Chinese Immigration Into America

1488 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Chinese immigration to the USA

Chinese Immigration into America

Surprisingly, Asian Americans have been in America for over 150 years.
They are as diverse as the immigrants from Europe, ranging from China, Japan,
Korea, Cambodia, Korea, Philippines, India, Vietnam, and Laos. (Takaki, page 8)
When many people think of American Immigrants, Asians are on the last of their lists. In The Uprooted, Harvard historian, Oscar Handlin, prize winning book with the subtitle "the Epic Story of the Great Migrations that Made the American
People," completely left out the "uprooted" from the lands across the Pacific
Ocean. (Takaki, page 10) This paper will give some information pertaining to the Chinese immigration into America.

China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. It influence have reverberated throughout Asia. It's presence is felt in many of the surrounding cultures. The Chinese people have tried to keep their society pure from outside sources. When foreigners entered their homeland and poisoned the population with drugs, the culture could not stop the imminent alteration of their ways. China was weakened severely and was taken advantage of by many countries. Chinese came to America for a myriad of reasons. The main reason was because of the myth of the Gam Saan ("Golden Mountain.") Other reasons were due to overpopulation, poverty, hunger, flooding, high taxes, bad economy, collapsing government, and crop failure. (Takaki, page 38) James Marshall discovery of gold in California in 1848 prompted many Chinese to take a sojourn into America to get rich quick. A young man in Canton wrote to his brother in
Boston saying, "good many Americans speak of California, Oh! Very rich country! O hear good many Americans and Europeans go there very much. I think
I shall go to California next summer." Stories like these built up this dream of the "Golden Mountain." The plan for most Chinese was to make their fortune, and return home to their family. The dream of getting rich quick has been around for ages. Due to this, a trickle of immigrants turned into a deluge.

The whole thing began in 1835. William Hooper, a young man from Boston, visited a sugar mill in Hawaii. He became determined to start the first sugar plantation in Hawaii. Without a large supply of laborers, Hooper hired
"Chinamen" to aid in the su...

... middle of paper ...

...are or "china", is revered by many Americans. Even the name of the represents Americas debt. In addition, many Chinese trinkets and artwork are prized possessions among the American society. The immigration of the Chinese into the United States has greatly supplemented the cultural heritage of the nation. (Melendy, page i) "Asians with their capacity for hard work in the face of economic and social adversity and to advance economically, have created cultural microcosms form which their children venture to become Americans." (Melendy, page i) Unlike most European immigrants, Asians tend to disprove the original Melting Pot theory of America.
The Asians, "… did not wish to amalgamate with the dominant society and most certainly white Americans of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made it abundantly clear that they were opposed to Asian immigration and settlement."
(Melendy, page i) The United States is a nation of immigrants. "All groups have left their mark upon the country's fabric. Their physical stamina and intellectual abilities have enabled them to make their mark and to add measurably to the American heritage." (Melendy, page 182)

Show More
Related

  • Response Paper On 'American Born Chinese'

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    In reading one interview by Francoise Mouly and Mina, and another by Michael Mechanc written about Gene Luen Yang, I have much respect towards him. Mr. Yang talks about his first book “American Born Chinese” and his second book “Boxers and Saints”. He talks about how he came to write his graphic comic novel books all while being a computer science teacher in high school. Which I find surprising! My reaction to what I read in the two interviews is that Mr. Yang’s books hold much insight into situations and how one can learn about oneself. His graphic novels are more than just comics, there’s much to take away from them. I find that his books are emotional while filled with lessons for people of different

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    America, a land with shimmering soil where golden dust flew and a days rain of money could last you through eternity. Come, You Will make it in America. That was the common theme of those who would remove to America. It is the common hymn, the classic American rags-to-riches myth, and writers such as Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass had successfully embraced it in their works.Franklin and Douglass are two writers who have quite symmetrical styles and imitative chronology of events in their life narratives.

    Read More

  • Open Borders are Harmful to the United States

    1685 Words  | 4 Pages

    The United States had an open door policy on immigration from the nations beginning until 1921. During that time, between 1790 and 1920, the population grew by 102 million. That’s about one million new immigrants each year for 130 years. Most of these immigrants were from European countries. In 1921 Congress passed the Quota Act which put a cap of 360,000 new immigrants per year. Congress did this because the public was concerned about the number of new immigrants and how it would affect the country. This act also favored immigrants from England, Germany, France, and Scandinavia over those from Asia, Africa, and southern Europe.

    Read More

  • Immigration to America in the Early 1900's

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    It has been said that immigration is as old as America itself. Immigration traces back as far as the 1500's when the West faced the coming of the Spanish. At that time, the Americas had been settled by the Indians, who were soon threatened by the first immigrants of America. These Spanish conquerors threatened to undermine the culture of the Indians as well as their way of life. Evidently, immigration started from the beginning of our country's time and has had an everlasting effect on America today.

