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California Gold Rush
Gold was found by James W. Marshall in California. With the spreading news, many gold-seekers began to migrate to California in hopes of finding gold. Of these gold-seekers were Chinese immigrants -
Foreign Miners' License Tax
Provided that all miners who were not native-born citizens of the United States were to pay a monthly tax to work in the mines. -
People v. Hall
California Supreme Court established that Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants had no rights to testify against white citizens. (date undetermined) -
Pacific Railroad
The transcontinental railroad was a cause for the employment of thousands of Chinese immigrants. Unfortunately, Chinese immigrants were paid less and suffered worst working conditions. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
A federal law signed by Chester A. Arthur that banned entry to all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials. -
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
A boy born in the United States of Chinese immigrant parents was ruled to be a United States citizen under the 14th Amendment. -
Korean Freedom of Religion
Koreans establish Korean Episcopal Church in Hawaii and Korean Methodist Church in California. (date undetermined) -
San Francisco Segregation
The local board of education placed Japanese children in seperate schools. (date undetermined) -
Gentlemen"s Agreement
Agreement between Theodore Roosevelt and Japan in which Japan agreed to reduce immigration of unskilled workers to the United States in exchange for the cease of segregation in San Francisco. -
Angel Island
Angel Island was opened as an immigrant processing facility in San Francisco, allowing the immigration of many Asian Americans into the United States. (date undetermined) -
Public Education
With the expanse of public education, many immigrants, including Asian Americans, were encouraged to go to public schools. Not only was it free, but it was a seen as a way to fit in with the American society. (date undetermined) -
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
Established the maximum number of people who could enter the United States from each foreign country. Although Japan kept the Gentlemen's Agreement, Japanese emigration was still reduced. (date undetermined) -
Emergency Quota Act of 1924
Limited imigration from each European nation to 2% of the number of its nationals living in the United States in 1890. In addition, the law prohibited Japanese immigration, which only angered Japan even more. (date undetermined) -
Great Depression
As the Great Depression began, a strong sense of nativism was felt by most. Nativism is a prejudice against foreign-born people. American citizens thought that there were enough immigrants to do the unskilled work and the immigrants were an easy scapegoat. (date undetermined) -
World War II
Asian Americans, along with other minorities, were restricted to racially segregated neighborhoods and reservations and denied basic citizenship rights. Even so, thousands joined the armed forces to help protect the United States. (date undetermined) -
Internment
President Roosevelt signed an order requiring the removal of people of Japanese ancestry from California, Hawaii, and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. The Japanese were sent to relocation centers (prison camps). -
Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act
Also known as the Magnuson Act, this immigration legislation repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, allowing Chinese immigration once again. -
Korematsu v. United States
Supreme Court rules the government's policy of evacuating Japanese Americans to camps was justified on the basis of "military necessity" -
Korean War
During this war, many Asian Americans felt sorrow as they had to fight against their people. -
Walter Act
Granted the right of naturalization and a small immigration quota to the Japanese. (date undetermined) -
Patsy Takemoto Mink
First Asian American woman to serve in Congress as representative from Hawaii. (date undetermined) -
Immigration Act of 1965
Opened the door for many non-European immigrants to settle in the United States by ending quotas based on natinality. (date undetermined) -
Lau v. Nichols
School districts with children who speak little English must provide them with bilingual education. (date undetermined) -
Vietnam War Draft
The draft made many people, especially poor immigrants, participate in the war, even if they disagreed. (date undetermined) -
Reparations
United States House of Representatives decided to pay each surviving Japanese American that had been contained in an internment center $20,000 in reparations. (date undetermined) -
American Homecoming Act
Allowed children in Vietnam born of American fathers to immigrate to the United States. (date undetermined)