Stories

Our Struggles and Triumphs

In the United States of America, the sun first rises over the skies of Guam in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and awakens its Indigenous people, the Chamorro. Guam was acquired as a spoil of war after the Spanish American War of 1898 and the Chamorro became Americans with no political voice in the matter.

Similarly, Native Hawaiians, who have called the Hawaiian Islands home for almost 2,000 years, became Americans at the turn of the twentieth century without any declaration of war. The Islands became a US protectorate after the Kingdom of Hawai'i was overthrown, principally by Americans. One fascinating reminder is 'Iolani Palace, the home and symbol of the former sovereign of the Kingdom of Hawai'i and the only royal residence in the United States. In addition, other Pacific Islands such as the Federated States of Micronesia have long cultural histories.

From the first landing of Asians in the Continental United States as Filipino shipfarers descended on Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587, AAPIs have shaped North America and the United States. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) built ethnic enclaves from Chinatowns to Koreatowns; developed innovations in science and technology; served the nation in uniform from the War of 1812 to the War in Vietnam; wrote poetry, novels, songs and painted murals and created sculptures; raised families; fought for freedom and organized labor unions across race and ethnic lines; and supported politicians and critical national and international initiatives.

Some trace their residency to native peoples of Pacific Islands or Native Hawaiians who have lived in their Indigenous lands for generations prior to the establishment of the US. Others arrived more recently as immigrants or refugees in the 19th, 20th, or 21st centuries. AAPI stories embrace the ancient past to the modern period. Each of the topics highlighted here represents a significant aspect of the human experience, but each is only a portion of the intertwined, glorious complexity of history.

"Struggles and Triumphs" indicates that our history includes both the stories that make us proud and those that make us resolve to do better, to work harder to realize the more perfect Union envisioned in our Constitution. Engage with the stories of Asian American and Pacific Islanders who shaped the nation through art, science, education, business, industrial design, civil rights, philanthropy, medicine, and many other endeavors.

AAPI Heritage