Keywords: Chinese Americans
Item 10379
Chinese man, Portland, ca. 1910
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1910 Location: Portland Media: Photoprint
Item 110
William Wong, Portland, ca. 1926
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media Date: 1926 Location: Portland Media: Glass Negative
Exhibit
In 1857, when Daniel Cough left Amoy Island, China, as a stowaway on a sailing ship from Mt. Desert Island he was on his way into history as the first Chinese person to make his home in Maine. He was soon followed by a cigar maker and a tea merchant who settled in Portland and then by many more Chinese men who spread all over Maine working mostly as laundrymen.
Exhibit
"Twenty Nationalities, But All Americans"
Concern about immigrants and their loyalty in the post World War I era led to programs to "Americanize" them -- an effort to help them learn English and otherwise adjust to life in the United States. Clara Soule ran one such program for the Portland Public Schools, hoping it would help the immigrants be accepted.
Site Page
Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection - "Twenty Nationalities, But All Americans"
"… Americans" Twenty Nationalities, But All Americans View Immigration and Americanization slideshow Text by Rachel Miller Images from Maine…"
Site Page
Portland Press Herald Glass Negative Collection - Icons & Influencers
"While photo journalism began during the American Civil War, newspapers seldom used photography to illustrate or enhance stories until nearly seventy…"
Story
From Chinese Laundress to Mother of the Year
by Dr. Andrea Louie
Toy Len Goon's granddaughter recounts her immigration to the US and becoming Mother of the Year.
Story
An Asian American Account
by Zabrina
An account from a Chinese American teen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12, Postsecondary
Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson presents an overview of the history of the Chinese/Chinese Americans in Maine and the U.S. including some of the factors that led to Chinese immigration to the U.S., the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a look into the xenophobia, racism, and discrimination many Chinese Americans have experienced and continue to experience, and the contributions of Chinese Americans to community life and culture in Maine.
