black and chinese americans

548 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The history of racism in us

In the present day, people view America as a land where everyone can be seen equal to one another, but this was not always the case. In the 1800s black and Chinese Americans went through a ruthless period of discrimination, due to the white man’s ignorance. Even though the Chinese and blacks were singled out they both were treated differently but also had many similarities.
Harsh treatment, long hours, and extremely low wages were only a small part of the brutal-ness both races faced. The Chinese men came to America hoping to provide a better life for theirs families back in China. Most of them received jobs working for the corrupted railroad companies. They faced horrific working conditions, which some died from, low wages, and long hours. The Chinese men wasted years of their lives and sacrificed seeing their families so that they can make enough money to support them.
The blacks have faced similar conditions to the Chinese men. They too worked long hours and earned very low pay. Many of the blacks became sharecroppers once they were emancipated. Sharecroppers were tenant farmers who gave a share of the crops raised to the landlord in lieu of rent. These landlords were cruel and took a good portion of the crops grown by the black farmers. Whatever the landlords did not take was left for farmer and his family, which was not much. They had to survive through the winter with the limited supply. Both the Chinese and blacks could not do anything about the working conditions due to the fact they could not unite and form labor unions.
Though both Chinese and blacks faced many similarities they also had differences. The blacks have lived in American for generations while the Chinese were just starting to immigrate. Blacks were forced to come to America to be slaves as opposed to the Chinese coming here by their own free will. Also the America did not allow Chinese women into the country due to the fear of an even more rapid rate of increase in the Chinese population, while black women were in the country and had a prominent role in their family lives. Another difference between the two races was that the black Americans had families in the country and the Chinese left their families back in China. Another differentiation was that once the blacks were emancipated most stayed in America while a good number of the Chinese left to go back home.

Show More
Related

  • Canadian Pacific Railway Discrimination

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    This discriminated the Chinese-Canadians and implies that because the men were Chinese they deserved less than white men. Chinese workers were given $1 each day with no shelter or food provided. (Canada Para. 1) They ate a main diet of rice, dried salmon, washed down with tea. The lack of vitamin C in their diets was caused because the Chinese workers weren't given enough money to buy fresh fruits. This caused many Chinese workers to obtain scurvy, which is a painful disease created by the deficiency of vitamin C. (Canada Para. 2) On the other hand, Canadian's who worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway were given $2.50 dollars a day with food and shelter provided. (Canada Para.

    Read More

  • Chinese Sojourn Labor Summary

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ronald Kaki's A Different Mirror By Ronald Takaki

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since they lacked certain physical and/or cultural characteristics needed to belong in the American nation, they were not considered worthy enough to receive the same rights and privileges they deserve. Therefore, Takaki hopes that with his book, people would acknowledge how America developed a society centered to benefit only white people with the creation of laws hindering these racial groups from receiving the same and equal rights they deserve.

    Read More

  • Out Of This Furnance by Thomas Bell

    1832 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the late nineteenth century, many European immigrants traveled to the United States in search of a better life and good fortune. The unskilled industries of the Eastern United States eagerly employed these men who were willing to work long hours for low wages just to earn their food and board. Among the most heavily recruiting industries were the railroads and the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania. Particularly in the steel mills, the working conditions for these immigrants were very dangerous. Many men lost their lives to these giant steel-making machines. The immigrants suffered the most and also worked the most hours for the least amount of money. Living conditions were also poor, and often these immigrants would barely have enough money and time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep. There was also a continuous struggle between the workers and the owners of the mills, the capitalists. The capitalists were a very small, elite group of rich men who held most of the wealth in their industries. Strikes broke out often, some ending in violence and death. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life.

    Read More

  • Jane Addams and Hull House

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    Blacks were driven out of skilled trades and were excluded from many factories. Racist’s whites used high rents and there was enormous pressure to exclude blacks from areas inhabited by whites.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Free Blacks compared to Slaves

    653 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the north the blacks only had menial jobs. Menial jobs were basically jobs that you needed no skill and received small pay. Jobs of skill were kept away from blacks. If blacks tried to get the skill jobs they were either turned away or beat up by workers.

    Read More

  • The Impact of WWII On American Minorities

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    American minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, “World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as never before” (Module2). They needed to cooperate on many things, even if they didn’t want to. These minorities mainly refer to African, Asian, and Mexican-Americans. They all suffered much pain as they were treated as if they weren’t even human beings. They were separated, looked down upon, and wasn’t given much respect because they had a different culture or their skin color was different. However, the lives of American minorities changed forever as World War 2 impacted them significantly with segregation problems, socially, and in their working lives, both at that time and for generations after.

    Read More

  • Amy Tan Fish Cheeks Essay

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chinese culture has played a very important role in the history of the United States; however, many Chinese Americans struggled with their identities, and other various struggles. To start, many Chinese Americans struggled with feeling inferior to the white race: “Those Chinese Americans who were exposed to a segregated but American education very quickly became aware of their inferior status. Many became ashamed of their appearance, status, and culture. Self-hatred and the need to be accepted by white society became their primary obsession,” (“Chinese Americans”, Para. 35). This quote shows how Americans were cruel and discriminatory over Chinese Americans. The way that the Chinese culture was looked upon was very unthinkable. Another struggle Chinese Americans faced in the assimilation into American culture is having to “separate” themselves from the white

    Read More

  • Discrimination Against Chinese Immigrants

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    American objections to Chinese immigration took many forms, and generally stemmed from economic and cultural tensions, as well as ethnic discrimination. Most Chinese laborers who came to the United States did so in order to send money back to China to support their families there. At the same time, they also had to repay loans to the Chinese merchants who paid their passage to America. These financial pressures left them little choice but to work for whatever wages they could.

