Racism Against Chinese in the US - Timeline

1850

Foreign Miner Tax.  Tax per head.  Up to 50% of budget for state of California

1854

Chinese Can't Give Court Testimony  The People Vs. Hall.

1856

One of the earliest violence against Chinese.  Miners beat up outside of Yreka (where my grandmother lived).

1862

Police Tax, where any Chinese over 18 and not in the mining industry had to pay $2.50 per month.  Ruled unconstitutional by the California Supreme Court in 1863.

1870

Cerro Gordo Mine cave in.  35 Chinese Miners killed.  Mine was not shored up.  Still has a Chinese Cemetery there and a Ghost Town Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

1870’s

Anti-Coolie Associations formed.  

1871

19 Chinese killed.  Worst anti-Chinese rioting up to that time. Los Angeles riots.  Chinese barred from testifying in court.

1872

Chinese now allowed to give court testimony.

1878

re Ah Yup – Chinese can’t become US citizens.

1879

No Native of China can become a California voter.  Repealed in 1826.

  1879

No Native of China can be employed by a public body.  A state wide anti-Chinese referendum passed with 99.4 of voters.

1880

California law bars marriage between whites and Mongolians (Chinese).  Miscegenation

1882

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - Bars entry of Chinese Women to US except for relatives.  Result is high proportion of single men.

1885

Wyoming Riots in Rock Springs.  28+ Chinese Miners killed.  Laurence Yep has written a book for teenagers about this - The Traitor by Laurence Yep, Gold Mountain Chronicles 1865

1886

Riots against Chinese in West Coast including Washington and Portland.  Many Chinese move from West Coast to avoid violence (which is why there are Chinatowns in Chicago, New York, Boston, etc.).

1886

31 Miners killed in Snake River Oregon.  Not found out about till 1996.

1890

Chinese ordered in San Francisco to move into certain areas of town or be arrested.  Jim Crow laws

1891

Chinese were required to have on them at all time a residency card or they could be arrested.

1897

U.S.VS. WONG KIM ARK – Establishes citizen rights for children born in US, even if parents are not US citizens.

1892

Geary Act – Extends Chinese exclusion act.

1913

Alien Land Act – forbids anyone who can’t become a citizen (Chinese), from owning land.  Repealed in 1956.

1924

Cable Act.  Chinese not allowed to inter-marry whites.  So a US citizen, woman who married a Chinese citizen was no longer a US citizen.

1936

Cable act repealed.

1943

Chinese Exclusion Repeal or the Magnuson Act - Changes to immigration act - China was an ally to US during WW2

1948

California Supreme Court in Perez Vs. Sharp rules Anti-Miscegenation Laws are not legal.

1958

94% of whites oppose interracial marriage per a Gallup Poll.

1965

Changes to immigration law.  Immigration quotas are eliminated.

1967

Anti-Miscegenation Laws overturned – Loving vs. Virginia.  Chinese not allowed to marry between races overturned.

1982

Vincent Chen killed in Detroit Mistaken for Japanese.  People killing him received no jail time by the state, but were then charged in Federal Court with Civil Rights Violations.

1992

Affirmative action lawsuit filed (or investigation at UC Berkeley) against UC systems claiming a quota system was discriminating against Asian American enrollment.  Law suite also filed against SF School district.

1998

California State proposition 209 passes that prohibits taking into account race for college admissions

1999

Wen Ho Lee is accused of giving secrets to Chinese Government (even through he is from Taiwan).  Case is finally dropped.  Judge apologizes to Wen Ho Lee for how he is treated.

2006

Lawsuit filed against Princeton for discrimination in admission practices.  Quote is are the Chinese being treated as Jews were in the 1920-1940 for College Admissions?