Transcripts For CSPAN3 Lectures In History 20150524

Each week, American History tvs is in him a lecture with one of the Nations College professors. You can watch the clots is here every saturday evening at 8 00 and midnight. Next, university of minnesota professor erika lee talks about agent immigration to the west coast from 1832 1930. She compares the angel island and ellis island experiences, describing how agent immigrants in california had more expensive that ground checks and longer Holding Times then european immigrants in new york. Her ms. Lee classes about 1. 5 hours. Hello. Welcome back. So many of us as americans, we grow up learning about the history of immigration through ellis island. This is what we spoke about last week. It is the history of european immigrants coming to the new world under the shadow of the statue of liberty. It is often told as a very uplifting and romantic story were immigrants become americans. Not many of us know the history of immigration through angel island. This is the immigration station in San Francisco and it is an important site not only for what happened back then in the early 20th century but also because it is so timely today. It is timely because when we pick up any newspaper, we see headlines like this. This is just from last week. Republicans slam obamas immigration at townhall house conservatives warn boehner dont cave on immigration does anyone know what some of these headlines are referring to last week . What was the big debate in congress . What was the proposed shutdown . Diego. They were threatening to shut down dhs funding because of obamas executive action referring to families. Ms. Lee his executive action that would protect millions of undocumented immigrants, the parents of a documented immigrants. This would halt of their deportation. But we know that this is quite a controversial action right now. Governors of 26 state have sued the white house because they believe this executive action exceeds the president s authority. At the same time, there is a judge in texas who halted the immigration order and this has created gridlock in congress. Obama says he will continue to fight. He had a town hall in miami that was sponsoredd where he was talking about his commitment to reforming immigration laws. We know because we have been studying immigration history for the past several weeks that this is just the latest in our nations immigration debate but it does seem like it is a contracted one. There doesnt seem to be an end in sight. How do we consider this immigration debate with what we have been talking about most recently . Immigration through ellis island. That story of european immigrants coming to new york, passing through ellis island certainly there were examinations, there were physicals, there was some tension, some detention, but it was primarily pretty shortlived and most immigrants were admitted pretty easily into the country. Not only that, but this story has taken on a myth of its own. It is the bedrock of this idea that the u. S. Is a nation of immigrants. How do we reconcile this great immigration debate that is going on today and then this idea that we are a nation of immigrants . I think one of the ways that we can think about this constituted history of immigration is through looking at immigration through angel island. Because we know that not all immigrants were welcomed into the country. Not all immigrants were able to achieve their american dreams. But rather, we picked and sifted and chose which immigrants to let in and which immigrants to let out. Many times, this really was dependent upon an immigrants race, ethnicity, gender, class this idea of who is fit to become a citizen and who is not. This is the history that is best exemplified through immigration through angel island. This is in the San Francisco bay. It is the other island in the San Francisco bay that is now california state park. So, the immigration station on angel island was open from 1910 until 1940. We primarily think about it as an entry point for immigrants from china and japan. Two thirds of the immigrants who did come through angel island were from those two countries. As you can see, there are over 80 countries represented for the immigration stream that came through angel island according to our research. It arranged from places like denmark French Indochina to south africa, spain, switzerland. There were people who came south from canada and north from south america. This is a photograph of the immigration building on a july lead when immigrants would dock, they would land on a peer and go up this and this is the first site they would see. There are three entrances here. Racial segregation was the order of the day. There was an entrance for employees, for whites, and for asians. Within that administration building, there were separate waiting areas as well. At all times, the different groups were segregated from each other through this administration building. So, when we compare to ellis island, ellis island is primarily enforcing laws that relate to immigrants from europe. It is in new york and most of the immigrants coming over are coming from the atlantic. Into island is situated in San Francisco. It is primarily enforcing laws that are targeting asia and immigrants and the laws are very, very different. While ellis island is an mostly processing center, angel island is a place of interrogation, health examinations, and detention. This history is not as wellknown, but it is important because it helped shape our modern immigration system. Lets take a look at who these agent immigrants were. When we think about this great era of immigration, there are two great eras of immigration. One is the one we are living in today and the other is around the turn of the century from 18301930. There are 35 Million Immigrants who come during this century of migration. The vast majority are from europe. This is about one Million Immigrants from asia and another one million come from latin america. In the big picture, this is just a drop in the bucket, right . One million out of 35 million who are coming. It is pretty diverse. There are about 450,000 chinese the largest group. There is also 380,000 japanese. 