During the early 1850s to the late 1990s, Chinese workers started migrating to the U.S in search of the American Dream. The Chinese were the first Asian immigrants to come to the U.S, they first started migrating to the U.S because of the turbulence caused by the opium war. Then more started migrating because of the gold rush. The vast majority of them traveled far and encountered dangerous journeys along their way. In order to escape tyranny, discover wealth during the California gold rush, and provide a better life for their families. More than half of the Chinese that arrived to the U.S resided in San Francisco. Due to the gold rush 25,000 Chinese where in and out of California by 1851. “The first Chinese immigrants were wealthy, successful …show more content…
About 300,000 Chinese immigrant worked outside of California in trade such as mining, common labor and circuitry. Although the Chinese were once respected and were able to get jobs during the mid 1800’s throughout the 1900’s they had the hardest time pursuing the American dream due to the discrimination seclusion and the exclusion they faced. In the beginning their advanced knowledge of agriculture and their great contribution to building the transcontinental rail road in 1869 earned them approval and respect. But their popularity soon same to an end and it did not last long with the …show more content…
In 1870 they were blamed for the lack of real paying jobs. “The Chinese had become the most conspicuous body of foreigners in the country and therefore had to bear the brunt of the attacks upon the foreign element,”(Norton). Urban and agriculture workers initiated most of the violent acts toward the Chinese. As more and more Chinese started coming they took more jobs and created competition in the job markets this is when the racial tensions rose. They faced discrimination from several groups including their minor co-workers and since thy were low paid hard workers they were chased out of mines and agricultural settlements into cities where local authorities didn’t do anything to help them. There were times when they joined actions to strike for higher wages but white Americans declined their attempts. That attack was know as the Rock Springs massacre in 1862 alone 88 Chinese were murdered. Their traditions and customs were violated, they were humiliated and insulted not to mention treated as if they weren’t human beings. They where assaulted and sometimes killed in
In this paper by Scott Alan Carson, Carson writes about Chinese Sojourn Labor. Carson writes how institutional arrangements and labor market forces that interacted in the construction of America’s railroad led to the demand for Chinese Laborers. Carson writes more about these relationships and the work given to the Chinese than writing about the more personal details of the workers. For instance, Carson writes that because of land grants given by the government Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads earned more capital by completing more railway tracks. Carson also writes how the Chinese did the jobs no one else wanted to do, and they did them for lesser wages. Therefore, Carson writes specifically about the work of the Chinese and the factors that caused the hiring of Chinese more so than the personal aspects of the workers.
Many came for gold and job opportunities, believing that their stay would be temporary but it became permanent. The Chinese were originally welcomed to California being thought of as exclaimed by Leland Stanford, president of Central Pacific Railroad, “quiet, peaceable, industrious, economical-ready and apt to learn all the different kinds of work” (Takaki 181). It did not take long for nativism and white resentment to settle in though. The Chinese, who started as miners, were taxed heavily; and as profits declined, went to work the railroad under dangerous conditions; and then when that was done, work as farm laborers at low wages, open as laundry as it took little capital and little English, to self-employment. Something to note is that the “Chinese laundryman” was an American phenomenon as laundry work was a women’s occupation in China and one of few occupations open to the Chinese (Takaki 185). Chinese immigrants were barred from naturalized citizenship, put under a status of racial inferiority like blacks and Indians as with “Like blacks, Chinese men were viewed as threats to white racial purity” (188). Then in 1882, due to economic contraction and racism Chinese were banned from entering the U.S. through the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Chinese were targets of racial attacks, even with the enactment of the 1870 Civil Rights Act meaning equal protection under federal law thanks to Chinese merchants lobbying Congress. Chinese tradition and culture as well as U.S. condition and laws limited the migration of women. Due to all of this, Chinese found strength in ethnic solidarity as through the Chinese Six Companies, which is considered a racial project. Thanks to the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco, the Chinese fought the discriminatory laws by claiming citizenship by birth since the fires