    Read More

  • Anti-Chinese Sentiment in 19th Century American Society

    1716 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the most appalling practices in history, lynching - the extrajudicial hanging of a person accused of a crime - was commonplace in American society less than 100 years ago. The word often conjures up horrifying images of African Americans hanged from lampposts or trees. However, what many do not know is that while African Americans certainly suffered enormously at the hands of a white majority, they were not the only victims of this practice. In fact, the victims of the largest mass lynching in American history were Chinese (Johnson). On October 24th, 1871, a white mob stormed into the Chinatown of Los Angeles. Burning and looting buildings with Chinese owners, they shot at, tortured, and hung every Chinese person they came across. All in all, at least 17 Chinese were killed. This event was only one of many during the time; indeed, the Rock Springs Massacre was even deadlier (“Whites Massacre Chinese in Wyoming Territory”). But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Lynchings were far from the only injustices perpetrated against the Chinese during the 1800s. They could be beaten up, robbed, forced out of town, or put out of business. In fact, even anti-Chinese legislation was common. Laws targeting Chinese immigration or culture were simply too many to count. The violent and discriminatory treatment of Chinese immigrants in 19th century America makes manifest a lack of social progress in an era often celebrated for expansion and physical growth.

    Read More

  • What Role Did Railroad Workers Play In Western Expansion

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Chinese were hated to the point where they were not allowed to be in any photograph. Railroad worker often worked in harsh and dangerous condition. Railroad worker worked with their lives in their hands, lots of worker die working on the Railroads. Chinese were immigrants they immigrated from China to the West so make they were treated abominably. They had no respect at all, even though the other immigrants from Ireland had some. There were 15,000 Chinese immigrants employed with the Central Pacific Railroad company. Chinese technically began building the Transcontinental Railroad. In my perspective Chines were one step ahead of being treated like African Americans. After the Chinese help build the Railroad they were placed on a bus which took them back to China. I believe that that was the worst possible thing to happening to Chinese because most Chinese moved to the west looking for better life. Most Chinese moved to the West looking for an easy way to make money. Railroad worker often worked in harsh and dangerous

    Read More

  • Race in A Different Mirror’ by Ronald Takaki

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    The English immigrants are given a brief introduction as the first ethnic group to settle in America. The group has defined the culture and society throughout centuries of American history. The African Americans are viewed as a minority group that were introduced into the country as slaves. The author depicts the struggle endured by African Americans with special emphasis on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. The entry of Asian Americans evoked suspicion from other ethnic groups that started with the settlement of the Chinese. The Asian community faced several challenges such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the mistreatment of Americans of Japanese origin during World War II. The Chicanos were the largest group of Hispanic peoples to settle in the United States. They were perceived as a minority group. Initially they were inhabitants of Mexico, but after the Westward expansion found themselves being foreigners in their native land (...

    Read More

  • Chinese Exclusion Act Research Paper

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    In fact, the Central Pacific Railroad Company employed “about 15,000 Chinese workers” (Timeline). Fifteen thousand people is considerably large especially when they are all working under the same company. The Central Pacific Railroad Company probably fired so many Chinese immigrants, because they were good workers who took any pay. Even the Chinese thought that they were better workers than the white people. According to an autobiography of a Chinese immigrant, “No one would hire an Irishman, German, Englishman or Italian when he could get a Chinese, because our countrymen are so much more honest, industrious, steady, sober and painstaking” (Chew). Nevertheless, a Chinese male was usually chosen over a white male for a job during the 19th to 20th century, because they were viewed as better workers, leading to conflicts between the natives and

    Read More

  • The History of Freedom

    1666 Words  | 4 Pages

    The fight for equal working rights can be tracked back to the time of reconstruction with the institution of sharecropping. Sharecropping is a type of farm tenancy that developed after the Civil War in which landless workers farmed land in exchange for farm supplies and a share of the crop (Foner A-63). This system seemed like a decent thing to many blacks because now they could own their own land and work without supervision. Not all aspects of sharecropping were good though, blacks had to provide clothing, medicine and pay for medical bills all on their own. Also the working conditions were not the greatest. Blacks were expected to labor ten hours a day on average in the winter and summer and any time that was lost would be at the cost of one dollar per day (“A Sharecropping” 12). This was just the beginning of harsh working conditions and low wages which would continue to be a concern for workers throughout the years.

    Read More

  • Discrimination Against Asian Immigrants

    1767 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shortly after the Mexican War in 1848, there was a labor shortage in the United States. American policymakers proposed to bring in Chinese laborers because of their experience and knowledge in agriculture, and also to work on the dangerous transcontinental railroad (Takaki, 22). The Chinese were not the only ones that were brought in to be laborers. The Japanese, Koreans, and Filipinos were also brought in (mainly situated in Hawaii).

    Read More

More about black and chinese americans

Open Document