Popular search terms:
Part of the Collection:
Learning Asian American HistoriesA Different Asian American Timeline
Many histories of Asian Americans begin in the 19th century. However, there are centuries of history of Asians in the Americas that came before. This timeline covers nearly 600 years of history and places Asian American history in the context of race and capitalism in the United States. It starts with the early Atlantic slave trade in the 15th Century, tracing the rise of modern nation-states, and covering events that have affected people across racial boundaries, and is a great tool to augment other Asian American history resources. To start out with this extensive timeline:
- Read the Introduction and How to Use this Timeline
- Check out some of the events covered in the 1441-1860 section and consider how they expand your understanding of Asian American history. Here are just a few to start:
- 1587: Under the command of Spanish captain Pedro de Unamuno, “Luzonians,” the first Filipinos in the Americas, arrive in North America at Morro Bay, California (today San Luis Obispo), on the galleon ship Nuestra Señora de Esperanza.
- 1778: Chinese crew aboard British ships reach the Kingdom of Hawai’i, which became known to the people of China as Tan Heung Shan, or “the sandalwood mountains,” due to the sandalwood trade between Hawai’i and China.
- 1784: The first U.S. trading ship arrives in Calcutta.
- 1790: The Naturalization Act reserves the right of naturalized citizenship to “free white persons.” The Act is widely used to exclude certain groups of Asian immigrants until the early 1950s.
- Then, dive into the rest of the timeline to further build your knowledge.
This resource is also included in these collections: