Issei Japanese American
Encyclopedia : I : IS : ISS : Issei Japanese American
The Issei Japanese Americans (1885-1924; lit. first generation) are Japanese Americans who arrived in the United States before the Immigration Act of 1924.
History
The Issei were brought to the United States as a replacement supply of cheap labor due to the Chinese Exclusion Act's restriction on Chinese immigrants. However, this was later considered to be a loophole, and so Japanese immigration was also halted as a protectionist measure. The Issei were very successful in improving rice farming on poor soil. Japanese Californian farmers made rice a major crop of the state. The largest Issei community settled around Vacaville, California near San Francisco.Many Issei living in the western United States were interned with their children (Nisei Japanese Americans) and grandchildren (Sansei Japanese Americans) during World War II.
Further reading
- Yuji Ichioka: The Issei The Worlds First Generation of Japanese Immigrants (New York, The Free Press, 1988)
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