Chinese_Immigration

Bianca Figueras Professor Rohr English 101 28 November 2011 Chinese Immigrants Immigrants in the United States faced many challenges as they struggled to assimilate into American society while trying to keep their cultural and ethnic identity. A main society has always had many biases that make it difficult for immigrants to be accepted into the social and economic structure of society. The Chinese immigrants were excluded, discriminated against and suffered severe exploitation. Because of the arrival of Chinese immigrants in 1784, they were subjected to violence, prejudice, and discrimination. Chinese immigrants had come to America to earn money and then return to China. The Chinese did not come to America to mind gold, but took on jobs such as cooks, peddlers, fishers, railroad workers, and laborers. In the first decade, many Chinese workers took on jobs that were considered unpleasant and dirty. However, in 1870, a lack of well-paying jobs for non-Asians was blamed on “rice-eaters”, what American society called Chinese immigrants. The large presence of Chinese workers in California created high levels of resentment among white workers. They were willing to work for very low wages, which had caused Americans to compete with Chinese immigrants for work as railroad workers or laborers. White workers viewed Chinese as competitors and inferior. According to John Higham," No Variety of anti-European sentient had ever approached the violent extremes to which anti-Chinese agitation went in the 1870s and 1880s. Lynching, boycotts, and mass expulsions…harassed the Chinese.” The hatred of Chinese immigrants often resorted to anti-Chinese segregation, newly passed laws, and violence. In California, Chinese immigrants were banned from living in San Francisco, Monterey Park, and San Marino. They were then confined to ghettos called “Chinatowns”. During this time, the Chinese were faced with many discriminatory acts. Some immigrants were forced onto ships that were headed to China, while others left to China on their own. Many Chinese workers were being harassed and excluded from industries. An incident in 1885 left twenty eight Chinese men murdered in Wyoming. The Chinese experienced not only violence but racist slogans, such as “Chinese must go!” from there an anti-Chinese movement began to emerge in order to deprive the Chinese the means of making a decent living (William Wei). Eventually, laws, including the Naturalization Act of 1870 and Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, had restricted Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. In 1888, President Grover Cleveland, in favor of these laws, proclaimed the Chinese "an element ignorant of our constitution and laws, impossible of assimilation with our people and dangerous to our peace and welfare” (Chinese Immigration: A Ragged Tale of Riches). Although Chinese immigrants would eventually become naturalized, immigrant lifestyles were affected by quota systems that remained in place for decades. During World War two the Chinese had become an ally with the United States, making the Naturalization and Exclusion Act a joke. The acts were finally repealed by the Magnuson Act in 1943. The act made it possible for Chinese immigrants to become naturalized citizens and gave them a quota of one-hundred and five immigrants to be allowed to enter annually. However, the Chinese men were forced to live in the almost all-male communities in Chinatown while their wives and children remained in China (William Wei). As the Magnuson Act stated, a quota of one-hundred and five immigrants were allowed to enter, America’s immigration was restrictive and discriminatory against the Chinese. Not until the Immigration Act of 1965 was established did the quota system on immigrants was repealed. Immigration has made what America is today. There would not be an America if not for immigration, because everyone is considered an immigrant or is a descendent of an immigrant. Today, immigration is still a debate among the United States. Immigration brings national economic growth, adds diversity to our country, and dampens inflation. Immigration stimulates the economy by providing needed skills and expands the labor force. Immigrations add culture and diversity such as food, clothing, and art. Dampened inflation allows the economy to reduce labor costs and keeps prices lower for the consumers. Regarding the Chinese immigrants however, "It took a war to recognize our errors" pointed out United States Professor Hing; Hing was referencing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and World War two. The controversy that took place in the early nineteenth century with the Chinese immigrants can help teach Americans not to exclude and discriminate them, but to appreciate immigrants. Americans should be sure to look at what is happening today and learn from the immigration of the Chinese so history does not repeat itself. As Decades passed, the discrimination and exclusion of Chinese immigrants have improved. Incidents, like Chinatown’s turned from a violent and drug filled place into a peaceful tourist attraction. While some discrimination still exists today, they do not compare to the early nineteenth century. Works Cited "Chinese Immigration: A Ragged Tale of Riches | The Economist." The Economist - World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. The Economist, 23 June 2003. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. . Marutani, Greg. "Immigration Past and Present: A Conversation with Bill Ong Hing." Angel Island: Immigration Station Foundation. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. . Ni, Ching-Ching. "Ching Ching Ni | A Chinese American Immigration Secret Emerges from the Dark Days of Discrimination - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. LA Times, 24 Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. . Wei, William. "The Chinese-American Experience: An Introduction." Immigrant and Ethnic America at HarpWeek.com. HarpWeek, 1999. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. . Self Evaluation I first did a rough draft on lined paper to make certain I did not include any “you’s” in the essay, then I transferred it onto my typed rough draft. So I did no use the find and replace tool to scope out all the “you’s.” Though we were assigned a general topic, immigration we could choose a specific prompt based on the readings in What Matters in America and other topics related to immigration. I chose the topic related to a specific ethnic group that was discriminated against in the early nineteenth century for me I chose to describe the Chinese discrimination and how they impact how Americans view immigrants today. I chose this prompt because I felt this topic is so controversial that I needed to educate the reader. Every essay has strengths and weaknesses for this essay I believe my introduction and conclusion are my strongest attributes to my essay. I wanted to start with a grappling hook to drawn in the reader; to make the reader feel they could learn from the topic. The most difficult part of writing this essay was getting all the information into an organized manner. There was so much information, if I did not make the essay flow into each of the topic paragraphs my essay would become disorganized and wordy drawing the reader’s attention away. When comparing my rough draft to my final draft I had to fix some grammar mistakes, but other than that my essay was good. I had already proofread the essay multiple times before hand. As a writer this assignment has given me more knowledge about past and present views on immigration. With each writing assignment anyone is bound to “demonstrate positive change.” I believe I did so by improving on my other entire essay’s this semester. If I had more time to spend on this essay I would not only have researched Chinese immigration into the United States, but also Japan or the Irish immigrants to compare each of the different immigrants to see if there would be any difference or if every immigration was similar. This last essay demonstrates all the progress I have made this semester as a writer and I hope that my writing has improved not just grammatically, but in organization, how I introduce and conclude my essay and style as well.