Patterns of anti-Chinese Violence (1853-1915)
These interactive charts and maps help visualize the history and impact of anti-Chinese violence in the second half of the 19th century.
- Incidents Over Time: Annual count of violent events from 1850–1920.
- Victims Over Time: Annual victim count from 1850–1920.
- Incidents & Victims Over Time: Stacked area chart combining incidents (N=75) and victims (N=191) from 1850–1920. Average number of victims per incident: 2.5.
- Incidents & Victims by State: Stacked bars by decade; incident and victim counts per state (horizontal bars, sorted by victim count).
- Types of Violence: Breakdown of violence types by victim count.
- Categories & Pretexts: Distribution of violence categories and stated pretexts.
- Killing Method: Distribution of how victims were killed.
- Violence & Population: Victims per year alongside Chinese population growth and key policy events.
- Hong Di Lynching Reports by State: Geographic distribution of newspaper articles reporting the Hong Di lynching (Colusa, California, July 1887), by state of publication (N=1,406).
- "Chinese Must Go" Mentions by State: Geographic distribution of newspaper mentions of the anti-Chinese slogan "Chinese must go" by state of publication, 1878–1925 (N=2,875).
1. Incidents of Anti-Chinese Violence Over Time
Annual count of anti-Chinese violence events, 1850–1920.
This chart displays annual counts of anti-Chinese violence incidents. Peak years include 1885 with 15 incidents and 1886 with 12 incidents. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top2. Number of Victims of Anti-Chinese Violence Over Time
Annual count of victims, 1850–1920.
This chart displays annual counts of victims of anti-Chinese violence. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top3. Number Incidents and Victims Over Time
Incidents (N=75) and victims (N=191) from 1850–1920. Average number of victims per incident: 2.5.
Stacked area chart of incidents (bottom) and victims (top) by year. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top4.a. Number of Lethal Events by State Over Time
Stacked bar chart: incidents per decade, broken down by state.
Stacked bar chart of lethal events by decade, with segments for each state. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top4.b. Number of Victims by State Over Time
Stacked bar chart: victims per decade, broken down by state.
Stacked bar chart of victims by decade, with segments for each state. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top4.c. Incident and Victim Count by State
Incidents (blue) and victims (red) per state, sorted by victim count.
Horizontal bar chart of incident count (blue) and victim count (red) by state, sorted by victim count. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top5. Types of Anti-Chinese Violence
Breakdown of event types in the lynching records.
This chart displays a breakdown of event types in the lynching records, showing the number of victims for each type. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top6.a. Categories of Violence
Distribution of violence categories.
This pie chart displays the distribution of categories of violence. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top6.b. Pretexts for Violence
Distribution of stated pretexts.
This pie chart displays the distribution of pretexts for violence. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top7. Killing Method
Distribution of killing methods.
This pie chart displays the distribution of killing method. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top8. Anti-Chinese Violence & Chinese Population in the U.S. (1850–1915)
A combination chart showing the number of victims per year (bar), the Chinese population (line), and key policy events (vertical markers).
This combination chart displays the number of victims per year as bars, the Chinese population as a line, and key policy events as vertical markers. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top9. Distribution of Hong Di Lynching Reports by State (N=1,406)
Newspaper articles reporting the Hong Di lynching (Colusa, California, July 1887), by state of publication.
Choropleth map of newspaper article counts by state of publication for the Hong Di lynching. Use the data table below for detailed values.
top10. Distribution of "Chinese Must Go" Mentions by State (N=2,875)
Newspaper mentions of the anti-Chinese slogan "Chinese must go" by state of publication, 1878–1925.
Choropleth map of newspaper mentions of the Chinese must go slogan by state of publication. Use the data table below for detailed values.
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