Media Resource

Asian American and Pacific Islander Keywords for Chronicling America

Man sitting on a couch reading a newspaper
Photo caption

Chinese American man reading the Chinese Nationalist Daily in his home in Flatbush, New York, 1942.

This resource is part of EDSITEment’s Race and Ethnicity Keyword Thesaurus for Chronicling America. Here you will find historically accurate keywords that may help in using the Chronicling America historic newspaper database to research topics in Asian American and Pacific Islander history.  

We also offer a comprehensive introduction to working with historic newspapers in our teacher’s guide Chronicling America: History’s First Draft

Brahmin

Related Terms: Hindu, Indian, Brahmin 

Definitions: This term denotes an individual belonging to the priestly class in the Hindu religion, the predominant Indian religion.  

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century, this term was also used to refer to a native or inhabitant of India. In 1860, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. compared elite and wealthy Americans of New England to Brahmins, and a group of scholars, authors, and politicians, including John Adams, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, were considered among this group of “Boston Brahmins.” This usage may be included as results in your search.  

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America

"Brahmin" in Columbia Phoenix (Columbia, S.C.), 29 April 1865. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Brahmin" in Newspaper

"Brahmin" in Harpers-Ferry Free Press (Harper's Ferry, Va. [i.e. Harpers Ferry, W. Va.]), 26 March 1823. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Brahmin" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it": 

“Brabmin” in The Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia [Pa.]), 16 Jan. 1867. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Brabmin" in Newspaper
"Brabmin" in Newspaper Text

“Rrahmin” in The Red Cloud Chief (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.), 01 March 1907. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Rrahmin" in Newspaper
"Rrahmin" in Newspaper Text
Chinaman

Related Terms: Oriental, Coolie, Yellow Man 

Definition: This term refers a man who is Chinese or of Chinese parents in a derogatory way. Women were not included because immigration restrictions were often placed on Asian women. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": This term, at first, did not have a negative connotation, and in the nineteenth century, census takers would often give Asian Americans the surname “Chinaman” if no other was given. At the end of the nineteenth century, however, as Chinese workers began to settle in the American West, the term acquired a discriminatory meaning. 

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America: 

"Chinaman" in The Golden Age (Atlanta, Ga.), 29 March 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Chinaman" in Newspaper

"Chinaman" in The People's Voice (Helena, Mont.), 11 May 1956. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Chinaman" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it":

“Chimaman” in The Twin Falls Times (Twin Falls, Idaho), 29 Jan. 1915. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Chimaman" in Newspaper
"Chimaman" in Newspaper Text

“Chineman” in Olympia Tribune (Olympia, Wash.), 10 May 1892. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Chineman" in Newspaper
"Chineman" in Newspaper Text
Coolie

Related Terms: Oriental, Chinaman, Yellow Man 

Definition: This is a derogatory term denoting a worker of Asian descent. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": This term is derived from the South Indian language Tamil, in which the word "kuli" means wages. In the mid-nineteenth-century U.S., Asian laborers working on the railroads were disparagingly referred to as “Coolies.” 

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America

"Coolie" in Anti-Slavery Bugle (New-Lisbon, Ohio), 02 Feb. 1856. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Coolie" in Newspaper

"Coolie" in Mexico Missouri Message (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.), 23 July 1903. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Coolie" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it":

“Eoolie” in The Weekly Comet (Baton Rouge, La.), 31 July 1853. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Eoolie" in Newspaper
"Eoolie" in Newspaper Text

“Ccolie” in St. Croix Avis (Christiansted, St. Croix [V.I.]), 05 March 1898. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Ccolie" in Newspaper
"Ccolie" in Newspaper Text
Hindoo

Related Terms: Hindu, Indian, Brahmin 

Definition: This term refers to a follower of Hinduism. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": This was the common spelling of “Hindu” up to the mid-twentieth century. Hindu refers to a follower of the Indian religion, Hinduism.  

