Race and ethnicity  (Page 14/22)

1852— Know-Nothings formed the American Party —Gained control of some legislature. Wanted to: Ban Catholics and other immigrants (mostly Southern Europeans) from holding offices; Create literacy tests; Restrict immigration based on national origin. For more about the Know-Nothings click here .

1854— Commodore Matthew Perry opens trade between US and Japan —this led to the explosive modernization of Japan which went from a feudal society to an industrial society in less than fifty years.

1857— Dred Scott Decision —established the legal doctrine of slaves as property.

1864-1877— Reconstruction —a time of martial law in the South. Reconstruction ended due to a political deal made to settle the disputed election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877.

1877—Jim Crow Laws established—the Jim Crow laws were laws that segregated white and non-white people and denied the civil rights of non-white people. This led to the “separate but equal” doctrine which was later amended to “separate and unequal.” For more information about the Jim Crow laws, see: Jim Crow History.Org ; Remembering Jim Crow ; The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia

1882—First Chinese Exclusionary Act passed—this legislation prevented the families of railroad construction workers and agricultural laborers from entering the United States. It created a deviant community of bachelor men on the west coast. For more information about the Asian Exclusion Act see: The Chinese Exclusion Act: A Black Legacy ; An act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese ; Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) .

1887— American Protective Association founded to stop immigration.

1887— The Dawes Act eliminated tribal ownership of Indian lands.

1894— Immigration Restriction League founded; proposed literacy tests and special standards for immigrants

1896— Plessy v. Ferguson decided by the Supreme Court; established separate but equal; affirmed the constitutionality of the Jim Crow laws. For more information see: Plessy v. Ferguson ; The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow ; Landmark Cases: Plessy v. Ferguson .

1899— Cumming v. County Board of Education established separate but unequal status; progeny of Plessy; upheld constitutionality of Jim Crow laws.

1911— Chinese Exclusionary Act expanded to include other East Asians and Japanese .

1924— National Origins Act passed by Congress—Banned all east Asians, strictly limited immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe

1924— Ku Klux Klan marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C.; the KKK had 4 million members out of a national population of about 114 million. See also: “ 1924: Hatred Wore a Hood in Jersey ”

1942— Korematsu Decision determined that denying the civil rights of a certain group of citizens in times of war is constitutional. See also: Korematsu v. United States : The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Internment ; Landmark Cases: Korematsu .

1943—The “ Zoot Suit Riots ” in LA; 200 Navy personnel rioted for 4 days over the July 4th Holiday in East L.A.; many Hispanics killed; no arrests; newspapers anti-Hispanic articles exacerbated the situation.

1953— Emmett Till murdered.For more information, see: The History of Jim Crow: The Lynching of Emmett Till ; The Lynching of Emmett Till ; A Timeline of the Emmett Till Case .