Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can trace their histories to a region that spans more than half the globe. They have played key roles in shaping America's past, leaving an enduring impact in areas such as work, politics, culture, and law. They have done so as immigrants, sojourners, settlers, refugees, citizens, non-citizens, residents, U.S. nationals, and members of overthrown sovereign kingdoms. Join us in exploring the rich and complex histories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through NMAH's collections, exhibitions, archives, and scholarly research.
Photo above: Pro skater Judi Oyama skating downhill at the Capitola Classic, 1980. Photo by Richard Oyama. Learn more.
Support Asian Pacific American History
Join us in ensuring that the stories and artifacts of millions of Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent are preserved for future generations. Your support of initiatives such as the Japanese American History Endowment will have a lasting impact on the museum and its millions of visitors of all backgrounds who will benefit from the extraordinary objects, vast research, and compelling programs presented. To learn more, contact the Office of External Affairs at 202-633-1841 or SupportNMAH@si.edu.
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Exhibitions
Righting a Wrong
Japanese Americans and World War II
Events and Programming
Past Programs
The links below highlight past museum programming on Asian Pacific American history topics.
Object Groups
These pages highlight selected areas of the museum's collection that relate to Asian Pacific American history.
Education
The links below offer resources relating to Asian Pacific American history for K-12 education.
- Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (Learning Lab)
- Becoming US is a new educational resource for high school teachers and students to learn immigration and migration history in a more accurate and inclusive way.
- National Youth Summit: Japanese American Incarceration in World War II explores the forcible removal of over 120,000 Japanese Americans from the Pacific Coast during World War II. In this webcast, the panelists explored this period in American history and considered how fear and prejudice can upset the delicate balance between the rights of citizens and the power of the state.
- National Youth Summit: Democracy webcast series includes the session Defending Civil Liberties for "No More Manzanars," a case study on the civil rights legacy of Japanese incarceration during World War II.
- Duty to Country explores the history of U.S. imperialism in the Philippines, World War II military service, Asian American immigration, and the civil rights movement.
- Smithsonian Social Studies Online: How can the past inform our present and future? (Learning Lab)
- Smithsonian Social Studies Online: What happens when cultures collide? (Learning Lab)
- Smithsonian Social Studies Online: What is my community and how does it fit within the nation? (Learning Lab)
- Smithsonian Social Studies Online: What is our moral obligation during times of crisis? (Learning Lab)
Resource Guides
- Archival Materials (PDF). This guide includes archival material related to Asian Pacific American history from the museum's Archives Center and other selected Smithsonian museums and affiliates.
- Interviews and Oral Histories (PDF). The Smithsonian Institution is a repository for a wealth of oral histories that document the vibrant cultures and histories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
- Food History (PDF). This guide from the museum's Food History Team assembles a wealth of resources which speak to and reflect the role of food in the migration, work, family, and community experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
- Additional Resources (PDF). This guide includes a wealth of additional Asian Pacific American history resources at the National Museum of American History and other Smithsonian museums and affiliates.
