Anti Chinese Immigration

Jacqueline Maier

04.19.17

Pacific World History

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”…except No Chinese Anti-Chinese sentiment of the United States was influenced by a complex interaction of factors. The initial racism was a product of common culture and lingering racial tensions of the Civil War. Racist portrayals of Chinese coolie labor developed into a negative caricature of the Chinese. Their character and intent in the US were perpetually called into question. Simultaneously, economic elements promoted a dislike for the Chinese. A vast influx of Chinese workers were entering the US and “stealing” US gold and jobs. This public hostility towards Chinese immigrants evolved into a politicized

The immigration continued with subsequent large-scale labor projects, such as the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. During the early stages of the Gold Rush, the Chinese were tolerated. As gold and jobs became increasingly sparse, competition increased in conjunction with an aversion for the Chinese. California citizens pressured the state legislature to exclude all foreign miners, as many believed the Chinese were taking gold that belonged to the US. This led to the Chinese Police Tax Law of April 26, 1862. This law was enacted to protect free white labor against competition with Chinese coolie labor, and to discourage the immigration of the Chinese into the state of California by implementing a monthly tax of $2.50 on Chinese immigrants seeking to do business in California. The signing of this law was the signal that acknowledged and accepted subsequent state-sanctioned racism. The Chinese were segregated in schools, banned from sections of cities, subject to additional taxes and were prohibited from marrying white citizens. In 1854, the Appellate Supreme Court of California ruled that

The cartoon ridicules the tornado of political, economic, and social influences that elicited an irrationally strong sense of suspicion, fear, and loathing of the Chinese. A combination of elements so strong that an entire ethnicity was banned from the US, despite the fact that it violated the very foundation the US was built upon, the land of freedom. The cartoon of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper works to remind America of its duty to justice for all, and its unforgiveable misstep in supporting the legalization of anti-Chinese