americans has not been easy at all. They faced numerous trials
The Philippine society is also typified by the strong influence of its colonization. It has imbibed certain customs and habits from its past colonizers. The Spanish has taught Filipinos to be religious and this is still manifested in today's rich tradition of fiestas. Filipinos are a bit extravagant when spending for fiestas and holidays. This is because they want to conform to the social norms regarding these events.
The first inhabitants of the Philippines arrived from the land bridge from Asia over 150,000 years ago. Throughout the years, migrants from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other parts of Asia made their way to the islands of this country. In the fourteenth century, the Arabs arrived and soon began a long tradition of Islam. Many Muslims are still living in the Philippines today.
I don’t believe the Philippine War was justified. There are more ways than war to solve the annexation of the Philippines. I agree on some of the policies, but not all of the policies, that were in place during that time period.
We did not think it mattered! Who needed the "right" car, family lineage, the "right" education, domestic helpers--basically the "right" everything? We perceived all of the above as parts of the pretension of the Philippine society, yet it was so easy for us to ignore and dissociate ourselves from it because we were the products of this "right" term. We could deny the class system and insult it because we were luckily born into the advantageous class, and we had these "right elements" accessible to us. If we became tired of the society we could complain about it or excommunicate ourselves, but since we were considered the "privileged class" we could always return and the level of respect would still be there. We were in a no lose situation in this respect.
A. A. The Philippines People, Poverty and Politics. New York: The New York Times. St. Martins's P, 1987. 1-225.