Southern History

Five black-and-white illustrations of stilt houses and boats in a flooded or watery landscape evoke the spirit of St. Malo, reflecting the Philippine legacy and Filipino Louisiana History in The Lowland Villages of Lake Liba, Liberia.

St. Malo, Manila Men, and Filipino Louisiana History | Filipino La

In 1763, a group of Filipino men escaped from a Spanish trade vessel and formed the beginnings of the first permanent Asian-American settlement in the United States, St. Malo, a fishing village thirty miles east of New Orleans in present-day St. Bernard Parish. The above link is to “Filipino La,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to archiving resources on the history of Filipinos in Louisiana. These archives include resources and information on St. Malo, as well as generations of Filipino community well-established in this southern state.

Teacher Resource

Bluff City Chinese – Film and Chinese American History Discussion Guide

This discussion guide includes activities and discussion questions to facilitate learning and conversation on the Chinese American history presented in Bluff City Chinese, a short documentary film directed by Thandi Cai. Bluff City Chinese follows two storytellers of different generations on a mission to share the untold history of Chinese American immigrants in Memphis, Tennessee. The film observes the complex nature of crafting historical narratives from scratch and explores how a yearning for identity can bring generations of people together to break ground for a more hopeful future.

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Bluff City Chinese – Film and Community Memory Discussion Guide

This discussion guide includes activities, discussion questions, and a chapter-by-chapter breakdown to facilitate learning and conversation on themes of community memory established in Bluff City Chinese, a short documentary film directed by Thandi Cai. Bluff City Chinese follows two storytellers of different generations on a mission to share the untold history of Chinese American immigrants in Memphis, Tennessee. The film observes the complex nature of crafting historical narratives from scratch and explores how a yearning for identity can bring generations of people together to break ground for a more hopeful future. 

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A group of Japanese American people, including men, women, and children, stand in line outside a building under guard by an armed soldier during WWII—a poignant moment of Japanese American incarceration. Courtesy of the National Archives.

Japanese American Incarceration During WWII | National Archives

This page connects to DocsTeach, providing primary resources on Japanese internment during World War II. It includes documents that explore the impact of the order and its historical context, such as President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066–the order that led to the internment of Japanese Americans in relocation centers, postings of Exclusion Orders, and pictures of Japanese American families.

Primary Source Teacher Resource
A group of Hmong people in traditional attire and suits pose together outdoors near columns, with one person holding a framed photograph—an image reminiscent of scenes documented in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

Hmong | Encyclopedia of Arkansas

The Central Arkansas Library System: Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of the Arkansas state. Text and media galleries as well as links to external historical resources on Arkansas are available to you through this website. Linked above is an encyclopedia entry on the Hmong ethnic group that contains a summary of their migration to the state as well as links to additional information on the subject. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas also offers information on Chinese, Hindu, and Marshallese communities in the state, as well as biographies of Asian Americans who were relocated to Arkansas during the Japanese American internment program of World War II.

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A red and white graphic of Arkansas’s outline features bamboo stalks and a dogwood flower, bordered by a rough red square—an emblem reflecting the Arkansas Chinese Heritage.

The 1869 Southern Planters Convention on Chinese Labor | ARNCTA

This lesson plan examines post–Civil War debates in the South over the recruitment of Chinese laborers to replace enslaved workers. Using primary source articles and editorials from Arkansas newspapers, students analyze competing perspectives on race, labor, and immigration in the Reconstruction-era South.

Lesson Plan
A green gravy boat icon sits next to the blue text Southern Foodways Alliance on a white background, reflecting stories of Chinese Grocers and their impact on Southern cuisine.

Chinese Grocers | Southern Foodways Alliance

The Southern Foodways Alliance site is home to a collection of oral histories recorded by Jung Min (Kevin) Kim centered around Chinese grocers in the South. Through interviewing grocery store owners in the Mississippi Delta, Kevin uncovers stories of Chinese immigrants, family legacies, and well-established Chinese-owned grocery stores that have served their communities for decades. Kevin Kim also wrote the “Chinese” entry in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas which can be referenced for further information on Chinese Arkansans. 

Teacher Resource
A red and white graphic of Arkansas’s outline features bamboo stalks and a dogwood flower, bordered by a rough red square—an emblem reflecting the Arkansas Chinese Heritage.

Legal Struggles of Chinese Americans in Arkansas | Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project

This lesson plan invites students to explore the consequences of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act in Arkansas. Drawing on primary source materials from the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the lesson plan includes sample readings, discussion questions, and classroom activities designed to fulfill Arkansas state social studies standards for Arkansas History and High School U.S. History.

Lesson Plan
Abstract painting of a sunset over water with silhouetted hands holding small human figures, sailboats in the background, and vibrant shades of orange and yellow—symbolizing hope for a better tomorrow through Marshallese education.

Hope for a Better Tomorrow | Marshallese Educational Initiative

Created by the nonprofit Marshallese Educational Initiative (MEI), this exhibit features artwork by Marshallese youth in Springdale, Arkansas. The drawings reveal the generational trauma caused by U.S. nuclear weapons testing in the Marshall Islands. Through powerful visual storytelling, the exhibit raises awareness about the lasting impact of nuclear testing and highlights the voices of Marshallese youth living in diaspora.

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A large camp with rows of rectangular barracks buildings set on a grid, surrounded by open land and several train cars visible in the foreground—a stark reminder of life during the Time of Fear.

Time of Fear

Time of Fear is a documentary published in 2004 by PBS that tells the story of Japanese Americans incarcerated at the Rohwer and Jerome camps in southeast Arkansas during World War II. Featuring rare home movie footage and interviews with former incarcerees and local residents, the film explores themes of racism, fear, and resilience. It offers a powerful lens into the intersections of race, place, and memory in one of the most segregated regions of the rural South.

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A rural road stretches into the distance beneath the text Relocation, Arkansas: Aftermath of Incarceration, capturing the quiet landscape and history tied to relocation in Arkansas with a faint stamp in the background.

Relocation, Arkansas

Published in 2017 by filmmaker Vivienne Schiffer—daughter of former McGehee mayor Rosalie Gould—Relocation, Arkansas explores the long-term effects of Japanese American incarceration in Arkansas. The documentary follows the generation born after the camps closed, the stories of those who chose to remain in Arkansas, and the surprising relationship between the Japanese American community and Mayor Gould (who served from 1983 to 1995). Through themes of race, healing, and cross-cultural understanding, the film offers a deeply human perspective on a legacy of exclusion and resilience.

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A watercolor of a factory evokes the WWII Arkansas landscape, capturing a glimpse into the Japanese American Experience documented by the Butler Center.

Butler Center – The Japanese American Experience in WWII Arkansas

Hosted by the Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art (part of the Central Arkansas Library System), this resource offers a concise overview of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Its centerpiece is the Rosalie Santine Gould – Mabel Jamison Vogel Collection, featuring hundreds of artworks created by Japanese Americans imprisoned at the Rohwer and Jerome camps in Arkansas. These paintings and drawings offer powerful visual testimony to life behind barbed wire and are ideal for interdisciplinary lessons combining history, art, and civil rights.

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