150,000 filipinos. South asia is the term that was used to describe immigrants from india, pakistan, and then was d bangladesh. Remember, theres only one million of them but asia and immigration helps to ignite some of our most divisive immigration debates. Who were these immigrants . The chinese they are like the european immigrants that we study. They are mostly young, male laborers. They want to come to the u. S. They think their stay is temporary, they will make money, return home. That is why they come alone even if they are married. They tend to leave their wives and children behind. Over the years, they decide eventually that they would like to stay in the u. S. So they start calling for their family members. Similarly, the japanese are also male laborers. Remember, this is a time when immigrants are needed for their labor. It is for railroad building, agricultural work, Light Industry in the streets. Japanese are also male laborers. They are more educated than some of the other agent immigrants because of education in japan. They also come thinking they will stay only temporarily but over time, again, like the chinese, they decide the u. S. Is worth settling down in and they start calling for their wives to come as well. By world war ii, the japaneseamerican population is such that there is really a great proportion of usborn children. This is very different from the other groups. The immigrants you are coming from south asia are really extremely diverse. There is a mixture of hindus, muslims, but primarily they are from one area which is presentday india and pakistan. There are both male laborers but increasingly, there are a lot of students coming over. One of the things that makes this group pretty unique is that this is a time of intense indian nationalism and the immigrants coming over are very much a part of the nationalist movement. Koreans are a small group because it japan has colonized korea by this time. Japan is very much controlling who goes in and who leaves the country. Only a small number of koreans are coming over to the u. S. Primarily to the west coast and a y e hawaii. They also are coming for work but more so than other groups. They really see themselves as refugees. Similarly to the russian jews we were studying last week. They are fleeing japanese colonialism. Korean language was banned newspapers were banned. There was a lot of surveillance. They see themselves as refugees fleeing their homeland. Potentially, staying away for a long time. They come as a families. One of the other things that makes them unique or different from other agent immigrants groups is that they are often christian because of the role of u. S. Missionaries in korea at this time. It is a Diverse Group of people coming. The last group are filipinos. They are coming as male laborers but again, what makes them unique is that they are coming as a totally different immigrant status and not as an immigrant status. The philippines have been colonized by the u. S. When they migrate, they migrate as u. S. Nationals. This is a different legal category. They are not subjected to immigration laws, which is important. It is every other immigrant group they can come without interrogations and inspections. They have seen themselves as americans. They have grown up with american culture, teachers, believing about the glory and riches of america. They believe they are coming to another part of the country that they are already americans. But, they are unequal in status. U. S. Nationals allows them to migrate but they are not citizens. They cannot vote. When they come, they often face a lot of surprising antiagent sentiments. Antiasian sentiments. When they come, they set in motion the reaction that americans have to them it sets in motion some of the most divisive immigration debates we have ever had in this country. This may be surprising to many people because today, when we talk about asianamericans, we talk about the popular understandings that they are on the rise. What is the stereotypes of asianamericans . They are smart. What else . They are a particular type of minority. Do you remember the term . They are the model minority. What does that mean . Out of all marginalized groups, they are exemplary and constitute a narrative that the rest of marginalized people should subscribe to. Ms. Lee so they can succeed they can achieve economic, academic success and they do sell on their on without government programs. Asianamericans are the model minority. That is the stereotypes today. It may be surprising in the early 20th century, they were considered not only undesirable immigrants but also foreigners to such a degree that the u. S. Wanted to not only reduce their numbers but exclude them altogether. Historians describe this power of antiasian sentiment with this quote meaning they were the first noneuropean immigrant group to come in such great numbers. They came at a time that there was class tensions changing race relations, this was postcivil war, post reconstruction. These ideas about what does it mean to be an american, to be free, to be a worker what rights do we have . And what is the role of the u. S. In the world . All of these things are ripe with all of these massive changes in american society. Some of the ways that antiasia n sentiment plays out is through prejudice, bias, prejudgment come economic discrimination. Prejudgment come economic discrimination, political disenfranchisement. Remember the nationalization act that said only free white persons can become citizens . Already, agent immigrants are barred from becoming natural citizens. Physical violence. Immigration exclusion, which is what we will be talking about mostly today. Social segregation. You cannot join certain clubs live in areas. During world war ii, incarceration. The Mass Relocation and incarceration of japanese americans. What did this look like in person . What did this look like in reality end on the ground . This is a cartoon from 1881 in San Francisco. It is from a magazine called the wasp. I am going to ask you to tell me what you see. What is this cartoon telling us about what americans think about chinese immigration at this time . Yes. Well, it appears to be a sort of a reaction to what is perceived as overwhelming numbers of chinese immigrants and it is macabre of the statue of liberty but it is this image of conquest because it is standing on a skull. It is clearly a chinese man due to the long braid. It is definitely this sort of near image of new york. Ms. Lee good. What is the title of the cartoon . A statue for our harbor. Ms. Lee right. In San Francisco as opposed to new york. In new york, they have a statue of liberty welcoming european immigrants. In San Francisco, this is what our statue would be if we allow chinese immigration to come without restrictions. A couple things that jeremy just mentioned. We can recognize this as a chinese male. He has this long hairstyle. This care style was mandated by the cheating empire. In the u. S. , it became a sign of femininity, exotic miss, sub humanness. He is wearing robes. They are very tattered. This is not the classical greek figure. It has no dignity. He is standing on a skull meaning that he is bringing ruin. Does anyone see what he is holding in his left hand . Joy. And opium pipe . Ms. Lee yes. Another symbol of the vice of chinese immigration. They are bringing drugs and immorality. There is rioting emanating from the writing emanating from the ring around his head. Can you see what that is . It is hard to see from the middle. The bottom right is filth. What else . Immorality. Ms. Lee up on top . Disease. Ms. Lee disease. We are reading right to left as the chinese would. This one says ruin to can anyone point out those last two . Ruin to white labor. Ms. Lee right. It is bringing filth immorality, disease to white labor. It is catastrophic to San Francisco, to california. The