Documents of the Asian American Experience

Noriko Matsumoto is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Vermont, USA. Her research focusses on international migration, race and ethnicity, and the sociology of culture. She received her doctorate and M.Phil in Sociology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, USA.

• Introduction1. Early Arrivals, 1500s-1800s1.1 Pedro de Unamuno Describes the Role of Filipino Laborers in the Spanish Exploration of Present-Day California (1587)1.2 Sebastian de Pineda Raises Concerns about Filipino Settlement in New Spain (1619)1.3 Don Juan Niño de Tavora on the Threat to New Spain Posed by the Chinese (1628)1.4 Petition for Restrictions on Chinese Barber Shops in New Spain (1635)1.5 Patrick Lafcadio Hearn Describes the Filipino Settlement of Saint Malo in Louisiana in Harper’s Weekly (1883)2. Chinese Immigration, 1840s-1900s2.1 Governor John Bigler Calls for Anti-Chinese Restrictions during the California Gold Rush (1852)2.2 Tong K. Achick and Hab Wa’s Response to Governor John Bigler’s Anti-Chinese Address (1852)2.3 John David Borthwick’s Account of Chinese Miners from Three Years in California (1857)2.4 “The Chinaman as a Railroad Builder,” Scientific American (1869)2.5Lee Chew, “The Biography of a Chinaman,” The Independent (1903)3. Hawaii, Crossroads of the Pacific, 1850-1900s3.1 S. S. Hill’s Account of the Role of Chinese Workers in Sugar Production in Hawaii (1856)3.2 Committee Report in Planters’ Monthly Regarding the Need for More Chinese Laborers in Hawaii (1883)3.3 Christopher Webster, “Japanese Are Taking Possession of Hawaii,” Pacific Commercial Advertiser (1905)3.4 Two articles from The Evening Bulletin on the Japanese Plantation Worker Strike (1909)3.5 Letter from the Japanese Higher Wages Association to the Sugar Planters’ Association (1909)4. Chinese Exclusion and Discrimination, 1870s-1890s4.1 Denis Kearney, “Appeal from California,” Indianapolis Times (1878)4.2 Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)4.3 Tape v. Hurley (1885)4.4 Account of the Rock Springs Massacre (1885)4.5 Wong Chin Foo, “Why Am I a Heathen?” North American Review (1887)5. Defining Citizenship and Identity, 1890s-1900s5.1 D. Bennett, “John in the South. The Chinese on the Plantations of Louisiana,” New Orleans Times (1873)5.2 Yan Phou Lee, Excerpt from When I was a Boy in China (1887)5.3 United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)5.4 Exhibition of the Igorot People of the Philippines at the St. Louis World’s Fair (1904)5.5 Sui Sin Far, Excerpt from “Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian, ” The Independent (1909)6. Immigration and Obstacles, 1900s-1930s6.1 Philippine Commission Report to the Secretary of War Regarding the Need to Educate Filipino Youth in the United States (1901) 6.2 Herman George Scheffauer, “Tide of Turbans,” The Forum (1910)6.3 Poems from Angel Island (1910-1940)6.4 Takao Ozawa v. United States (1922)6.5 United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923)6.6 Vaishno Das Bagai’s Letter Explaining His Suicide, San Francisco Examiner (1928)7. Agricultural Development and Representation, 1900s-1930s7.1 Valentine Stuart McClatchy, Excerpt from Japanese Immigration and Colonization (1921)7.2 Konrad Bercovici, “The Japanese in the United States,” Century (1925)7.3 Boris Karloff in Yellowface in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)7.4 Katherine Hepburn in Yellowface in Dragon Seed (1944)7.5 Carlos Bulosan, Excerpt from America Is in the Heart (1943)8. World War II and Internment, 1939-19458.1 Photograph of Filipinos Thinning Lettuce in California (1939)8.2 Excerpts from the Munson Report (1941)8.3 Executive Order No. 9066 (1942)8.4 Towru Nagano’s Letter to His Brother Joe Describing Life at the Manzanar Internment Camp (1943)8.5 Korematsu v. United States (1944)9. Repeal