Cohort Analysis: Significant Dates and Periods

Table 1: Chinese Americans: Significant Dates & Periods in Immigration and History

Year

Periods and Events

*U.S. Pop (in 1000’s)

Male to Female Ratio

1850–1860	Sojourner male immigration from Southern China to Gold Mountain
1870’s	Brutality and violence; discriminatory legislation	60
1880	California Constitution adopted with anti-Chinese provisions	100	55–65
1882	Chinese Exclusion Act banning immigration of Chinese laborers
1882–1920	Declining immigration; decline of agriculture, mining, and railroad occupations; rise of urban service occupations; immigration of “paper sons” and “treaty merchants” through “the Shed”
1890		101	27:1
1900		90
1900–1930	Rise of family associations and “tongs” (secret societies)	Children	55–65
1910	Boarding Schools	72
1920	World War II Service	62	7:1
1924	Immigration restrictions eased slightly		75–85
1930’s	Pearl Buck novels portray Chinese peasants as heroes resisting Japanese invasion; “mutilated families”	75
1940–1946	16,000 Chinese Americans served in Armed Forces	78
1943	Repeal of all 15 Chinese Exclusion Acts; quota set at 105 per year
1946	Law passed allowing “alien” wives to immigrate
1947–1952	Over 9000 wives immigrated; increased educational attainment; continued discrimination; high birthrates
1950’s	Cold War, two Chinas; fear of Communist threat from Chinese Americans; half of Chinese Americans are American born; increased acculturation	107	55–65
1953	Refugee status available for 2000 if approved by Taiwan government
1960’s	Continued discrimination in unionized employment	237	1.1:1
1965	New Immigration Act passed, persons with kin in U.S. favored
1970’s	Two Chinese American communities: one suburban, well-educated; the other with little education and low income; immigration of Chinese from Vietnam	436	55–65
1980’s	Image of “model minority”; heavy immigration from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan including older adults	812
1990		1,079
2000		2,400
2005		3.100

Source: Yeo et al, 1998