foundation of the statue is crumbling. The ships coming are capsizing. The moon has slanted eyes and the background. This is the future of california, the future of the u. S. This is not an outlier. This is not a far right or far left or extreme example about this antiimmigrant sentiment. This is one of the most well respected, well read illustrated magazines in the late 19th century. What is the effect of some of this popular sentiment . One is through violence. There are countless episodes of the chinese being driven out literally with mobs driving them out of small towns like eureka california as well as big cities like tacoma and seattle. This is an illustration of one of the wellknown incidents, the massacre of chinese at rock springs, wyoming in september 1885. It happened around a mining incident. Some of the white workers and Chinese Workers were debating whether they wanted to go on strike. The white workers went on strike, the chinese decided not to and the white workers drove them out after inflicting massive violence on this group. There are about 28 two killed. 15 wounded and hundreds are driven out into the outlying areas. This is some of the sentiment that is shaping chinese immigration but one of the really fascinating aspects of this history is remember how diverse all those agent immigrants groups were . Never the less, one this idea of chinese immigrants as being a threat to the u. S. A class threat, a racial threat, and economic threat it became attached to other immigrant groups as well. The newspapers would say chinese excluded but now we have a japanese problem. They kept on calling them another invasion. It kind of got a little ridiculous because there was the second agent invasion and the second and it came this typology that was framing the threat of asia and immigration. It had very real consequences. On the left is a newspaper clipping from the New York Times in 19 a seven talking about the driving out 19 o07. This is more troubling, i think. This is a private letter that was sent to a townsman in california. It was collected and archived at the uc berkeley archives. This is from the 1930s. A threat to expel the filipinos or they would inflict violence on the town. Japanese immigration perhaps invoked a more broadscale and Even International concern will stop this was called the yellow payroll peril. One element was the familiar refrain japanese immigrants were racially inferior, they were taking away jobs, they were mixing with whites. The second aspect more unique to japan and japans rising power in the world. They are an empire. He defeated russia in 19 a four 1904. They have colonized korea. There is this idea of an agent empire that is infusing that antijapanese sentiment with even greater force. They are even more of a danger because those japanese emigrant farmers picking your strawberries may be the first advance guard from a colonizing japan. This was the rhetoric in the 1920s and 30s. Japanese immigrants in california hawaii, oregon and washington were soldiers in disguise and would be ready to do this. Anyone recognize the artist . Dr. Seuss. What does this say . What does this mean to you . 1942. That day is significant. There is an element of premeditation with the coming of the japanese. The cartoon implies they have some sort of connection with the government of their country of origin and their willing to act on the desires of that government should they be called to do so. Ms. Lee how so . What are they going to do . Blow up something. The little boxes they are carrying say tnt so it is assumed they will do some sort of damage. Ms. Lee what about the ways in which they are drawn, the number of them. There are a number of them in a variety of different cloaks. In a different clothing but all of the faces are the same and that perpetuates the stereotype that all asians look the same. It also speaks to the stereotype that the japanese act as a unit. They are uniform and that only contribute to this military thing portrait militarizing portrayal of the japanese. Ms. Lee good. Remember the statue for our harbor . What was the chinese guy wearing . Whatwas he wearing typical western dress . He was wearing really tattered robes. Ms. Lee either you could read it as he is wearing classical greek robes like the statue of liberty but they got tattered or chinese robes. These japanese immigrants are wearing western suits. They are assimilated to a degree. They are westernized to a degree, which makes them even more of a threat because you cannot tell that they are really the enemy within. You cannot tell they are not loyal but in fact, deep down inside, they are just waiting for the signal from home. They are up and down the Pacific Coast. It is almost like a homing beacon. The signal from home is coming. This guy is looking across the pacific waiting for it. Pearl harbor has come and now it is time to cause even more damage from within. There are various different types of antiasian sentiments. All of them at their root described asia and immigrants asian immigrants as dangerous and cannot be assimilated. For the japanese, it is about national security. Then we know that by 1942, japaneseamericans up and down the west coast are forcibly removed. There are Exclusion Orders posted at every street corner. They are ordering anyone with japanese ancestry to remove themselves. They are barred from living in those areas. And to assemble at various Different Assembly centers where they will be incarcerated for the duration of the war at several camps throughout the u. S. This is one of the ways in which this asia and immigration story ends. Before we get to that, we want to consider the other aspects. The other paths. That path was barring new immigrants from coming over. You have been reading a lot about chinese exclusion. The first act being passed in 1882. What are some of the things that this act does . The name kind of says it all right . But not everything. Who is excluded . All chinese immigrants aside from anyone who is a merchant or the children of a nativeborn citizen. Ms. Lee some are excluded but there are certain provisions. The main group excluded are chinese laborers. At the very beginning, the exclusion act just says for 10 years. It is like an incremental step. Chinese laborers are excluded but there are exempt classes. Teachers, students travelers merchants, and diplomats. It is not only racially based, it is classbased. It is those who want to learn about the u. S. , it is those who want to visit the u. S. And spend money here, it is those two are engaged in international trade. Again, u. S. China relationship and economic trade and of course, diplomats. Those who are the bulk, the vast majority of chinese, laborers are barred. It is important because this is the very first time in u. S. History that we bar a Group Wholesale based on race. Remember when we were talking about the irish immigration and the anticatholic movement and how even the know Nothing Party that had a National Platform they never went so far as to advocate for restriction. They