Chinese Immigrants In The American West

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) Westward Expansion, 1840-1900 Chinese Immigrants In The American West By the end of 1849, there were only around 650 Chinese immigrants still residing in the country, having arrived as a sluggish trickle in the 1820s. But while the nation was gripped by the gold rush mania, Chinese immigrants were also drawn to the promise of rapid riches. More than 25,000 Chinese immigrants came in the US by 1852, and by 1880, there were over 300,000 Chinese residents, the most of whom were in California. Despite their aspirations to discover gold, many of them ended up finding work constructing the first transcontinental railroad (Figure 17.15). Some even made the trip as far east as the Old South's historic cotton estates, which they assisted in replanting during the Civil War. Many thousand of these immigrants used "credit-tickets," which allowed them to travel to the US at no cost in exchange for an advance payment from American companies, who they would later owe for labor. Few spouses or kids ever made the trip to the US; males made up the majority of immigrants. Less than 5% of Chinese immigrants to the United States in 1890 were women. Few Chinese immigrants, regardless of gender, planned to remain in the country permanently, but many were compelled to do so against their will because they lacked the funds to return home. Chinese immigrants encountered severe prejudice and violence from American settlers in the West as they were legally prohibited from attaining U.S. citizenship through naturalization since 1790. These immigrants persisted in coming to the United States in search of a better life for the families they left behind, in spite of hardships such as the specific fee that Chinese miners had to pay in order to participate in the Gold Rush or their later forced relocation into Chinese districts. The flood only stopped when the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited immigration from China for ten years. In places like San Francisco, the Chinese community came together to establish social and cultural hubs. They made a haphazard effort to offer their fellow Chinese immigrants social assistance, education, places of worship, health facilities, and other amenities. White Americans established an institutionalized system of discrimination against Chinese workers when they started to compete with them for jobs in California's cities. White Americans established "anti-coolie clubs" in the 1870s (the term "coolie" refers to a racial insult aimed at individuals of any Asian heritage). These clubs coordinated boycotts of Chinese-made goods and pushed for legislation that was discriminatory toward the Chinese. at 1885, at Rock Springs, Wyoming, tensions between White and Chinese immigrant miners exploded into a riot that left over two dozen Chinese immigrants dead and several more injured. This was one example of a protest that descended into violence. Racism and bigotry were gradually become legal. The 1879 California Constitution forbade naturalized Chinese citizens from voting or working for the state. Furthermore, in 1882, the U.S. The Chinese Exclusion Act, approved by Congress, prohibited Chinese immigration to the US for 10 years. Later, the prohibition was repeatedly extended until it was lifted in 1943. Some of the immigrants were eventually sent back to China. Those who persisted were restricted to the most low-paying, unappreciated positions. A number of them were helped by the establishment of charitable organizations meant to protect Chinese communities from political and legal prejudice as well as to assist them; nevertheless, the majority of Chinese immigrants to the US experienced poverty and hardship well into the twentieth century.