The Chinese Experience in San Francisco from 1850-1900 - Report Example

The Chinese experience in San Francisco from 1850-1900 The period between 1850 and 1900 represents important events in the history of Chinese migration to San Francisco. The migration of the Chinese to America was driven by the political and economic uncertainties that hit China. The rumours of gold and opportunity and promise for a better life in California made also facilitated the move; consequently, the first Chinese arrived in California in the year 1849. Following their arrival, the Chinese received a warm welcome in Northern California. Part of the reason for the warm welcome was because the American’s perception of the Chinese as adept and economical workers (Takaki 24). The numbers of the migrating Chinese increased and started competing in the declining placer mining industry; as such, they became a threat to the Anglo miners and this forced the miners to become hostile to the incoming Chinese. Outline of the Paper 1. Introduction This section of the paper gives a preview of the reasons for the migration of the Chinese to San Francisco. 2. The Chinese and the Westward Expansion This section discusses the factors that influenced the Chinese to migrate to America and the work they did upon arrival. 3. San Francisco’s Chinatown This part of the paper focuses on the development of Chinatown; a town that was established in San Francisco and inhabited by the Chinese. 4. Chinese Communities-such, others opted to lease land and later paid their landlords part of their yields. Despite the challenges, the Chinese contributions in agriculture were quite significant. For instance, the Chinese were instrumental in the introduction of crops such as olives in San Francisco in California. In the industrial sector, the Chinese settlers were tangled in the expansion of various industries. For instance, the Chinese immigrants helped in the setting up of the squid business. In addition the Chinese also started shrimp, sturgeon and other kinds of fish enterprises in Monterey and San Diego. Apart from fish, the Chinese also helped in processing marine products such as kelp (Daniels 98). This seemingly ‘new discovery’ encouraged many Chinese to come in and by the late 1880s; the fishing industry was flooded with Chinese who camped throughout the San Francisco bay, and other fishing areas. The dominance of Chinese fishermen displeased the white fishermen who took to the California legislature and asked them to pass restrictions on Chinese fishing activities (Almaguer 119). The restrictions brought hardship to the Chinese communities and resulted in the decline of fishing operations. In addition, the exclusion act of 1882 adversely affected the Chinese communities in California. Apart from playing a critical role in various industries, the Chinese were also involved in providing services as laundrymen, cooks and gardeners. The Chinese inhabitants established laundries and by 1870s, majority of the immigrants run most of the laundries in San Francisco (Caldwell 125). Business and Politics Upon settling in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Chinese entrepreneurs established restaurants, groceries, schools, and entertainment joints among others. The large numbers of the Chinese immigrants who settled in the town provided market for the goods and services and this led to the flourishing of the Chinatown economy. Since the town was dominated with Chinese immigrants, the merchants evolved to become political leaders and consequently commanded Chinatown’s political sphere. The Chinese also formed associations that served largely as social and welfare institutions and were used to assist fellow Chinese immigrants who had problems (Bacon 38). On the political sphere, the Chinese combined Benevolent Association, similarly denoted to as the Chinese Six Companies dominated Chinatown. The association become very powerful in Chinatown that it not only spoke on behalf of the Chinese immigrants in San Francisco but also everywhere across the United States. The association’s leadership consisted of wealthy merchants who used their wealth to ascend to political power (Bacon 38). Exclusion Since the arrival of the Chinese in San Francisco during the time of the Gold rush in the 1850s, the Chinese continued experiencing discrimination and often overt racism, and finally, they were excluded from further immigration. Legislation agreed was highly discriminatory and came before the Miner’s License Tax. In 1854, the Supreme Court in California segregated the Chinese and the blacks and the Indians and made it illegal for them to take to courts of law and testify and white men (Almaguer 121). In early 1870s, there occurred an economic downtown which led to serious unemployment cases; consequently, this led to heightened outcries against the Chinese immigrants. The Chinese were always blamed for the rising cases of unemployment and, as such, became the excuse for being paid low wages by business owners. That the Chinese were willing to work despite the low wages ignited the ire of white labour in California. As a result, the racist labour union leaders became furious and angry with the Chinese blaming them of their depressed wages, lack of jobs and also accusing the Chinese of being morally corrupt (Almaguer 124). At the time, Denis Kearney, the head of the Workingmen’s part of California was the main man in the forefront discriminating against the Chinese. Following the unrelenting fight and heightened aggression to the Chinese, the native and state-wide limitations remained imposed. Due to the piling pressure, the U.S. government approved the Chinese Exclusion Act in the year 1982. The law barred the Chinese labourers from moving into the U.S for ten years but only allowed Chinese students, merchants and travellers to enter the United States (Almaguer 129). Summary of the Chinese experience The Chinese immigrants were the earliest and active participants in various economic sectors of San Francisco. Most of the Chinese entrepreneurs who settled in the town and outlying communities served as merchants and labour contractors. As the economy of San Francisco continued growing and the numbers of the Chinese continued increasing, there were concerns especially following their willingness to work for low wages. Such concerns led to discrimination against the Chinese in job allocations. For example, the Chinese were given more feminine jobs such as laundry and working as domestic servants for the middle and high class occupants of San Francisco (Caldwell 130). Following the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad, many Chinese were hired to provide cheap labour and were instrumental towards its completion. When the construction of the rail ended in 1860s, most of the Chinese became jobless and reverted to agriculture with some becoming field workers and ethnic labour crews (Takaki 79). In San Francisco, the Chinese immigrants lived together in groups which soon came to be called San Francisco’s Chinatown. The business entrepreneurs or merchants became leaders of the Chinese community and later formed an association called the China Six Companies.” The association was responsible for voicing the concerns of the Chinese immigrants. In addition, there was a rival organization referred to as tongs which was a secret group and served to primarily offer their members protection. This organization was responsible for protecting underground industries including gambling, prostitution and the opium trade (Bacon 39-40). Conclusion In a nutshell, while only a few of the Chinese benefitted by migrating to San Francisco, the majority of the Chinese faced very many challenges. The discriminatory laws that were passed by the American government promoted racism and ethnicity. The Chinese were considered inferior and the several rounds of anti-ordinances were used to humiliate them; consequently, this added to their misery in the years they lived in America. Generally, the practice was bad. Works Cited Almaguer, Tomas. Racial Fault Lines: The Historical Origins of White Supremacy in California. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. Print. Bacon, Walter A. “Fifty Years of California Politics,” Southern California Quarterly, 5(1): 31-42. Caldwell, Dan. “The Negroization of the Chinese Stereotype in California,” Southern California Quarterly, 1971. 53(2): 123-131. Daniels, Roger. Asian America: Chinese and Japanese in the United States since 1850. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988. Print. Kuhrts, J. “Reminisces of a Pioneer,” Southern California Quarterly, 7(1): (1906): 59-68 McWilliams, Carey. Southern California Country: An Island on the Land. Freeport, New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1970. Osborn, Timothy Coffin. "Chinese and Westward Expansion ." n.d. Web. 14 December 2014. Takaki, Ronald. Strangers From A Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1998. Print. Read More