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America

"Hindoo" in The Day Book (Chicago, Ill.), 02 April 1915. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Hindoo" in Newspaper

"Hindoos" in The National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser (Washington City [D.C.]), 08 Feb. 1804. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Hindoo" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it":

“Hlndoo” in The Vermont Watchman (Montpelier, Vt.), 31 July 1895. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Hlndoo" in Newspaper
"Hlndoo" in Newspaper Text

“Hindco” in Goodwin's Weekly: A Thinking Paper for Thinking People (Salt Lake City, Utah), 13 Dec. 1907. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Hindco" in Newspaper
"Hindco" in Newspaper Text
Kanaka

Related Terms: Natives, Hawaiians, Polynesian 

Definitions: This term refers to someone from the South Seas Islands. Also, Native Hawaiians use this term to refer to themselves, as it derived from the Hawaiian language. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": Migration of Hawaiians to the U.S. peaked between 1900 and 1930s, and at this time, the term gained a more discriminatory meaning. In recent decades, Native Hawaiians have adopted the term to refer to themselves.  

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America

"Kanakas" in The Polynesian (Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii), 04 Sept. 1841. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Kanaka" in Newspaper

"Kanakas" in Crawford Avalanche (Grayling, Mich.), 27 Jan. 1898. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Kanaka" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it": 

“Ranaka” in The San Francisco Call (San Francisco [Calif.]), 05 Nov. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Ranaka" in Newspaper
"Ranaka" in Newspaper Text

“Ksnaka” in The Anaconda Standard (Anaconda, Mont.), 24 Dec. 1892. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Ksnaka" in Newspaper
"Ksnaka" in Newspaper Text
Oriental

Related Terms: Yellowman/Yellow Peril, Coolie, Chinaman 

Definition: This term describes a person belonging to one of the countries or regions lying east of the Mediterranean, or it refers to a person relating to the Near, Middle, or Far East. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": The term “Oriental” has been used to refer to West and East Asian people, cultures, and objects for centuries. By the late twentieth century, the term was scrutinized for its association with stereotyping Asian peoples and cultures as exotic. As a noun or an adjective used to describe a person, the term is now widely considered derogatory. However, this term is still used to describe Asian arts, foods, and practices without offense.

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America

"Oriental" in The Indian Advocate ([Sacred Heart, Okla.]), 01 Jan. 1901. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Oriental" in Newspaper

"Oriental" in The Fort Peck Press (Fort Peck [Wheeler], Mont.), 27 Dec. 1934. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Oriental" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it":

"Oriantal" in Filipino Forum (Seattle, Wash.), 30 Nov. 1929. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Oriantal" in Newspaper
"Oriantal" in Newspaper Text

"Orienlal" in The Butte Daily Bulletin (Butte, Mont.), 24 July 1919. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Orienlal" in Newspaper
"Orienlal" in Newspaper Texts
Yellow Man

Related Terms: Oriental, Coolie, Chinaman 

Definition: This term is a derogatory euphemism for a man of Asian ethnic descent. Women were not included because immigration restrictions were often placed on Asian women. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": Racial scientists of the eighteenth century associated the color yellow with people of Asian descent; they believed these people to be less civilized and therefore less white than Europeans.

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned. 

Examples from Chronicling America

"Yellow man" in The Northwest Enterprise (Seattle, Wash.), 25 March 1938. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Yellow Man" in Newspaper

"Yellow man" in The Birmingham Age-Herald (Birmingham, Ala.), 16 Oct. 1919. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Yellow Man" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it":

“Yollow man” in The Jasper News (Jasper, Missouri), 26 Sept. 1907. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Yollow Man" in Newspaper
"Yollow Man" in Newspaper Text

“Vellow man” in Daily Independent (Elko, Nev.), 19 Feb. 1909. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Vellow Man" in Newspaper
"Vellow Man" in Newspaper Text