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John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life Under American Racial Law

byBeth Lew-Williams

Historian Beth Lew-Williams uncovers the dense network of local and state laws that classified Chinese residents, restricted their movement, and subjected them to unequal treatment across the United States. Using legal records and newly recovered personal histories, she shows how ordinary people navigated exclusion in work, housing, family, courts, and public space. The generic label “John Doe Chinaman” becomes evidence of a system that denied individuality while enforcing race. The book also restores stories of resistance, demonstrating how Chinese Americans challenged the legal order built around them.

Publisher

Harvard University Press

Publication date

2025-09-16

Format

Hardcover

Pages

400

ISBN

9780674294110