wanted longer times for nationalization. They never said we are going to close the gates. This time, the u. S. Does do that. And it doesnt just last for 10 years. It gets renewed in 1892 and it is made permanent in 1904. It isnt until 50 years ago that we banned discrimination in immigration law. It lasted a long time and has a lot of repercussions. The chinese exclusion act is the First Step Towards closing the gates to asia and immigration asian immigration but it would not be the last. This is the irony. Chinese laborers are barred but this is a time when 32 million europeans are still coming over and labor is still needed. As soon as chinese exclusion has passed, japanese immigration increases because they are still needed in the farms and limitations. And plantations. Again, that familiar pattern of antiasian sentiment kicks into gear and by 1908, we also prohibit japanese laborers. We do not dare call this a japanese exclusion act because we dont want to bother japan. Japan we think of as an equal nation and we pressure through our diplomatic channels to have a diplomatic agreement be reached. We call it a gentlemans agreement as if it was mutually agreed upon by two equal nations. Japanese laborers are prohibited by 1908. You barred japanese laborers the immigration from south asia starts to increase. The u. S. Feels like it has another Immigration Crisis on hand so the 1970s immigration act decides to take a little more of a drastic approach and basically draws an entire red line throughout all of asia and calls it the barred zone. Its aim is that prohibiting south asians. There were only 8000 coming but still, this law institutes these new restrictions. The 1924 immigration act also has a blanket exclusion. The one group not covered under this zone is japan. Even though laborers were barred others were not. Students were coming over but especially women. 1924 immigration act is to primary primarily aimed to close those loopholes on japanese immigration. Then the last group left are filipinos. The only way to bar filipinos from coming to the country is ironically by granting the philippines independence because the philippines is a colony. You cannot ban a colonial subject from going to one part of the empire to another. We have this really all coalition of filipino nationalists eager for independence and antiasian exclusiveness. They come together and decide this is how we can achieve our goals. We will grant nominal independence to the philippines and by doing that, they will no longer be u. S. Nationals but instead, they will be aliens. They will be for nurse immigrants. Foreigners, immigrants. You go from really largescale immigration from the philippines to a quota that only gives them 50 slots per year. These are the laws. The u. S. Has a problem. These laws are transformative. We have never done this before. We are not sure how to enforce immigration laws. With the 18 82 chinese exclusion act, we passed this law in may, ships are coming to San Francisco and the immigration officials who are really Customs Officials who have just been told in addition to counting the barrels of cotton that are coming on that ship, youre also supposed to enforce these new laws. These officials are throwing their hands up and kind of saying what . What are these laws and what do you want us to do with them . Lets take the case of chinese merchants. They can still come. A ship load of immigrants comes to the bay. Customs officials goes to the ship. Which one of your laborers and which are merchants . . How do they determine . This is the beginning of immigration documents, immigration interrogation. What happens if the case is really complicated. Witnesses are probably not waiting. You probably have to send someone to get them and this takes time. Very soon after these laws are passed, the u. S. Government realizes we dont really know what we are doing just get. We have these immigrants come in these examinations are taking longer than we thought. We have nowhere to put them. At the beginning, they kept them on the ships. The ship captain would say its all well and good that you are using my ship as a detention center, but i have to go back. I am was scheduled to go back across the pacific to pick up more passengers. They would move them to another ship and observers talk about the San Francisco bay having these ships in the bay that are basically immigrant detention centers. To solve this problem, there was a small detention shed they get built in the 1890s. It is crowded him it is a fire hazard, it is also not escape proof. The government allocates money to build into island immigration system on island, hard to get to, hard to leave and they call it the ellis island of the west. Some of the newspapers from that time are talking about how it is this beautiful resort and immigrants will be so lucky to spend days under the palm trees that these stations have. That did not turn out to be the case. Here is another irony of this time. We have passed immigration laws but immigrants still keep coming. This is not unlike what our contemporary immigration pattern is. This is why we have an undocumented immigration system. Even though the gates have been built, immigrants still want to come to the u. S. So there are several different reasons. We have to understand that during this time, there is a lot of stuff going on in china. Those push factors that we often talk about with immigration. There is civil unrest, famine, growing numbers of people, a population explosion like we were talking about with southern and eastern europe, and especially european and american powers are in china at this time. They are instituting unequal economic treaties, they are trying to gain more power especially in this region that is just north of hong kong. By the time angel island opens up, it is 1910. The chinese have been coming for 60 years and families have become dependent on immigration as a form of economic survival. They are still dependent on migration to the u. S. How do they get around the law is the question for them. And, there is this revolution in transportation. The steamships are getting faster, they are bigger, and fares are cheaper. At the same time that the laws are being taxed, you have steamship agents go into countrysides saying i can get you there for this much and the business is still being drummed up. The irony again is that you have laws that are restricting one group but the u. S. Still needs immigrant labor and we know this because the millions of the europeans are still coming unrestricted. There are some chinese immigrant groups that we know can still come merchants, u. S. Citizens. Begin is not totally close. But all of closed. All of this leads up to the fact that chinese either try to come in through those restricted openings or they try to find other ways of coming in and this is why we call chinese immigrants the first undocumented immigrants. About 100,000 still come during the time angel island is open. 100,000 come through angel island during the 30 years it is open. This