Finding Asian American History: American University Cherry Trees

Text

In 1943, Syngman Rhee, who would later become the first president of South Korea after World War II, worked with American University president Paul F. Douglass, to plant Korean cherry trees on the school's grounds in protest to Japan’s colonization of Korea. In 2023, three of the original four trees remain.

This site is a part of the Finding Asian American History in Washington DC digital tour.