Significant Activists/Historical Figures
Dr. Horace Newton Allen (1858-1932)
Horace Newton Allen was an significant figure who played a role in the increased immigration of Koreans to the United States in the early 1900s. As a Christian missionary in Korea, he became more involved in Korea's affairs and the Korean government. In 1897, he was appointed American minister to Korea. The Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association saw Allen as a good opportunity to bring in Koreans because they lacked plantation workers and desired to exclude Chinese and Japanese laborers for inexpensive and docile labor. Allen declared three arguments to persuade Emperor Kojong to allow emigration to the United States:
1. Emperor's pride from his people going to a place where the great Chinese is excluded.
2. Emigration could ease the damage from natural disasters.
3. America's support in Korea would increase if the emigration franchise is granted.
Dosan Ahn Chang Ho (1878-1938)
Dosan Ahn Chang Ho was a Korean immigrant and a prominent Korean independence activist. Ahn Chang Ho believed that national independence could be achieved if strength was built upon the people and society. In San Francisco, during the early 1900s, he established multiple institutions, such as the New People's Association in 1907, to support the Korean Independence Movement. Ahn Chang Ho also advocated for education of young children, so he established the Hungsadan (The Young Korea Academy) in 1913 at San Francisco. He also created organizations in Mexico and China as well. In Korea, he traveled throughout the country giving indpendence speeches. He is most known for the 1932 bombing incident in which he was connected to Yun Bong-gil's bombing that killed several Japanese officers.
Podcast on Dosan Ahn Chang Ho and Helen Ahn. Korean American Heritage interview of Philip Flip Cuddy (Dosan Ahn Chang Ho's grandson).
Start on 5 minutes 37 seconds.
The China Weekly May 7, 1932 issue on Ahn Chang Ho arrested for Bombing Incident.
Dr. Syngman Rhee (1875-1965)
Dr. Syngman Rhee was a Korean Independence activist and important figure in Korean American history. He desired to be part of the Korean National Association in Hawaii and was accepted on February 2, 1913. In Hawaii, he offered to work without a salary as the principle of the Korean Boy's Boarding School and found that girls did not have any educational opportunities. Thus, he strived to create a girl's dormitory and advocated for girls' education. The KNA and plantation managers collected funds to make this possible. Syngman Rhee took care of the girls' personal needs and relieved some pressure of having to marry at an early age. He is also the founder of the Korean Christian Church and led a national political organization called the Dongji Hoi.
