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First Journey
About a year before English pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, a group of Africans were brought to the Jamestown colony in Virginia as indentured servants -
Slave Trade
In 1702, the British became increasingly involved in the slave trade and were accorded a 30-year contract to send nearly 5,00 African slaves a year to the Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere -
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Slave laws
In 1790 there were fewer that 700,000 slaves in the United States; in 1830 there were more than 2 million; on the eve of the Civil War, nearly 4 million. On arrival, most of the new captives were moved into holding pens, separated from their shipmates, and put up for auction. -
Gold Mountain
China was in the middle of the quest for gold. By 1851 25,000 people moved from China to Califoria. They were in the search of gold, The land they moved to was Gam Saan or gold mountain -
Escaped
Many African Americans defied the slave system by leaving it. Slaveholders posted substantial rewards for captured fugitives, but every year thousands of slaves fled to free states or territories. On the way, they were aided by slaves on nearby farms and plantations and by networks of free African Americans and European Americans. By 1860, an estimated 400,000 people had escaped from slavery. -
Legislative Harassment
The Sidewalk Ordinance of 1870 banned the Chinese Method of carrying vegetables and carrying laundry on a pole, while in San Francisco -
Legislative Harassment pt. 2
In the Economic depression of the 1870's, hostile attitudes toward Chinese immigrants only became worse. The Chinese, were often singled out becuase of the nation's high employment rate and low wages -
Exclusion
The Chinese American dream was on the down fall in 1882 when congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act. This was the first significant restriction on free immigration in U.S history. -
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Growth and Inclusion
From 1910-1940 about 175,000 Chinese immigrants passed through Angel Island Immigration Station by San Francisco. At the same, the growing number of childern born to Chinese Americans helped add the community's sense of permanence and stability. -
A Social Revolution
The integration of the United States armed forces in 1948 gave many people new hope for progress. Soon a new generation of activists made itself known, demanding that the U.S. government provide all its citizens with the rights and protections guaranteed by the Constitution.