How History Has Shaped Racial and Ethnic Health DisparitiesThis timeline offers a historical view of significant U.S. federal policies and events spanning the early 1800s to today that have influenced present-day health disparities. It covers policies that directly impacted health coverage and access to care, relevant events in medicine, social and economic policies and developments that influence health, and efforts to tackle inequalities. Some events impacting people of color, like the Louisiana Purchase, Westward Expansion and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, predate this timeline. While not exhaustive, the timeline aims to provide context for addressing disparities, acknowledging the complex history that shapes racial and ethnic health and health care disparities that persist today.