AMH2097 Exam 3 Study Guide Spring 2013 The Chinese First wave immigrants 1849 1880 o Only 300 000 came over o Immigrated to the West Coast mainly San Francisco Stops in 1880 due to immigration laws Push Factors 1 Overpopulation Over 1 000 people per square mile in China the combination of overpopulation and crop failure meant many people starved to death o Chinese used primitive agriculture techniques rivers would flood and ruin entire season s worth of crops 2 Clan conflicts Many families who were related by a common ancestor all lived together societal structure in China o Punta Hakka Clan War from 1855 1867 killed many served as a final straw for many people 3 Tsunamis 4 The Taipeng Rebellion Caused an incredible amount of damage o Between 1850 1870 there were 2 major tsunamis Began in 1850 and went until 1874 Man believed he was brother of Jesus thought China was morally corrupt Wanted all peasants to have land ban on alcohol and prostitution o Starts a civil war against the emperor 20 million people die in 14 years 5 European Influence Made China accept European goods for spices and silk Missionaries brought into china split Chinese family structure After Tsunamis Europeans take over businesses and pay workers very little The one pull factor for the Chinese o High paying wages Golden Mountain and the California gold rush in 1848 i tales of people striking it rich in California The Chinese practiced return migration o Father would immigrate to America to make money then return to China Thought money would protect them from the warfare and starving in China However this wasn t always successful i e Lew family son racks up debt back home father must stay in America to pay off debt never comes back to China Mostly men came over not many women Called a bachelor society o Often relied on their ethnic enclaves for support CHINESE SUPPORT STRUCTURES Chinatowns Clans Successful merchants Hui Kan or Six Companies Established businesses on San Francisco and made a profit off of selling things to WASPs Chinese merchant shops became leaders and people that others looked up to Benevolent organizations that served certain clans o They each supported different clans They provided a place to stay for new immigrants If you didn t have a merchant for support you went to a Hui Kan o Had soup kitchens apartments hospitals o If you died they paid to have your body shipped to China o They tried to fix problems between Chinese immigrants and clans o Formed because the Chinese knew Americans would not help or provide welfare for the Chinese and had to do it for themselves o They helped solve problems between Chinese immigrants Mediators Tongs Chinese organized crime o Operated in Chinatowns with services from China o Ran prostitution gambling and opium dens o Smuggled heroin into U S Provided assistance to immigrants but for a price o Had to pay back with interest Different from Hui Kan because they made you pay rather than a benevolent service Self contained immigrant societies who had to rely on each other because they knew the WASPs would not do it for them STEREOTYPES Most of them were negative Pig tails initially set by traders and missionaries Different diet and food Weren t protestant weren t white yellow terror or yellow peril Weren t monotheistic WASPs don t understand this City councilmen led Chinatown riot Jobs style of dress food Americans think the Chinese are backwards Believe they are all associated with the Tongs They did not want to convert to Christianity Could not wrap their minds around the concept of one god Feminine They often took jobs that were considered women s work They also wore robes which looked like dresses to Americans JOBS Many took jobs as miners coal gold silver and railroad workers o In 1850 laws were passed preventing Chinese from owning mines o Chinese given half value for their gold disliked by WASPs because of their skin color o Eventually banned from mining gold for good Many miners hired Chinese as domestic workers o Seen as feminine work white workers didn t want these jobs Chinese were ridiculed for their part in these jobs In 1862 US started construction on transcontinental railroad o Chinese in San Francisco went to work for the railroad company instead of the mines SF had low unemployment rate only people looking for work was Chinese o The became the best railroad workers in the west employers loved them because they didn t mind hard labor One day laid 12 miles of track in 12 hours o Were used to light TNT to allow construction of railroad o Accepted in the railroad community unlike the mining community ECONOMIC DISPUTES Anti Chinese Sentiment Many white workers were anti Chinese o They were hard workers took jobs from WASPs accepted lower wages o Because of these factors however many business owners loved the Chinese Could pay them less wages and get good labor in return Burlingame Treaty allowed 10 000 chinese workers to help with railroad construction o However when the Chinese arrived in 1869 the construction of the railroad was nearly finished forcing Chinese to find other jobs Took even more jobs from the WASPs Chinese Exclusion Act law passed in 1882 halting Chinese immigration for 10 years o Passed because of large Chinese immigrant population o First anti immigration law in United States However there were ways to get around it In 1906 an Earthquake hit San Francisco destroying the Immigration office o Chinese immigrants could forge documents and enter the United States under someone else s name o US catches wind of this so in 1910 Angel Island is opened as new immigration center All immigrants were heavily questioned on documents no interpreters were allowed Anyone who tried to escape the island was swept to see by the strong currents in the SF bay 20th CENTURY AND BEYOND In 1882 there were 300 000 Chinese immigrants in the US By 1930 there were only 80 000 o Many of this was due to anti Chinese sentiment in the US During World War II America found a new yellow group when Japan invades China in 1937 o Killed citizens indiscriminately troops were allowed to rape women and kill innocent civilians 25 000 women raped and 50 000 civilians killed US joins China s side in fighting Japan changes the perception of the Chinese Today Chinese are a model minority group The 1 6 million Chinese are accepted today o Chinatowns became well kept o What happened in red china o Chinese food and culture THE JEWS 2nd Wave Immigrants Enter US through the East
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