How American are American Samoans? :: History Samoans Samoan Essays

How American are American Samoans? Since the 19th century, historians have defined three major waves of American immigration particularly from countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In the case of American Samoans, the native population of the United States Territory of American Samoa, emigration from these islands began in the 1950’s. However, unlike other ethnic groups, like the Mexicans and Chinese, who were also arriving in the U.S. around the same period, American Samoa was already part of the union for nearly 50 years, yet, the natives’ desire to migrate to Hawai’i and the mainland seemed to surface slowly. Although explanations for this delay in the movement of American Samoans are complex, historians have argued that besides the growth in curiosity and adventure of the outside world, American Samoans were forced to leave their homes because they simply had no other alternative to choose from. With the involvement of the United States, especially that of the U.S. Navy, the Samoan s grew dependent on the resources, protection, and economic prosperity that the American foreigners introduced and continued to provide from the time of the cession of the islands in 1900. When the U.S. naval base, which was established in Pago Pago, the current capital city, was relocated to Hawai’i in the early 1950’s, work in American Samoa was limited and the natives were not willing nor prepared to return to farm and agricultural work. As migration to the "mainland" became more appealing to the islanders, their American Samoan status as U.S. Nationals was, (and continues to be to this day), confusing and somewhat contradictory to the policies of American citizenship. As American Samoans have discovered, U.S. Nationals are granted "privileges" such as entrance to the United States. However, American citizenship is not part of the package, which greatly limits the political voice of these natives. To understand the disrupted social, political, and economic state in which the American government left American Samoa with the closing of its naval base, a brief historical overview of the Samoan archipelago is necessary, which will discuss the appeal of the islands and its location to foreign powers, U.S. diplomacy, and the push and pull for migration to the U.S. mainland. Samoan people are known for their rich culture and heritage, but the history of their islands is virtually unknown. From 1870 to 1914, countries like Germany, France, the U.