years.
             Now I want to take a look at the Japanese, another large group of Asian Americans that immigrated to the U.S. The historical experience of the Japanese in the United States is both very different and at the same time similar to the experience of the Chinese.
             One major difference is that while the Japanese immigrated in large numbers to the island of Hawaii, their numbers on the U.S. mainland were not significant until a much later date (circa 1890). In contrast to the large numbers of Chinese, there were only 148 Japanese immigrants living in the U.S. mainland at that time. In 1902 through 1907, however, the population of Japanese increased dramatically when 38,000 Japanese workers arrived to the mainland from Hawaii. The second major difference was the fact that Japanese were able to fully exploit an economic position in agriculture that the Chinese never had. One reason for this was the completion of national railroad thanks to cheap Chinese labor and backbreaking work. A second reason that the Japanese were able to advance in agriculture was the invention of refrigerator. These two facts together brought tremendous advancements and expansion to California produce industry.
             The third major difference was the political and military status of Japan as a power in the late 1890's and early 1900's. The United States' president at that time believed that cooperation with the Japanese government was in the best interests of the United States.
             President Roosevelt blocked the Japanese Exclusion Act, which was along the same lines as the Chinese Exclusion Act, and instead he negotiated an agreement with the Japanese government in1907. That agreement was known as a "Gentleman's Agreement." This agreement halted the immigration of Japanese women into the United States, which kept the Japanese population from expanding and putting down roots. The forth difference was the fact that Japanese in...