Quote:
Originally Posted by Capsicum
A rare example of a racially diverse mix of kids in Canada in earlier days -- white, black, Asian in Salt Spring Island, BC, in the late 1920s.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...lack-1.3433086
https://saltspringarchives.com/history.htm
It was really local-scale, but had diversity already in the late 1800s and 1900s.
" By 1895, the population was quite multicultural as the following analysis by the island's Anglican minister indicates:
The present population of the island is estimated to be 450. A large number of different nationalities are represented. There are approximately, old and young, 160 English (or Canadians), 50 Scotch, 20 Irish, 22 Portuguese, 13 Swedes, 4 Germans, 2 Norwegians, 34 Americans, 90 Halfbreeds, 40 Colored, or partly colored people, 6 Sandwich Islanders [Hawaiians], 10 Japanese, also 1 Egyptian, 2 Greeks, 1 Patagonian."
|
It was similar in Hawaii (at a larger scale) starting in the late 1700s when the first Chinese (1789), Portuguese, Cape Verdeans, Americans & other Europeans started to settle in the islands.
By 1910 the Ethnic & Racial Composition was:
Hawaii 1910
Japanese 79,675
Hawaiian 26,041
Portuguese 22,301
Chinese 21,674
Other Caucasian/European 14,867
Mixed Races 12,506
Puerto Rican 4,890
Korean 4,533
Filipino 2,361
Spaniard 1,990
Black 695 *
Many Cape Verdean's were often categorized with Portuguese
Other Races 376
Total 191,909
*Hawaii was just a Territory at the time, starting in 1900 right before Puerto Rico.
If categorized by Race similar to the way the US Census does it now it would have looked like this:
Hawaii 1910
Asian 108,243 56.4%
White (non-Hispanic) 37,168 19.4%
Native Hawaiian 26,041 13.6%
Mixed Races 12,506 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6,880 3.6%
Black 695 0.4%
Other Races and Ethnicities 376 0.2%
Total 191,909
Foreign-born: 93,752 48.9%
In comparison the United States looked like this in 1910:
USA 1910
White 81,731,957 88.90%
Black 9,827,763 10.70%
Native American 265,683 0.30%
Asian 146,863 0.20%
Mixed Races N/A
Other Races and Ethnicities N/A
Total Population: 91,972,266
Hawaii was WAY ahead of its time back then.
The foreign-born was also quite diverse back then too.
Hawaii
Foreign-born 1910
Japan 59,800
China 14,486
Portugal 7,585
United States 5,688*
Domestic not considered part of foreign-born
Korea 4,172
Puerto Rico 3,510*
Domestic not considered part of foreign-born
Philippines 2,372*
Domestic not considered part of foreign-born back then
Spain 1,622
Russia 1,077
Atlantic Islands (Cape Verde) 913
Germany 905
England 629
Scotland 532
Canada 354
Ireland 234
Pacific Islands 216
Norway 200
Austria 170
Australia 150
Other US places (Alaska, Guam, at sea) 104*
Domestic not considered part of foreign-born
Sweden 103
France 76
Denmark 57
South America 47
Cuba and other West Indies 39
Italy 36
India 34
Greece 31
Other foreign countries: 284
Foreign-born: 93,752
Total Population: 191,909
*In 1910 for the US, only 13% were not born in Europe
In 1900 main places of birth:
Foreign-born 1900 *US not included in total foreign born, Hawaii just became a Territory in 1900
Japan 56,234
China 21,741
Portugal 6,512
United States 4,238
Atlantic Islands (Cape Verde) 1,156
Germany 1,154
England 739
Pacific Islands 593
Scotland 427
Canada 351
Austria 225
Ireland 225
Spain 202
Norway 198
Sweden 140
Australia 130
Russia 130
Other US places (Alaska, Guam, at sea) 52
Other foreign countries: 623
Foreign-born: 90,780
Total Population: 154,001
*1900 was the first year that immigrants from Puerto Rico started to migrate to Hawaii, 1906 for immigrants from the Philippines, Russians in 1804, British in 1778, African Americans in 1810, Mexican Vaqueros in 1833, I-Kiribati & Banaban's in 1860, Japanese in 1868, Mainland Portugal 1877/78 (Azores, Madeira in 1789), Cape Verdeans (West Africa/East Atlantic) in 1880, Norwegians & Swedes in 1880, Germans in 1881, Ukrainians in 1897, Polish started around 1897-1899, Spaniards in 1898, Okinawan's in 1900, Austrians, Scotts, Italians in late 1800s - early 1900s, Koreans in 1906, etc.
Although, many places 60 - 100 years ago on the US Mainland were primarily Black & White there were also a lot of Latinos (they were often lumped in with White early on) and Asians along the West Coast.
The US is a lot larger and diverse than many outsiders realize. There are so many differences between each region that many stereotypes often held by outsiders do not realize cannot be applied to every location.