of Exclusion Laws, 1940s-1950s9.1 Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress on Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1943)9.2 Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act (1943) 9.3 Luce-Celler Act (1946)9.4 McCarran-Walter Act (1952)9.5 Gold Medalist Sammy Lee Recounts His Experiences at the 1948 London Olympics (1999)10. The Korean War and Postwar Migration, 1950-1960s10.1 War Brides Act (1945)10.2 Holt Bill (1955)10.3 Harry Holt, Letter Regarding Adoption of Korean Children (1955)10.4 The All-Asian Cast of Flower Drum Song (1961)10.5 Pei Chi Liu Recounts Political Conflict in Chinatown during the 1940s and 1950s (1972)11. Immigration Policy Changes, 196511.1 Patsy Takemoto Mink, Draft of Speech on Civil Rights (1960)11.2 Article in Pacific Citizen Discussing Congressional Debate Surrounding the Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)11.3 Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks at the Signing of the Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)11.4 Photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson Signing the Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)11.5 Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)12. Collaboration and Activism, 1965-1970s12.1 Richard Aoki, Excerpts from a Speech for an Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) Rally (1968)12.2 Statement of the Philippine-American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) on Its Philosophy and Goals (1968)12.3 Delano Grape Workers, Boycott Day Proclamation (1969)12.4 Amy Uyematsu, “The Emergence of Yellow Power,” Gidra (1969)12.5 Yuri Kochiyama Remembers Malcolm X (n.d., 1994)13. Refugees from Southeast Asia, 1970s-1980s13.1 Maya Ying Lin, Essay on Her Proposed Design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1980)13.2 Refugee Act (1980)13.3 Excerpt from “From the Killing Fields to Greenfield: The Story of Chard Houn” (1989)13.4 Indochinese Refugees Resettlement and Protection Act (1987)13.5 Linda Thong’s Account of Fleeing Vietnam and Living in the United States (n.d.)14. New Immigration and Stereotypes, 1970s-2000s14.1 Article about the Founding of a Filipino Nurses’ Association in Seattle, The FilipinoForum (1963)14.2 Asian Americans Express Their Views on the Concept of the “Model Minority,” AsianWeek (1985)14.3 Sarita Sarvate, Essay on the Impact of the “Brain Act,” India Currents (2000)14.4 Written Testimony by Reverend Vien The Nguyen Regarding the Impact of the Chef Menteur Landfill on the Vietnamese Community of Village de L’Est (2007)14.5 Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), Memo to Hollywood on Asian American Stereotypes (n.d.)15. Increasing Tension, 1980-200015.1 Floyd Shimomura, “Violence Against Asians,” AsianWeek (1983)15.2 Robert T. Matsui, Speech in the House of Representatives on Bill 442 (1987)15.3 Photograph of the L.A. Riots (1992)15.4 Oral History of the L.A. Riots (2021)15.5 Thomas E. Perez, “Remembering Vincent Chin” (2012)16. 9/11 Backlash and Political Representation, 2000-2020s16.1 Governor Gary Locke’s Inaugural Address (1997)16.2 Interview with Anita Chawla after 9/11 (2001)16.3 Alice Ito Interview with Pramila Jaypal about the Hate Free Zone (2004)16.4 Andrew Yang, “Meet Andrew” (2018)16.5 Joe Biden, Statement on the Tenth Anniversary of the Attack on the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin (2022)17. Global Epidemic and Increase in Representation, 2020-Present17.1 SEARAC Statement on the Death of George Floyd (2020)17.2 Mai Der Vang, “In the Year of Permutations” (2020)17.3 Joe Biden, Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States (2021)17.4 Kamala Harris, Remarks Following the Atlanta Spa Shootings (2021)17.5 COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act (2021)Selected BibliographyIndexAbout the Author