Asian Americans
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. They or their ancestors came from Asian countries, particularly Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. More than 10 million people of Asian descent live in the United States. Today, Asians are the country's second fastest-growing minority group, after Hispanic Americans.
The first Asian immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the United States came from southeastern China. They immigrated to California in 1849, after gold was discovered there. In 1882, however, the U.S. government began placing restrictions on Asian immigration because of pressure from native-born Americans. Many Americans feared job competition from the newcomers and resented their "foreign" customs. It was not until 1965 that all restrictions against Asian immigration were lifted. Today, their high rate of immigration makes Asians the country's fastest growing minority group.