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Gold was discovered in Sutter's Mill, California, and many Chinese immigrants migrated to the United States in hopes of finding work and eventually reuniting with their families.
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Gold discovered in Sutter's Mill, California, attracts thousands of Chinese immigrants hoping to make money and establish a family in the U.S. This was the first major influx of Asian immigrants.
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The Transcontinental railroad, a project taken up in order to connect the East and West Coasts, was completed. Many of the laborers working on the railroad were Chinese due to the inability to find other jobs due to a language barrier.
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The Transcontinental railroad, which connected the coasts of the United States, was completed. A large portion of the labor force was of Chinese descent and originally arrived to participate in the Gold Rush, but ended up working for the railroads due to the consistent pay and a language barrier that prevented other types of work. This created the precedence of a pay gap between Caucasian workers and Asian workers.
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The Page act, originally written to prevent the perpetuation and practice of the prostitution of Chinese women, was passed. This made it extremely difficult for Chinese women to enter and live in the United States.
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The Chinese Exclusion Act, which effectively removed the rights of Chinese descendant individuals, was passed and forced Chinese communities to center around large cities' "Chinatowns." These communities created cultural centerpieces for the cities and a safe space/familiar environment for incoming immigrants.
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Several Chinese miners are murdered and mutilated after setting up camp. The surrounding area's Chinatown was looted and several buildings, including homes and businesses were burnt down. Following this event, Congress agreed to compensate the surviving workers for the losses. This demonstrated the increasing willingness of the government to work with other ethnic groups, though discrimination was not few and far between.
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Angel Island, dubbed the Ellis Island of the West, is opened, and a subsequent 200,000 Asian immigrants moved to the area through this island. Again, this boosted Asian populations, especially in places such as San Francisco and Los Angles.
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After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many Japanese-Americans were relocated to internment camps, the goal being to reeducate and assimilate them into American culture. This caused a lack of cultural identity of the formerly incarcerated in the camps, and ultimately led to the stereotype of the model minority.
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The Immigration and Nationality act is signed, which removes barriers on immigration based on race. This allowed for an influx of Asian immigration in the latter part of the century.
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Jimmy Carter Proclaims a week in recognition of those of Asian or Pacific Island descent, though this was later stretched to cover the entire month of May. This commemorated the effort of Chinese Americans in their work on the Transcontinental railroad, their strong community bonds, and work in building the community of the West Coast.
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More then 20,000 garment workers, most of which of Chinese descent, rally due to a period of stalling during negotiations for the labor union. This promoted the rights of Asian-Americans and helped in mending, if only partially, the pay gap.