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VIDEO: Why Did Contract Laborers Come to Hawaii? - GRADE 7-12

In this video, ex-workers recount memories of working at the Ka'u sugar plantation on Hawaii Island. Contract laborers from Japan, Portugal, China, Philippines, Korea, Spain, Norway and elsewhere voluntarily came to Hawaii to work the plantations because it was a better option for them than staying in their home country. In the words of multi-generational plantation worker Masayuki Kai, '[Hawaii] was a land of opportunity' - see the 7:12 mark from the video link below - 'Last Days of Sugar on Hawai'i Island (1996). When their work contract had expired, workers often remained in Hawaii and brought additional family to join them.

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