is an interview neck six from one of the interviews you have in your book. An interview from one of the your book. He says the chinese were kind of forced to come. Would you mind reading this aloud for us . We didnt want to come in illegally but we were forced to because of the immigration laws. They picked on the chinese. If we told the truth, it didnt work. We had to take a crooked path. Ms. Lee what is the crooked path . What is the crooked path he is talking about . Was it pay for sons and daughters . Ms. Lee explain that a bit. They would have a family friend or someone they knew that would tell immigration that they were family members and they had to provide a piece of paper. Ms. Lee they were sons or daughters only by paper and they were getting and under those exempt classes that still allowed the sons or children of a merchant or u. S. Citizen to come. Ok. Does anyone recognize this photo or can imagine . What is it . I really like this photo. Because of an order to pass interrogation of immigrants they had to study their notes because they would go through extensive questioning with really difficult questions. In order to get knows, the immigrants sometimes would smuggle them into food like bananas. One of the stories also spoke about how the kitchen staff would help to pass notes because they would go into the city to get food and when they would come back, they would hand notes to wherever it belonged to. Ms. Lee they would provide the answers to some of the interrogations. I have seen notes crumpled up into peanuts. Also oranges. Think about your best efforts at passing a test and these strategies. This is a government exhibit. Immigration officials found this banana and these notes and took a picture of it. You can see it all laid out. They sent it back to d. C. As proof of the conditions of chinese immigration at this time and the typewritten text says the admissibility of some chinese persons to the u. S. Is dependent upon the relationship to other chinese already resident in the country. One of the test of the relationship claims a comparison of the statements of the applicant and the allowed relatives separately on matters that would be Common Knowledge between them. They compare the questions and answers. The exhibits here illustrate one of the methods adopted by alleged relatives to coach information to applicants. Contemplated to make their testimony agree with that given by the alleged relatives. The chinese letters or transmitted in a banana. Here is the letter on the left and on the right is literally a map of the village with every resident and detail of their shared village so they could answer the questions. These were transmitted in the banana as shown but the trick was discovered before the fruit was given to the applicant. So this is some of the consequences of chinese immigration during the exclusionary. These interrogations the coaching notes, and also things like this. This is a page taken out of an immigration officers log. Pages and pages of photographs and details of every immigrant in the city. Long bing is a cook. The interpreter changed his name. He is 50 years, five feet. No facial marks. You can imagine this immigration officer going up and down the street with his little log and keeping track of all the chinese immigrants in his town. They would mark left for china or returned and so forth. We have the beginning of surveillance on immigrant groups. New government crackdowns on undocumented immigration, new investigations of fraudulent immigration documents. We have strict and lengthy interrogations and examinations. We have come before the very first time, we are requiring immigrants to have on their persons at all times what we know today as green cards. For the very first time, we institute these for chinese immigrants. If you were found without these, you could be arrested and deported for not being in the country legally. Longer detentions. Immigration raids, arrests deportations. There are numerous raids in San Francisco, boston, around the country of immigration officers and local Police Looking for undocumented immigrants. I remember specifically looking through immigration files in the National Archives and coming across this poor guys record. He may or may not have come in with fraudulent papers but the immigration officials were convinced that he was hiding something so they had an immigration raid. He descended upon this Chinese Restaurant where he was working and the text of the report describes the immigration officers coming in through one door and watching him run out the back. He left behind his wallet, which the officers confiscated and put in his file. You can open it up. There is no money in their but you can open it up and it had his business cards notes photographs. You can imagine that he left in a hurry and the fear he had at that time. Immigration raids, arrests deportations. What chinese call living under the shadow of exclusion. Always fearing deportation always fearing they would be found out even if they or being tainted with illegality even if they were not. Consequences of the papers may have allowed them to enter the country but they had a lot of different consequences. Their fates were held in the hands of immigration officials at angel island. This is a photograph of them in the 1930s. You can pick out that there is one asia female employee. She was probably a matron in the womens barracks. Then three agent interpreters. Asia and interpreters. Interpreters could be asia and. Asian. When it began, it was against the law to hire anyone who was nonwhite even if the job was as an interpreter because it was believed that the asians would naturally collude with each other. You had a situation in the 1880s with the interpreters who were not a vision trying to interpret there he difficult languages and dialects. Some of them didnt know all of them very well. We have immigration officials and we have interviews. They detail that some were very fairminded. They felt it was a difficult at you wish and, they try to give the benefit of the doubt. We also know that many officials also were hardened. Some were veterans of the antichinese movement. They felt it was their duty to keep the gates closed as tightly as possible. One of the first things that chinese immigrants had to face was the medical exam. What do you remember from the family history, the interviews, the poems. What are some of the things that former detainees spoke about in terms of the medical exam . They said it was very humiliating that they had to undress in front of everybody and they felt they were being pointed out, especially with the hookworms. They thought it was a disease made solely for chinese immigrants. Ms. Lee the humiliation, this was not something usual in china. Not only naked in front of the doctor but in various forms of undress in a group. There were certain diseases deemed excludable. These are parasitic diseases. The diseases that all immigration officials were looking for were contagious diseases. These are one that want to pass to