In this transparency we see Chinese immigrants, mostly men,
in a segregated section of San Francisco called Chinatown. This
transparency shows the degree to which the Chinese immigrants tried
to preserve their own culture.
- • At the same time that Europeans were
arriving on the East Coast of the United States, thousands
of Asians were arriving on the West Coast. The majority of
these Asian immigrants were Chinese. Between 1865 and 1882,
320,000 Chinese immigrated to the United States. Other countries
in Asia, primarily Japan and the Philippines, also sent immigrants
to America.
- • Chinese immigrants who settled on the
West Coast, particularly in San Francisco, made up a significant
portion of the immigration of this time. Most came to escape
problems similar to those facing European emigrants—famine,
overpopulation, civil warfare.They were also lured by fantastic
tales of the "Mountain of Gold" that had been discovered
in California.
- • Chinese immigration jumped from about
3,000 immigrants per year in the 1850s to a peak of 23,000
in 1872. This corresponded with the building of the transcontinental
railroad, which employed thousands of Chinese immigrants.
By 1877, 17 percent of California’s population was Chinese.
- • Because of their race and very different
culture, Chinese immigrants tended to stick to themselves,
maintaining their own forms of dress, food, and language.
They lived in segregated neighborhoods, known as Chinatowns,
and were encouraged by their own community leaders "if
possible to avoid any contact with Americans" because
American culture was considered backward in comparison to
Chinese culture.
- • Like the European immigrants, the Chinese
were often willing to take menial jobs that Caucasians snubbed
or to work the same jobs for lower wages. This, along with
their unwillingness to "melt into" American culture,
led to Americans’ feelings of hostility toward the Chinese,
particularly during times of economic hardship. These feelings
culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which forbade
Chinese to immigrate to the United States.
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