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Even though the first Asians who stepped foot on the continent were Filipino sailors who arrived in Morro Bay, California, in 1587, the first settlement of Asian Americans was in 1763. Tired of the abuse from the Spanish traders of the Manila galleon trade, Filipino sailors deserted their ships and escaped to Lake Borgne, Louisiana, where they created the first Asian American settlement in North America. They, the Manilamen, lived peaceful lives and even helped the United States in future wars. -
This was the Congress's first law about who should be granted U.S. citizenship; however, this law restricted minority groups. The act had only allowed free White people with a "good character," who had been living in the United States for 2 or more years, to apply for citizenship. Without citizenship, Asian immigrants (and other ethnic groups) are denied basic constitutional protections, leading to challenges in Asian American assimilation and discrimination. -
Following the First Opium War, which led to economic instability in China after its end, and the discovery of gold in California, a huge surge of Chinese miners came to America to find fortune and return wealth to their families in their home country. Over 25,000 Chinese entered California by 1851. Even though they were welcomed at first, they started to get attacked and discriminated for their culture by the community, colleagues they worked with, and the law.
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California enacted the Foreign Miners’ Tax due to demands from white workers like the Irish and German miners, who felt they had competition from the "foreigners," who put a 20 dollar tax on Chinese and Latino immigrants who wished to continue mining. It tried to discourage them from immigrating by removing an economic incentive. Most Mexican workers exited the mines, leaving the Chinese workers. This main minority resulted in larger anti-Chinese sentiment in the 1850s. -
In 1854, a man named George Hall shot and killed Chinese immigrant Ling Sing. In the People v. Hall case, the California Supreme Court ruled that people of Asian descent (and any other minority) could not testify a White person, enabling Whites to escape punishment for violent hate crimes. This law reinforced racism and discouraged assimilation of Asian immigrants further. -
Many Chinese immigrants took dangerous work and longer hours for little pay, due to discrimination. The jobs included the Transcontinental Railroad. During the making of the railroad, a massive tunnel explosion killed one white worker and five Chinese workers; this was the last straw for the Chinese. They began a strike for eight days that ended with little change, however the event challenged the prevailing racial stereotype of Chinese as passive and obedient. -
During a shootout between two Chinese tongs on October 24, 1871, a local Robert Thompson was killed. The rumor spread and over 500 people came together and tore through a Chinese quarter, targeting any Chinese person (even people who weren't connected to the shootout). After three hours, eighteen Chinese people were killed (including a doctor and fifteen-year-old). Only 10 out of the 500 people went to jail for the crime and negative stereotypes/discrimination grew from this event. -
The first law that targeted an ethnicity banned Chinese immigration for over 20 years; it also placed new requirements on Chinese migrants that wanted to leave and reenter the country. All Chinese people entering the United States had to have a certificate from China's government (even then most couldn't enter because of the act only allowing "laborers"). This act led to separation of families, violence, and further struggle for assimilation in American society. -
An immigration station, opened in California's San Francisco Bay, served as the biggest port for entry of Asian immigrants: around 100,000 Chinese and 70,000 Japanese over the next thirty years were processed through the station. Immigrants without proper documents were quarantined in a"prison-like environment." This island tells the history of exclusion, xenophobia, and racism in the United States. -
Two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, an order that led to the internment of Japanese Americans, due to the fear of espionage. During the years of 1942-1945, over 112,000 people of Japanese descent were sent to internment camps. There were no spies ever found. Thousands of Japanese Americans lost their homes, businesses, and belongings due to the injustice. An apology was stated over 40 years after the war.
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Dalip Saund of California was the first Asian-American, Indian American, and Sikh to serve in Congress. He earned a Ph.D and became a judge before serving three terms in the House. He was vocal on issues such as communism and civil rights, including desegregation. Dalip Saund possibly opened a gateway for more Asian Americans who can find jobs within the Congress. -
Congress expanded the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the most far-reaching bill for civil rights. It prohibits discrimination in voting, meaning anyone could vote regardless of race, sex, or ethnic background. This vote finally gave racial minorities a voice in who gets to govern them. It was a big step into assimilation for Asian Americans, who've gone through endless amounts of discrimination from the law. -
Before he died, one of President John F. Kennedy's hopes was for the nation to guarantee equal treatment of every American regardless of race. This hope culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was an opportunity for unity and assimilation for all minority groups, including Asian Americans. -
Patsy T. Mink of Hawaii was the first Asian American woman and the first woman of color to serve in Congress. She fought for civil rights and education and strongly opposed the Vietnam War. She was also a co-author and sponsor of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, outlawing sex discrimination in any education program. Patsy T. Mink was a window for many women of color to join Congress and fight for their rights. -
During the second and third waves of Vietnamese refugees during the Vietnam War, Vietnamese fishermen/shrimpers, labeled "boatmen, took shrimping jobs. However, White men got angry at this, and anti-Vietnamese sentiment flared, and Ku Klux Klan members carried out attacks on Vietnamese shrimpers. These attacks showed that, even with new laws being put in place, individual discrimination and prejudice still took place in the everyday life of Asian Americans. -
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the USA Patriot Act was passed. The act forced 80,000 men from predominantly Arab and Muslim countries to register with the agency called the Immigration and Naturalization Service. This event also expanded Islamophobia, which was a crime against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim (Islamophobia). These "Muslim" people were usually South Asian, and racism became prominent against them.