Anti-Asian Violence

The history of Asians in the USA is replete with incidents of anti-Asian violence. This violence ran the gamut of physical assaults from individual perpetrators to mob violence. The violence also was perpetrated by the government on a local, state, or federal basis through officially sanctioned actions, or through inaction by the state, thereby denying Asians of any protection from the law. From the first wave of Chinese arriving in San Francisco in the 1850s to the most recent Indian immigrant coming off any plane in the twenty-first century, Asians, irrespective of their nationality, class status, age, and gender, could be potential victims of anti-Asian violence or bias.

When the Chinese arrived in California following the Gold Rush of 1848, many local city, state, and federal laws were enacted and implemented against them since they were seen as economic competitors. However, these laws were preceded by anti-Chinese hysteria and direct physical violence. The infamous 1854 case of Pe...