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The Gold rush began in 1848 when gold was found in California(Chinaman’s). This prompted word of the potential wealth in the west to spread across the world. This Gold rush gained even more momentum overseas then it had to the east at the beginning partially because it took longer for the rush to make it to the east of america and when it did the people wear skeptical, not succumbing to the gold fever until the president, James Polk, had backed up the validity of the claims(pg17 Gildenstein).As these claims of gold began to take hold immigrants from all across the world began to head west especially in china. By the time 1852 rolled around the population skyrocketed from around the humble 15,000 of 1848 to 224,000(Immigration).  That same year 10,000 Chinese immigrants had already found themselves in California in search of their wealth(Chinaman’s). While there was gold for the picking in California, there was likely even more xenophobia, and racism for the Chinese to face. They were subject to copious amounts of discrimination such as the Foreign Miner’s Tax which imposed taxation on Mexican and Chinese miners(Chinaman’s). This greatly hampered the Chinese miners as not only did they face this tax on their earnings, they were driven out from the more profitable mining areas making the profession that much harder for them(Chinaman’s). Meanwhile Chinese immigrants were still flooding into California for their wealth with over 5000 Chinese immigrants arriving in 1853 who quickly realized the gold market was unwelcoming toward Chinese immigrants(Chinaman’s). The result of this was many immigrants looking for other forms of work, most commonly under white settlers(Chinaman’s). That was pretty much their only option besides working in the uncompetitive mine’s in hope of a sliver of gold, so many Chinese chose the ladder doing work like cleaning, cooking, and sewing(Immigrants). On top of all that, the oppression was just beginning as the Chinese were a completely new factor to America, they had to create new legislation to oppress them as they would the other non-white people of the time(Immigrants).
Elijah

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The Chineses like many nationalities, came to the United States in large numbers in the 19th century.  They originally came for many reasons including the California gold rush where many wished to make it big as well they also came  because of the poor living conditions that existed in china at the time. In the 1860s when the United States began work on the transcontinental railroad they needed a large workforce to do so. But due to the hard work and low pay most passed the opportunity or worked for the railroad for just a short time so they could get access to the west. A large amount of Chineses workers in California were barred from working or struggled to find work due to anti-Asian discrimination. So when the labor shortages for the railroad got too large they started to employ a few Asians and as time went on the railway went on to employ more Chineses. The conditions on the railway however were tough as described by Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers “The Chinese workers received from $26 to $35 a month, from which they had to buy their own food. The Irish laborers received more than the Chinese: about $35 a month with food provided. The workweek was exhausting, consisting of six twelve-hour days. The Chinese workers on the railroad lived separately from the other laborers.”  They still maintained their own culture and cooked traditional foods. Their practice of boiling water for tea even helped them avoid many of the diseases that were common when laying rails. The construction itself however was difficult and deadly. They had to face brutal winters and sweltering summers, landslides would occasionally wipe out entire groups of workers. And in order to get the railways through the Sierra Nevada mountains they had to place explosives in order to flatten the land. The number of dead Chineses workers is unknown with most estimates saying a few hundred died although some estimates go up to one thousand deaths. When the celebrations happened to celebrate the completion of the rail, most Chineses were not invited. And while they and their contributions has mostly been forgotten by most, they have not been entirely forgotten and their legacy will live on.
Andrew

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The "wall" the US put up from the Chinese immigrants

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In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act. The act was a 10 year ban on Chinese laborers entering the United States, pretty much building a wall around the United States. “Federal law proscribed entry of an ethnic working group on the premise that it endangered the good order of certain localities” (NARA). The only way Chinese were able to enter the United States again was if you had some valid certification given by the Chinese government. If you left the US and you wanted to re-enter, you would have to get a certification to be able to enter the US again. For the Chinese that were already in the United States, which was around 100,000 at the time, could stay there but can not become citizens. The 1882 act had an effect on both sides, Americans were willing to attack the Chinese who were still there. Then there were the Chinese who were in their own little town, with their little shops, worrying if the Americans were going to attack them so they would leave or die. As the Lerner’s state in their article, “Chinatowns helped maintain a sense of Chinese community in major cities.” The Chinatowns gave Chinese people more of a home feeling as they do not feel welcomed by the Americans. Chinatowns were popular for the Chinese people and ever since the act was placed, Chinese people have to protect themselves from being attacked by Americans. For example, “In September 1885, at a coal mine owned by the Union Pacific Railroad in Rock Springs, Wyoming, angry white coal miners  – many of them immigrants themselves – attacked a group of Chinese miners following a labor dispute – and burned their homes to the ground” (PBS). As shown the Americans were willing to hurt the Chinese even though they were not doing anything that would have caused them to attack. The Americans gave a wrong opinion on the Chinese so they were never given a fair chance in proving themselves that they were just like the others. All the Chinese wanted was to have job opportunities and be welcomed wherever they go but due to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Geary Act they were not given the chance. In 1892 the Geary Act was passed, which is a re-up of the Chinese exclusion act. The Geary Act added to the document, for Chinese they needed to register for a certification and obtain it but without it you got deported. Over time it did end up getting better due to World War II taking place and the United States and China were allies. In the end, the exclusion act of 1882 was removed with the Magnuson Act, which allowed Chinese to apply for citizenship but only a certain amount. The Chinese were treated unfairly by the Americans which held them back from getting to live a normal life without all these restrictions because of their race. From the United States putting “a wall” around the country had an effect on the Chinese, they missed out on a lot of opportunities in their life due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Bayleigh