another. These diseases being tested for here were not only the contagious diseases but these parasitic diseases like when you travel somewhere or drink water or Food Poisoning or other things. These parasitic diseases could be easily cured. They were not contagious. But they were used specifically to exclude immigrants particularly from asia because these certain parasitic diseases were known to be especially prevalent in asia. You have the medical exams and then you have these interrogations will set these interrogations could last a couple hours these interrogations. They could last a couple hours 23 days, longer. The ticket typical late was a few days. There are some files were if you count the number of questions come it numbers up to 1000 questions. Questions, it numbers up to 1000 questions. This is a scan of one page of one interrogation and you can see it goes boom boom boom. What is your name, where were you born, how old are you . In this file, the singlespaced questions are about six pages. I want to do a little exercise with you. I am going to put these questions up and i want you to raise your hand if you think you can answer these questions. I want you to keep your hands up if you can keep on answering these questions but put them down as soon as you think you have reached a question that you probably cannot answer, that you dont have the true and detailed answer. Are you ready . All right. What is your name . Good. How old are you . What are your parents names and what are their ages . Easy so far. One where they married . Oh. [laughter] ms. Lee ok. Do you have any brothers or sisters . What are their names and ages . Ok. What is the name of your village . In this case, how about the name of your hometown . How many houses are on your street . Ok. Who lives in the third house on the left of your street and list all names and ages. Ok. Jeremy is getting into the country. Who is the oldest man in your village . How many steps are there in your house . You are all out. No one is coming into the country. How many windows . You would have to know the answer but then like your sister or father would also have to say the exact same thing. How many windows does your house have . How many clocks are in your house . How many chickens does your neighbor own . [laughter] ms. Lee what happens if one of them dies . How far is it from your village to the nearest hill . When were the windows put into your house . Ok. I need to volunteers two volunteers. I want someone to be the official and someone to be the immigrant. Who wants to be my harsh immigration official . Ok, tyler will be the immigration official. Who will be phong . Someone sitting close to tyler. Great. You go first. You are the immigration official. Which direction does the front of your house face . West. Your alleged father has indicated his house is in ho chung village of facing east. How do you explain that . My cannot you figure this matter out for yourself . I really do not know direction. How many rooms in all our there on the ground floor of your house . Three, i mean, there is a parlor, two bedrooms, and kitchen. There are five rooms downstairs. They are between the parlor in the kitchen. The you which us to understand, you would forget how many bedrooms are in a house where you claim to have lived 17 years . Yes, i forgot about it. Did you visit the sar kai market with your father . No. Why not . If you really are his sons. Erika this is the exact record the stenographer is noting costs or Something Like that. This is a typical backandforth. If i were him, i would be nervous. I would be scared and perhaps by the end of this, a little angry. We know from oral histories and others that these interrogations were terrifying. This is a quote some of you have read law see low. She told interviewers that one woman was questioned all day and deported. They asked her about life in china, the direction the house faced. How i know all that . I was scared. What this translated to, this long interrogation, the calling backandforth of witnesses and waiting for people to come from San Francisco or oakland or sometimes from the interior of idaho coming to San Francisco to give testimony. The intentions were quite long. This is what we have of the barracks, how they looked inside. Extremely crowded conditions, between 300 men were house there. Women were detained elsewhere and the second floor of the administration building. An average stay was 23 weeks. They are let out for one hour a day, this is what they have. That is why it is your pot y yourc cot. This is a quote from lee you who was detained for three months. They hired lawyers and they would take their cases up to court and play them all the way up to the supreme court. She talks about how she must have cried a bowl full of tears on angel island. How does this compare . Ellis island to angel island we know there are 12 million who come through ellis from it. Ins. Of operation. 20 of all immigrant arrivals are detained. They need to wait until their husbands and fathers come and retrieve them. Or those who are being kept for contagious diseases, 20 are detained. But it is not too long. Detention time is 12 days on average. In the end 90 are admitted. This is why we think of ellis island as more of a process center going through. The numbers are much different half a million come through angel island. The scale is quite different. But you see the differences right away with attention. 20 on ellis island, 60 of all immigrant arrivals are detained on angel island. They count them in weeks months, years. The longest Detention Time is 756 days. 93 of chinese are admitted. That is much higher than one would expect. But, it is only after these long detentions after really lengthy legal battles that are of course expensive, as well. We know so much about angel island because of these poems that have been preserved. This is the best preserved poem. The author must have carved it over and over again. And this one fits with many of the themes you have written about already. From now on, im departing far from this building. All of my fellow villagers are rejoicing with me. Dont say everything within his westernstyle. If it is built of jade, it is a cage. Immigration officials thought that the detainees were just writing graffiti on the walls. They would paint over and over and over. These two guys copied more than 100 poems into their notebooks in the 1930s. When they were detained. It is because of those poems that we have been able to reserve so many able to reservepreserve so many. I need three volunteers. Who elect to be the first one to read . Yes, thank you. There are tens of thousands of poems comprised of sadness. I must remember that this chapter once existed. In my daily needs, i must be frugal. Needless extravagance leads youth to ruin. All my compatriots should please be mindful. Thank you. What are the messages here . There are a couple, at least. I concentrated on this poem within my response and compared it to lows experience. Something that i thought was interesting, i