The Transcontinental Railroad was comprised of nearly eighteen hundred miles of track, much of which was laid by Chinese and Irish immigrants (Immigration 1). Chinese immigrants had settled in California during the Gold Rush but were not allowed to become full citizens (Immigration 1). With the need for labor to work on the railroad, the Chinese were hired, although at a lower rate of pay than Americans and other immigrants (Immigration 1). The Central Pacific Railroad had employed over twelve thousand Chinese workers by 1868. They even set a record, laying ten miles of railroad track in twelve hours (Immigration 1). Over twenty-five thousand Chinese immigrants settled in the United States in 1868 and 1869 and eventually obtained citizenship (Cultural 2). The Union Pacific Railroad employed mainly Irish immigrants, many of whom had served in the Civil War. After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, many new immigrants settled in the western states and territories. Immigrants who came in through immigration stations, such as Ellis Island, used the Transcontinental Railroad to move to new western towns. The railroad advertised with the hope of attracting European, African, and Russian immigrants to populate small western towns along the
How and why did white attitudes change (can you make any connections to the video and readings about the Chinese Exclusion Act)? Around1852 things began to change as more of the Chinese culture began to show in America. There was a Chinese Opera troop that began to tour mining towns. Their performances were not understandable to the American culture and a lot of old animosity between Chinese began to arise which was now on full display. Fights broke out between Chinese people because some were apart of different regions or clans that originated in their homeland. When this began to happen the way Americans viewed Chinese changed drastically. They were now viewed as people trying to invade the land. In the1850’s the first anti Chinese laws were established and even made them pay a special tax just for being Chinese. They were now viewed as outcast just as Native Americans and blacks were. They were not able to testify against whites and which gave way to attacks against Chinese. The main connections I was able to make between the two videos and readings is that the first Chinese laws established in the 1850s created a dominion effect of negativity that lead to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. There was now a green light for whites to do whatever they would like to Chinese without having to worry about repercussions. The Snake River Massacre of 1887 which was lead by Bruce Evans was just one of many acts of terror against Chinese after the Exclusion Act, in this particular incident Evans lead his group to hunt Chinese miners at campsites that resulted in many deaths of innocent Chinese (The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act). In states all over Chinese were being driven out or kilt. Even before the exclusion law act that was signed in 1882 there were several instances were Chinese were mistreated and even kilted. The Exclusion Act only elevated hate crimes against Chinese. Mr. Taylor from the House of General Garfield made a speech that argued against Chinese bill. One
One particular ethnic group that suffered severe discrimination was the Chinese people. They first came to America for several reasons. One of them was the gold rush in California in 1849, in which they were included in a group of immigrants called the “Forty-Niners” (179). From gold mining, they switched to other jobs with resulted in the rise of anti-Chinese sentiments. People felt that Chinese people were taking the jobs away from them, because Chinese people worked for much smaller salaries that businesses preferred. This mindset gave way to the creation of The Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1882, which prohibits more Chinese immigrants from coming to America. In addition, the act states “no State or court of the United States shall admit Chinese to citizenship”. Like the Naturalization Act, the Chinese Exclusion Act was created to hinder Chinese people from becoming citizens so that America could remain homogenously white (186). It also aimed to stop Chinese people from establishing a bigger community in the country in hopes of eliminating the threat of competition to their white counterparts (186). Like African-Americans, Chinese people were considered racially inferior and have struggled to prove that they were worthy to be called true Americans, rather than
This investigation is designed to explore to what extent did attitudes toward the Chinese immigrants during the building of the transcontinental railroad differ from those towards Irish immigrants? To assess the attitudes toward the Chinese immigrants, this study focuses on the building of the transcontinental railroad in the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century. This study investigates the views, tasks given during the building of the railroad, and benefits given to the Chinese and Irish immigrants and the impact of their work on the views of each group of immigrants. In order to investigate the attitudes toward the Chinese and Irish immigrants, this study looks into economic accounts taken during the second half of the nineteenth century. This investigation also uses sources detailing the differences in job benefits and position during the building of the transcontinental railroad and the extent to which Irish immigrants and Chinese immigrants differed in the opportunities they were offered.
Farmers lost basically everything and looked elsewhere for employment. In 1860 the earned pay for a Chinese laborer in China was around $3-$5 a month. However, if a Chinese worked on the railroad system in the U.S. the potential earning could range anywhere from $25-$30 a month. With the conditions imposed in their homeland $25 to $30 a month was like gold. Therefore, Chinese immigrants (mostly men) took refuge in the United States in hopes of working in the west temporarily. Some worked in mining and other areas while the majority were attracted to the railroad system.
