Period II:
1898-1930
In 1898, the Philippines came under U.S. control following the Spanish-American war. This resulted increased immigration as Filipinos began migrating to the states. An American law was passed in 1901 that authorized the enlistment of 6,000 native Filipinos into the U.S. army. These "Philippine Scouts" were vital in helping U.S. forces subdue the insurrection in the Philippine Islands. In 1902, the pensionado program was implemented, which allowed Filipinos to study in the U.S. In 1906, after access to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean labor was limited by immigration legislation, the Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA) began recruiting workers from the Philippines. By 1930, at least 100,000 Filipino workers had moved to Hawaii. The photo above depicts twenty-one female immigrants from the Philippines. They are members of the Filipino Women's Club of California, as the photo is captioned.
In attempts to relieve tension between themselves, U.S. and Japan entered into an agreement, termed as the Gentleman's Agreement, in 1907 that entailed the restriction of Japanese immigration to the states. Although the U.S. would not deny Japanese migration, Japan would deny passports to workers seeking passage to the U.S., thus restricting their travel.
In 1913, Jose B. Nisperos, one of the "Philippine Scouts", was awarded the Medal of Honor for Valor. Nisperos is recognized as the first Asian American to receive this honor. By 1922, Philippine Scout units grew to include cavalry, infantry, and field artillery regiments. In 1910, the U.S. began sending one exceptional Filipino soldier each year to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. By World War II, sixteen of thirty-eight native scout officers had graduated from West Point.
The Immigration Act of 1917 was enacted during World War I and prevented immigration from anyone born in a region geographically marked as what they termed the "Asiatic Barred Zone." However, the Japanese and Filipinos were excluded from this act as the Gentleman's agreement already restricted Japanese immigration and U.S. had colonized the Philippines, making its citizens American nationals.
The 1924 Immigration Act set a specific quota of immigrants and excluded all immigrants from Asia.
The 1924 Immigration Act set a specific quota of immigrants and excluded all immigrants from Asia.