The Asian American Immigrant Experience at the Turn of the 20th Century featuring Hollis Wong-Wear

In this lesson, students investigate U.S. immigration policy toward Asian American immigrants in the late 1800s to early 1900s. They discover the history of the Asian American immigrant experience during this time period, and consider the motivations and effects of legislation such as the Page Act of 1875, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the Geary Act of 1892. Students take a “virtual tour” of the Angel Island Immigration Station, which processed thousands of Asian American immigrants. Finally, they examine how Asian Americans in the past and present use poetry, music, and fashion as a means to confront, remember, and challenge racism and anti-Asian prejudice.