Bhargava Ramisetty

Professor McBane

History 15B; Section 10

20 February 2015

Transformation of the American Landscape

Japanese

With the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 contributing the decline of Chinese immigrants to the

US came the rise of Japanese immigrants, who also came to the West in order to escape the

burdens they faced in their nation and earn much higher wages in the US. “Most of the farmers

have been unable to pay their taxes, and hundreds of families in one village alone have been

compelled to sell their property in order to liquidate their debts.”1 America to them, like to many

other immigrant groups, was the land of opportunity, where they could earn more livable wages

and improve their financial situation. When Hawaii was needing laborers, an overwhelming

number of Japanese applied to immigrate there.

Mexican

Mexico has proven to be an unlivable place for its citizens with the 1910 Mexican Revolution

creating an unsafe atmosphere for civilians and victims of exploitation forced into poverty. This

is when the US comes to the rescue for yet another immigrant group looking for a way to make a

proper living and feel secure. Being able to earn $1.25 for 8 hours rather than 10 hours made the

US the clear winner for the better place to live and work. On top of higher wages, the

1 Takaki pg. 266

development of transportation with long railroad trails made immigration from Mexico to the US

less of a hassle.