The first major wave of Asian immigrants arrived in America
A Californian law bars Chinese-Americans, Indians, and African Americans from public schools
South Asian Indians begin coming to North America, in particular, British Columbia, Canada
California enacts the Alien Land Law to keep aliens ineligible for U.S. citizenship from buying or leasing land
America enters World War I; The Barred Zone Act further restricts immigration from almost all of Asia, except for Japan
In the landmark 1923 case of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that South Asians were ineligible from naturalization, preventing South Asians from gaining citizenship and stripping citizenship status from those who were granted it in the years prior
President Truman signed the 1946 Luce-Celler Act which provided naturalization rights to both South Asians and Filipinos, but still limited the number of migrants allowed into the country
Congress passes a Civil Rights Act to combat racial discrimination and passes another in 1965
the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished immigration quotas based on national origin and led to an increase of migrants from South Asia, forever changing the racial demographics of the U.S. only select professionals from Asia were granted visas: doctors, engineers, and mechanics. This was the beginning of the Model Minority Myth
Since 1965, about 80 percent of South Asian immigrants have come from India and another 12 to 19 percent from Pakistan. Thus, between 1965 and 1984, Indians and Pakistanis composed over 90 percent of all South Asian immigrants
A Supreme Court ruling prohibits states from erecting bans on interracial marriages
Third World students at the University of California, Berkeley, strike for the formation of an ethnic studies program; as a result of demonstrations, Asian-American Studies programs are established. The first documented usage of the term “Brown Asian” is from the early 1970s, when Brown Asian caucuses formed at various Asian American national and regional conferences
From 1976 - 1985 more than 762,000 refugees from Southeast Asia immigrate to the U.S
U.S. Census results show Asian-Americans to be the fastest-growing ethnic minority group in the U.S., with a 1990 population exceeding 7.2 million
After the events of September 11, 2001, in particular, South Asians -- primarily Muslims and Sikhs -- have been the victims of religious and racial profiling and violence
Asian hate crimes increase due to Covid 19 pandemic
Sources
“Asian Americans Then and Now.” Asia Society, asiasociety.org/education/asian-americans-then-and-now.
“Exclusion of Hindus from America Due to British Influence.” South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), 30 Dec. 2013, www.saada.org/item/20100916-121.
History.com Editors. “Asian American Milestones: Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Mar. 2021, www.history.com/topics/immigration/asian-american-timeline.
Samip. “Browse by Period.” South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), 2 May 2013, www.saada.org/browse/periods.