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Angel island was an island in which people traveling to America from Asia or people trying to enter America from the west border temporarily stayed. While on the island, people were questioned by a board and their eligibility to enter into America was determined. However, people were treated very differently based on their race and heritage. Things ranging from where you slept, to how long processing took, to overall treatment was determined by the factor of race. The article “Angel Island” by Grace Yeh states, “ While most non-Asians arriving in San Francisco avoided Angel Island or stayed only a few days, 76 percent of Chinese arrivals were sent to Angel Island, where they faced the longest rates of detention and the most intense interrogations” (Yeh). peoples’ length of stay was unfairly determined by race, where non-asian people were treated very well and often did not even have to face the grueling island.

Another thing that race played a major part in determining who was sick or not. When you arrived on the Island, if you appeared to be ill you were sent to the island’s hospital, and more often than not Chinese individuals were treated more unfairly. The article by Grace Yeh states, “At the hospital, Asian and white detainees were segregated. Asians, in particular, were subjected to thorough, even humiliating, medical inspections. Eyes, nose, throat, the stripped body, blood, and stool were examined for parasites and bacteria” (Yeh). Not only that, but the article states that the condition of the hospital where such procedures took place was unsanitary enough that people sent to the hospital had a fair chance at conceiving an infection caused from said conditions (Yeh).

People would stay at Angel Island for long periods of time, and so temporary living quarters were provided for visitors. While waiting for a hearing and interrogation from the Board of Special Inquiry, people resided in the Administration Building The article says that “Occidentals” were allowed to stay on the better kept second floor of the Administration Building while “Orientals” were assigned to stay in the less comfortable detention barracks (Yeh). The article points out that people waiting for permission to enter the United States were asked a multitude of questions to determine whether they had a legal basis to enter and live in America, and Chinese applicants especially went through intense questioning (Yeh). The text states, “As historian and former president of the Chinese Historical Society Him Mark Lai noted, the Chinese protested ‘that many questions asked by the immigration officials were unreasonable, impossible to answer correctly, and intended to entrap rather than to elucidate information. They alleged that some officials even questioned female applicants on intimate details of their marital lives and embarrassed them into silence’” (Yeh). Chinese people were intentionally subjected to unfair treatment while they stayed on the island, and the fierce and appalling questioning was just another trial they faced during their stay.

Kathryn

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The end of WWII and the new communist government in China prompted another influx of Chinese immigrants. Immediately after the war, the inflation spiral stopped briefly. Prices of consumer goods fell out of nowhere, but after 2 months, prices began to rise again. They hoped that the end of the war would bring a resumption of manufacturing and was proved to be an illusion. The peace brought a brief upsurge in both late 1945 and early 1946, but by the end of 1946 it was over, the result of currency confusion and of inflation. Inflation roared out of hand. In the article “Immigrants to North America” it says, “The motivations for immigration vary, but the most common is economic. Migration for economic reasons is particularly important for persons moving from less developed countries to more developed countries.” In this case, the main reason for the influx was the economic collapse. The Breakdown of the communications system brought with it, insecurity, uncertainty and above all corruption. The economic chaos was primarily caused by peasants. They could either demand higher prices or trade what they produced. Profiteers could do well through hoarding as well as corruption and currency manipulation.  Economy problems were certainly not the only issues though, to make matters worse China’s transport system was in shambles. They had extremely limited water travel since the Japanese took every vessel they could and fled. Along with this, the railway system was heavily damaged, bridges and tracks had been destroyed by allied bombing towards the end of the war. Rolling stock had disappeared, many of them to the USSR. China also had to deal with a decently large amount of stranded foreigners. There are said to have been 16,000 stateless refugees in Shanghai, all Jewish. They were being temporarily supported by the jewish charitable organizations in New York. Most wanted to leave for the United States, Australia, or Canada; most were able to do so.  Quite a few of the citizens of Japan’s allies, Germans, Austrians, Italians and Vichy French had to be returned to. In Manchuria and in the large cities, there was the question of what to do with the White Russians. The USSR encouraged them to go home to Russia, the last thing many wanted to do. They too started to leave China, making not for the hated USSR but for the USA and Australia. One thing was clear to everyone. The days of foreign dominance and privilege in China were gone for good. Everyone lived by the quote, “The way to power is success in war.”
Kate