must remember that this chapter once existed. It was so detrimental, i am sure it is something you would want to forget. Whereas low had this humility, she came out of it very strong and was like this is a chapter i need to remember because it will help me be a strong woman to provide for myself and family in such a difficult era in the United States. Very good. Even though it might be an experience they would like to forget that the multitude of these expressions, the tens of thousands of poems of complaints and sadness, that we must remember this chapter once existed. What about the second half . In my daily needs i must be frugal, once you have some small gains return home early. What is this immigrants plan . Yes, tyler. Tyler they may be referencing the extravagance of the american lifestyle, in contrast to this persons homeland back in asia. And they want to probably return once they established themselves and make money. Erika this experience on angel island commenced themselves that the United States is on a welcoming lace. Once you earn enough, you can return home. Who would like to read this one . Thank you. Imprisoned in the wooden building day after day, my freedom withheld, how can i bear to talk about it . I look to see who is happy, but they only sit widely. Im anxious and depressed. The days are long, my said mood. The nights are long, who can pity my loneliness . After experiencing such sorrow, why not return home and learn to plow the fields . Erika what are the messages here, in the first stanza . Angel island was very bleak, just the environment. The long detentions, this environment caused a lot of its detainees to become emotionally depressed, probably chemically depressed, judging by the count of suicides. Many questioned why they came in the first place. Erika the writers of the second stanza too. After experiencing such loneliness and sorrow, why not just to give up and learn to plow the fields . Coming with lots of hope to the United States, changing them, and causing loneliness and despair, so much so that he cannot bear to talk about it and really questioning why they came to the United States in the first place. Ok, last poem. Last volunteer. I classed hands in parting with my brothers and classmates. Because of the mouth, i hastened across the american ocean. How was i to know that the western barbarians and lost their hearts and reason . After being interrogated several times, we have to have our chest examined while naked. Our countrymen suffer his treatment because our countries power can not expand. I will cut out the bowels of the western barbarian. Erika a little bit more passionate. What are the messages here . Yes. It illustrates immigration as a necessary process. It definitely gives us this notion that immigrants come out of necessity, they dont choose to come for fun. He references clinical instability as to why he is here. Erika political stability and global inequality. Our countrymen suffer this mistreatment because our countrys power cannot expand. One of the things i think is interesting about this one first of all, it is more pointedly angry resentful, and threatening of violence than any of the others. It explicitly hits, at least in this case, the chinese versus the western barbarians. It is very important that we know these poems have been recovered from the mans barrick. We know he uses the term barbarian. That is what the americans were causing chinese, barbarians. By putting his back on the americans, it is even more pointed. And this last line, if there comes a day when china will be united, i will surely cut out the heart and bowels of the western barbarian. Quite a strong statement there. The history of immigration on angel island, one chapter ins in 1940. This is where all the interrogations happen, the interrogation of the women detainees would be. And for the next 30 years, the places abandoned. It is scheduled to be demolished. And this is what the mans barracks looks like in the 1970s. So in many ways, it was a history that was lost. It was lost because detainees themselves did not want to remember it. They were they identified this era, this. Of immigration in their lives being in the shadow of exclusion. They do not talk about their experiences with their own family. There are many histories that you have read were the children are saying we were told never to use our real name. I did not even know that my real name was untold x, y, and z. One of the attorneys talked about whenever he brought up the word angel island to his family, he would here, dont talk about it. Also, in the 1960s, immigration history was not yet a recognizable field. The immigrant was not yet studied. And this history was not wellpreserved. But, through the efforts of Many Community activists and discoveries, we first were able to discover the poems. A california state park ranger found these poems when he was going through the barracks. He told his professor about it, a biology professor whose mother just happened to be a detainee on angel island. That professor told other faculty and students, at the newly created asianamerican studies department they tried to study the poems and preserve them. The authors of the book you are reading, they are not professional historians. An engineer, a librarian, a poet he took it upon themselves to go into the community and conduct oral histories to translate the poems. This is what the book look like when it was First Published in 1980. Publishing houses did not want to publish it. They selfpublished it 35 years ago. And what they found was that this history preserving and recovering this history, served as a type of catharsis of the chineseamerican community. It openly aired these dark secrets. It allowed people to understand they did not experiences on their own, there were others that experienced this history of racial exclusion and undocumented it helped to feel like they could let go. That was not all their fault part of a larger history a larger pattern of discrimination. It helped to legitimize the angel island. And it allowed detainees to feel they didnt have to be ashamed anymore. They talked about how in the early 1970s, she would find people to interview and they would politely say no. I dont want to talk about it. Now, there are so many people who want to tell judy their stories, she cannot keep up with them. It has become a whole new type of experience. And it is not just for the chineseamerican community. It has been recognized as important for all americans. In 1998, the Angel Island Immigration Center became a National Historic landmark. The rationale behind that comes from the Community Organization that helped to put this movement forward. They said in their proposal, angel island immigration station presents the first, only, and the best opportunity to fully interpret the history of asian immigration to the u. S. This is our plymouth rock, valley forge, alamo, statue of liberty, lincoln memorial, all rolled into one. In the same way that ellis island has been enshrined to commemorate european