The Filipinos in America

The In America Series looks at a lot of ethnic groups that most series looking at immigrants to the United States do not cover. The first Filipinos in North America were "Manilamen," sailors serving on Spanish galleons during the 1700s who jumped ship in New Orleans. As soon as Frank H. Winter reveals that fact he has probably told most young readers more about Filipino Americans than they have ever picked up from their American textbook, although the acquisition of the Philippines following the Spanish-American War and the fall of the island nation during World War II are certainly covered. The first chapter of Winter's book covers The Land and People of the Philippines, which provides a complete history from the creation of the Archipelago to the country today. Early Immigration to the United States is a fascinating chapter that looks at several specific periods of Filipino immigration, both in terms of the time periods in which they happened but also where the Filipinos ended up. The Turning Point comes with World War II, after which the third and most significant wave of Filipino immigration to the U.S. takes place. As is usually the case with the In America volumes, Winters ends up looking at the Contributions to American Life made by Filipinios, which is a survey of people in the arts, music, entertainment, medicine, and sports. Clearly the value of a book like this is twofold. First, a teacher can assign the over two dozens volumes in this series to students so each can explore the immigration story of a particular group. Second, young students who are descendants of Filipino immigrants, or perhaps immigrants themselves, will find a more than adequate story of the history of their people. In fact, the second group will probably find "The Filipinos in America" more of value than the first.