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Chinese Immigration In California

    2494 Words  | 5 Pages

    During the Gold Rush of 1848-1849, California began to experience a large wave of Chinese immigration to the United States. Stories of the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill drew thousands of Chinese immigrants into North America from various parts of Asia. These immigrants, who were primarily poor peasants, flooded the “Golden Hills” we know as California in pursuit of better economic opportunity. To fill in the needs of the increasingly widespread mining communities in the West, many Chinese immigrants ultimately became merchants, railroad workers, agricultural laborers, mining laborers, and factory workers. Throughout the Gold Rush, members of the Chinese labor force played significant roles in both the social and economic development of the American West, particularly with regards to the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay About Immigration

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nowadays, United States is the country that has variety of cultures, races, etc. mixing together by having immigrants in their countries. However, they need to control these group of people also. More people out of country are trying to stay in the U.S. However, this is not an easy process to deal with. There is an immigrant policy that they have to go through. In the past, United States is wide open for people to settle down on this land. There is no process of immigrants. However, in the middle of 1840 to 1880, immigrants started to come in the U.S. such as Irish and Chinese because of demanding of unskilled and cheap labors. In the 1920, automation replaced unskilled labors as a result immigrant’s policy is limited quotas for immigrants

    Read More

  • The Chinese Immigration Experience

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Immigration In The 19th Century

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi...

    Read More

  • Chinese Immigration Dbq

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the establishment of the Burlingame-Seward Treaty in 1868, friendly relations between America and China were initiated and immigration to America was highly encouraged. In spite of the fact that their cheap labor was initially welcomed, they were soon seen as job stealers. Countless were able to make the journey by borrowing money so once they arrived, they had to work to pay off their creditors. Their low pay made them desirable to employers and caused tension with the White laborers. The Anti-Coolie Act of 1862 was eventually passed in hopes of less Chinese being able to pay the special tax so that more of the work could go to White workers. The Chinese coolies in document 3 are all seen wearing traditional hats to protect themselves

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Immigration In America

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    Immigration has been part of America since before the 17th century. America has evolved into what it is today due to immigration; however immigration as negative effects as well. Immigration is the building blocks for America. Every one that lives in America today are here because their ancestors immigrated here long ago. Over the years immigration as evolved into a more sophisticated matter. There are many laws they have been put in place to monitor and stop immigration. Immigration I a big factor in America but must be done correctly to insure Americas safety.

    Read More

  • Chinese Immigrants In The Late 1800s

    299 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this article, Kevin Wandrei writes about how Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s sought economic opportunity in America; specifically, how they found success in the mining and railroad industry. The first wave of Chinese immigrants in the united States began in the late 1840s due to the California Gold Rush and at the time, they faced discrimination such as being robbed and paying unfair Foreign Miner taxes. In the 1870s, Chinese immigrants became integral to the construction of the Central Pacific Line of the transcontinental railroad making up 80% of the Central Pacific's workforce; once again, the Chinese were being paid a significantly less amount than their Irish counterparts. American

    Read More

  • Nativism

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ch made it so intelligent immigrants were allowed into the country. In 1921, the Emergency Immigration Act was passed. This act made it so the number of aliens of any nationality admitted to the U.S. in a year could not exceed 3 percent of the number of foreign-born residents of that nationality living in the U.S. in 1910. Even though this heavily cut down the number of immigrants entering the country, the majority of the immigrants were "new immigrants." This led to the National Origins Act in 1924. This act was harsher than the act of 1921 because it decreased the percentage of immigrants from 3% to 2%, and pushed the year from 1910 to 1890, thus making the majority of immigrants "old immigrants."

    Read More

  • Immigration into the USA

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yet America still beckoned most strongly to the struggling masses of Europe, and the majority of migrants headed for the "land of freedom and opportunity". There was freedom from aristocratic caste and state church; there was abundant opportunity to secure broad acres and better one’s condition.

    Read More

  • Immigration To American Immigration

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over the course of the 1900s, immigration from Europe to the United States was a huge step to take to become free. The idea of immigration was very appealing to many because the lifestyles were so rough, and the income to support a family was very low ( ). Although the anticipation of arriving in Ellis Island was beyond imaginable, the immigrants often came across many hardships, making the journey to freedom difficult. Immigration to the United States in the 1900s was a challenge due to unrealistic expectations of a better life, the hardships faced during migration, and the uncertainty of the inspection process once arriving to Ellis Island.

    Read More

  • Immigration to the United States

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    Immigration to the United States has been happening since the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in 1492. America is one of the most diverse nations in the world, attracting people from every corner of the globe in hopes of a better way of life. America in the past has relied on migrant workers to balance the economies growth when internal resources have been exhausted; moreover, the agriculture business has depended on the seasonal employment of migrant workers from Mexico to meet the labor demand. Programs have been created in the past granting work contracts for the flood of Mexican labor into the United States, and new work programs are being analyzed to suffice the needs of the agriculture business today.

    Read More

More about Chinese Immigration Into America

Open Document