Athearn Lecture Series
THE 35th ATHEARN LECTURE / March 9, 2026
The Department of History at The University of Colorado Boulder, in partnership with the the Center of the American West present the 35thAthearn Lecture in the History of the American West. This year’s lecture will be by Professor of History at Princeton University, author of.
Monday, March 9, 2026 / 5:00 PM /Eaton Humanities 250
RECEPTION TO FOLLOW / Eaton Humanities ‘Living Room’ 170
“John Doe Chinaman: Chinese Life under American Racial Law"
Dr. Beth Lew-Williams
Princeton University
The 35th Athearn Lecture Series welcomes to the С Boulder campus Dr. Beth Lew-Williams, Professor of History – Princeton University, on March 9, 2026. The lecture titled, "John Doe Chinaman”: Chinese Life under American Racial Law, is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.
ABOUT THE TALK
Legal discrimination against Chinese people in the United States began in 1852, when California passed a tax on foreign gold miners that was explicitly designed to exploit Chinese labor. Over the next seventy years, officials in California, Oregon, Washington, and other western states instituted more than five thousand laws that marginalized and controlled their Chinese residents.Drawing on dozens of archives across the US West, Beth Lew-Williams reveals the depth of anti-Chinese discrimination beyond federal exclusion and tells the stories of those who refused to accept a conditional place in American life.
Email: (thomas.andrews@colorado.edu) for information on this free public event
ABOUT ROBERT ATHEARN
The lateDr. Robert G. Athearn (1914–1983) was a professor of Western History at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1947 until his retirement in 1982. An extraordinarily productive scholar, his publications included(1953),(1971)(1976),(1977),(1986), and(reprint 1995).
Professor Athearn was one of the founders, as well as past president, of the. Additionally,during his career held numerous positions on historical committees, academic societies, and editorial boards. His impact as a teacher was equally great.He instructed thousands of undergraduate students over the years, and trained a score of contemporary Western historians in the profession he loved. As part of his legacy, Professor Athearn endowed a lectureship in the History Departmentat the University of Colorado at Boulder to be held on topics in Western history. We continue to host the Athearn Lecture Series, andencourage you to join us at the next Athearn Lecture.