Chinese American History Timeline

Time Line

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1848
Gold discovered at Sutter's Mill, California
Sutter's Mill

1852
195 Chinese Contract Laborers land in Hawaii

1854
People v. Hall rules that Chinese cannot give testimony in court

1862
Chinese Consolidated Benevolant Association, the Chinese 6 Companies, formed
California passes a "police tax" of $2.50 a month on every Chinese
1865
Central Pacific Railroad Co. recruits Chinese workers for the first transcontinental railroad

1867
2,000 Chinese railroad workers stage a one week strike

1868
Burlingame-Seward Treaty

1869
First transcontinental railroad completed
Transcontinental Railroad

1870
California passes a law against the importation of Chinese, Japanese, and "Mongolian" women for the purpose of prostitution

1871
Los Angeles, CA: anti-Chinese violence

1875
Page Law

1877
Chico, CA: anti-Chinese violence

1878
In re Ah Yup rules Chinese ineligible for naturalized citizenship

1880
US and China sign treaty giving the US the right to limit but "not absolutely prohibit" Chinese immigration
California's Civil Code passes anti-miscegination law

1882
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act

1885
Rock Springs Wyoming Anti-Chinese Violence

1886
Yick Wo v. Hopkins

1888
Scott Act

1892
Geary Act

1893
Fong Yue Ting v. U.S.

1894
Sun Yat Sen
Xingzhonghui established by Sun Yat-sen in Honolulu

1898
United States v. Wong Kim Ark

1899
Baohuanghui established by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao in Vancouver

1900
San Francisco Chinatown quarantined during bubonic plague scare
San Francisco Chinatown

1902
Chinese exclusion extended for another 10 years

1904
Chinese exclusion made indefinite

1905
boycott of American products by Chinese in the US and China

1906
San Francisco earthquake and fire

1910
Angel Island opens as an offical immigration station

1911
October 10 Manchu rule overthrown in China

1936
Ging Hawk Club essay contest, "Does My Future Lie in China or America?"

Winning Essay by Robert Dunn Wu

Second Place Essay by Kaye Hong

1943
Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act

1948
An Act of 1948

1957
An Act of 1957

1965
Immigration Act of 1965

1982
First Chinese American women seen regularly on national television

1982
Death of Vincent Chin

1995
Immigration Reform Act of 1995

Immigration Reduction Act of 1995