immigration, angel island should be recognized and declared a National Historic landmark. This is a photograph that that ceremony in 1998. There was a massive effort since then, there is been asn effort to restore the buildings. This is the detention barracks, on the footprint of were the administration set, it is open space. But exhibits like an interrogation table were photographed. They have restored the interior of the mens barrracks, as well. This is the reopening from 2009. And there are now documentaries that help to explain the preservation of polands, the preservation process, and the new process that has been found. In the years since these efforts, there have been 200 poems that have been rediscovered. There have been hundreds of inscriptions in many different languages, punjabi german, english, spanish japanese, and there has also been carvings, illustrations have been restored. There have also been new research new family histories and new poems. And another book on angel island that looks at the broad range of immigration through the immigration station, as well. All of this has led to what some could interpret as a closing of the chapter on this history of angel island immigration. In 2012, a group of Community Activists lobbied for the passage of a statement of regret. A statement of regret that congress regretted the chinese exclusion laws. Typically, this statement of regret acknowledged that it is not an apology. Eric knowledges the chinese exclusion acts resulted in persecution and alienation of chinese dissent. Unfairly limited their rights, legitimize Racial Discrimination and legitimize trauma. This is an important landmark event. A type of reconciliation, this public acknowledgment the chinese exclusion happened. That it was detrimental. That it did not coincide with our political beliefs. And this was an important event an important transformation in history. But i would also want us to question whether it is really time to close the chapter. The simple statement of regret, did it help us put it into the dustbin of history . Let us forget what happened, move on, think about other immigrant histories. What are the other lessons of angel island today . There are Diverse Groups that came through, not all of them were detained. Not all of them might have had this experience of wanting to cut out the bowels of the western barbarians. But many of them did. And while we often point to ellis island and its celebratory history on immigration in the making of the nation, i would argue that this other history this darker history of immigration. Perhaps it has even more residents with our contemporary world today. The poems describe frustration disappointment resentment of the immigrant experience. It helps us confront americas history of discrimination and restriction in immigration laws. As we know, this is not a story that we can just safely leave to the early 20th century. These are two photos and headlines that were taken from the news just this past summer, when Central American refugees, most of them children or mothers were coming across the border to the United States for asylum. And for many weeks, we did not know what conditions these young immigrant detainees were being held in. But if you weeks into it, we were able to find and get some sneak peeks this is just one photograph of the processing facility. In texas. It can be argued that we are in a current state of immigration detention crisis. Let me just read this for you. In 2011, the department of Homeland Security held a recordbreaking 429,000 immigrants in over 250 facilities across the country. 429,000 people, or detained that translates into 33,400 a day. Advocates argue that the majority of these detentions are not necessary. Remember that detention on ellis island was about 12 days. Angel island, as hard as they were averaged in the 23 weeks. Incarceration. Today range from 37 days to 10 months. We have 300,000 Immigrants Detained on angel island or the entire 30year. Compared to in 2011 alone, the most recent statistic, 429,000 in one year. It has been 50 years since we pass comprehensive immigration reform. We are celebrating recognizing honoring the amendment, and it is clear from the headlines that i showed at the very beginning that we are in a current debate over immigration. About which there does not seem to be any easy solution. How do we connect this to angel island, then . I would argue that angel island represents the best and the worst of americas immigration history. There are many many immigrants families who traced back to angel island and made it through the educational system and can now celebrate generations of being in the United States. But there are many others for which that detention experience best mirrors this other side of immigration that we are also experiencing today. So i want to end by reading this is the organization that dedicates itself to the preservation and education about immigration through angel island after the Pacific Coast in general,. It are text stories it protects stories and does outreach. In their Mission Statement angel island reminds us of the consultative history of immigration in america. It serves as a symbol of our willingness to learn from our past, to ensure that our nation keeps its promise of liberty and freedom. And if you want to learn more, you can go to the angel island website. It has an amazing range of archive of immigrant voices. Many are based on the collection of family histories and poems in the books we read. But there are more coming in every day. Thank you so much. That is it for today. We will see you next time. Join us each saturday evening for lecture from across the country. Lectures and history are also available as podcasts. Visit our website or download them from itunes. Monday night on the communicator, atcting executive director on one nationwide broadband beauty for nationwide responders. Especially at data and Broadband Network for first responders. Police fighters and firefighters , responding on the scene in the future, they would have the ability to have video sent into responders. Pictures of the scene important Situational Awareness data. Today, not everybody would have the ability to see where other amulets is our stage. In a casualty situation triage, you can go so far to think of the Technology Like fit bits, what that was done through emergency medical services. The complacent on a patient and get vital signs. Not necessarily with the devices today, think of the innovation that can happen. You would be a two track the current model signs and send them to the hospital and track them there. Make sure there is continuity of care, youre able to adjust to the situation in rapid fashion. Monday night, at 8 p. M. Eastern on the communicators. On cspan2. Monday night at 10 p. M. Eastern American History tv, and abc news special report communist saigon. Nbc news reports on the april 30 capture of the South Vietnam capital by north vietnamese forces. It details events following the end of the war. Nbc news special report