Chinese first established their community in Los Angeles at today's El Pueblo Historical Monument. About two hundred settled by the year 1870. This number gradually increased over the years when the Southern Pacific began to construct a railroad from San Francisco in the 1870s. They were farm laborers, servants, road builders and small shopkeepers. Even with heavy discrimination during this time, Chinese held a dominant economic position in the Los Angeles laundry and produce industries for several years. Due to this old Chinatown explained its' boundaries eastward from the Plaza across from Alameda Street and grew to a population of over three thousand.
In the eyes of the early American colonists and the founders of the Constitution, the United States was to represent the ideals of acceptance and tolerance to those of all walks of life. When the immigration rush began in the mid-1800's, America proved to be everything but that. The millions of immigrants would soon realize the meaning of hardship and rejection as newcomers, as they attempted to assimilate into American culture. For countless immigrants, the struggle to arrive in America was rivaled only by the struggle to gain acceptance among the existing American population.
The southern railroad was under construction by mostly Chinese immigrants. During which time the Chinese were treated very wrongfully by the railroad supervisors and managers.
...e arms, which was largely due to their passion for work, diligent nature, and willingness to work for less money than others. Chinese workers played a significant role in both the internal development and economic enhancement of California, particularly with the successful completion of the Central Pacific Railroad in May 1869. As immigrants, the Chinese greatly changed the nature of the West from a purely social perspective, through the establishment of new languages, religions, and cultural customs. Over time, Chinese workers faced poverty and significant anti-Chinese sentiment, which severely limited their participation after the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. Despite facing these challenges, however, the Chinese labor force intensified the multicultural nature of Western society and distinctly helped to shape the American West as we know it today.
in large groups on the West Coast between 1850s and 1860s to work in the gold mines and railroads. They encountered a very strong opposition violent as riots and physical attacks forced them out of the gold mines (citation needed). The Central Pacific railroad hired thousands.But after the line was finished in 1869 they were hounded out of many railroad towns in states such as Wyoming and Nevada. “Most wound up in Chinatowns or areas of large cities which the police largely ignored. The Chinese were further alleged to be "coolies" and were said to be not suitable for becoming independent thoughtful voters because of their control by tongs. “The same negative reception hit the Asians who migrated to Mexico and Canada”.
The Chinese immigrant experience has traveled through times of hardships, under the English man. They have struggled to keep themselves alive through racism, work, and acceptance. Although many have come to Canada for their lives’ and their children’s to be successful, and safe. It could not be just given until adversity gave them the life they hoped to one day life for. In the starting time of 1858, the Chinese community had started coming to different parts of Canada considering the push and pull factors that had led them here. Because of the lack of workers in the British Columbia region, the Chinese were able to receive jobs in gold mining. Most Chinese were told to build roads, clear areas, and construct highways, but were paid little because of racism. The Chinese today are considered one of the most successful races in Canada because of the push and pull factors that they had come across, the racism that declined them and the community of the Chinese at the present time.
At first they were welcomed as guests and treated with politeness by the local. However, as the political current changed, the whites oppressed them. The could not attain citizenship because they were not “white.” The California legislature passed the Foreign Miner’s tax, which charged three dollars per month for each miner. The Chinese could only live in certain neighborhood; even then, to prevent Chinese crowding together, the California legislature passed the Cubic Air Ordinance law, stating that each person require a certain amount of space. After the mines were dried out, the Chinese began working on the Continental Railroad. Due to the harsh working conditions and the low wage, these workers went on a strike, demanding a better wage. However, the managers threatened to replace them with African American workers. These Chinese workers had no choice, but to continue working until the railroad was completed. In 1882, the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited the entering to leaving the United States of Chinese laborers. Like the Chinese, the Japanese also came to the United States in hope of a better future. To get more money to build a stronger centralized government, the Japanese government was imposing heavy taxes on its people making the people went
...xperienced harsh discrimination and even legal exclusion from our country. They were blamed for the lack of job opportunities and low pay of jobs and received extremely unfair treatment that labeled them as an inferior race. However, the inter-ethnic tension blinded us from seeing how the immigrants were contributing to our country in positive ways. They not only created economic and social gains for us, but also opened our minds to a whole new way of life and prepared us for the multicultural years to come. With all of the help and modernization that they contributed to our country, the racism and discrimination that the Chinese immigrants received day-in and day-out was not rightly justified or deserved.