Chinese Immigration - Assignment Example

Chinese Immigration A unique convergence of social and historical conditions in America made overseas migration possible. On the one hand, the nations had begun to relax the rigid governmental controls over emigration which were part of the mercantile system dominated in America. In the book “On Gold Mountain” Lisa See depicts problems and troubles faced by a common immigrant family and their desire to success in America. Thesis In spite of strict protectionist laws and regulations Chinese immigrants entered the country and settle their life in accordance with traditions and values of America. Similar to many immigrant families, See’s relatives and particularly her grandmother entered the USA at the end of 19th century. During this period of time, the state regarded the size of its population as the source of its wealth and power and, except in unusual situations, prohibited departure of its subjects. Nevertheless, during the major part of the nineteenth century the absorption of the immigrant into American society represented a moving equilibrium or a process of favorable accommodation of groups under rapidly changing conditions1. The vast open spaces, the lack of social and class distinctions, the dynamic tempo of our growth, the westward progression, and the mobility of the population promoted the acceptance of the newcomer2. In times of crisis such as wars or economic depressions the moving equilibrium might be disturbed. Immigrants’ movements created tensions around the presence of the foreigner, but at least until the latter decades of the nineteenth century these tensions were usually dissolved by accommodation on a new level without restrictive legislation. The American Constitution made the United States the first national state to proclaim the principle that there should be no religious test for office holding. Furthermore, only the President was required by the Constitution to be native-born. The Federal government, as a matter of policy, utilized the principle of religious freedom to stimulate immigration. A guarantee of religious freedom had been included in the ordinance for governing the Northwest Territory, partly in the hope that it would stimulate migration into that region3. Similar to other immigrants, See’s grandmother and her family occupied a low paid job and low social class position4. She worked at a Chinese underwear factory. It is not surprising that the changes in American society after 1890 affected attitudes toward the immigrant and that a strong movement for the restriction of immigration should have gotten under way at this time5. Abused by her own family, See’s grandmother reached for better days and a new life. Unlike to many immigrants, See’s grandfather had two wives: “My family always “knew” that Fong See had two wives. The marriage between Fong see and Letticie Pruett - my Caucasian great grandmother – would go on establish the See name”6. East which were suffering from the depression opposed immigration, but representatives of the agricultural states declared themselves in favor of the continuance of immigration and expressed a preference for the "old" immigrants. The objections to the See were at first chiefly economic, namely, that they deprived white persons of employment7. The arguments, however, were soon stated in "racial" terms. Charges were made that the Chinese immigrants worshiped idols, that they did not know the difference between right and wrong, and that they were impregnable to all influences of Anglo-Saxon life. The campaign against the Chinese marked the first occasion when racialism was used as an argument for immigration restriction in history. It is worth noting that charges similar to those brought against the Chinese were later used against the immigrants from eastern and southern Europe. In general, Chinese immigration thus became a major political question, and exclusion was advocated by both Republicans and Democrats, first in California, and then nationally. A temporary Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress; this was in effect for a ten-year period until 1892. The Act also denied Chinese the right of naturalization. In 1892 exclusion of Chinese was made permanent8. The first great migration of Chinese laborers to this country dated from the time of the great rush to California in search of gold in the early fifties. Fong See, the author’s grandfather arrived to California in 18719. Before the end of the sixties, on account of the absence of cheap labor, they had gone into a variety of occupations. They were industrious, thrifty, and the form of organization of the Chinese laborers, by which it was possible for employers to secure the services of almost any number desired through one contractor, placed a premium upon their employment10. They were at first regarded without aversion by the other immigrants into California. However, agitation against them began shortly after their coming into California in large numbers. Similar to other Chinese families, their family concentrated on entertainment and tech industries and reached its success. See describes the grandfather: “Raising out of a mass of nameless Asian immigrants, he became one of the richest and most prominent Chinese in the country”11 The race antipathy which developed was due to their peculiarities of dress; to their color, language, and habits; to their inoffensive manners and general defencelessness; and also to the fact that, in many cases, they were willing to work for lower wages than the American laborer. See’s grandfather and grandmother (Letticie Pruett) recognized that the United States was the richest nation in the world and that America, as a nation of immigrants, had a special humanitarian contribution to make in resolving this particular problem. The growing cold war buttressed this mood. As hostility replaced cordial relations between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States, the American government became unwilling to resettle refugees forcibly behind the iron curtain. This redistribution of population was regarded as valuable from the economic viewpoint12. The liberal philosophy of the nineteenth century taught that freedom of migration was an economically rational process. This belief in individual freedom of movement was directly related to the doctrine of free trade which dominated economic thinking during much of the period of large immigration to the United States. Men, like goods, it was held, should be allowed to go where they were in greatest demand and would be of the greatest value, without the imposition of legal restrictions or governmental barriers13. See’s ancestors lived in cheap region and in cheap apartments but kept unique family values and traditions. While it was leveled nominally against all foreigners, it was enforced only against the Chinese. Furthermore, they could not escape it, since they were the only ones who were not allowed to become naturalized. In like manner a number of city ordinances were passed for the purpose of reaching the Chinese indirectly. Racism and unemployment were the main problems faced by See’s family. The "queue ordinance" provided that every person convicted for any criminal offense should have his hair cut to a length of one inch from his head. The loss of his queue was a lasting disgrace to the Chinaman14. The "ordinance" required that no person should let or hire any tenement house where the capacity of the rooms was less than five hundred cubic feet for every person sleeping there--which was enforced only against the Chinese15. The efforts of the state of California to stop Chinese immigration were rendered futile by the decisions of the Federal Courts. A California statute which gave the state commissioner of immigration power to exclude from the state lunatics, idiots, deaf and dumb persons, cripples, lewd and debauched women, etc.,--the purpose being to exclude Chinese prostitutes--was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. The court held that the prohibition or even regulation of immigration by a state was a regulation of foreign commerce, and hence belonged exclusively to Congress16. The main different between See’s family and ordinary immigrants were a great desire to survive and close family relations they transmitted from generation to generation. The See’s family experienced the anti-Chinese feeling soon entered into national politics and the leaders of the two parties yielded to it for the purpose of securing the vote of those states. In 1876 both parties inserted an anti-Chinese plank in their platforms, and a special joint committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives proceeded to the Pacific coast to investigate the question on the spot, and formulated a report which covered every phase of the Chinese question, and is of value today in that it shows the way in which the Chinese were regarded by the various classes of people in California17. They found that there was danger of the white population of California becoming outnumbered by the Chinese; that they came here under contract, in other words as coolies or a servile class; that they were subject to the jurisdiction of organized companies which directed their movements, settled disputes among them, and even had power of life and death, which they exercised by assassination; that Chinese cheap labor deprived white labor of employment, lowered wages, and kept white immigrants from coming to the state18. Some of these assertions were perhaps too sweeping. However, the evidence then and to this day seems to substantiate the charge that the Chinese do not assimilate. It was stated by the committee that the Chinese come here with the single object of making money and then returning to China; that they have no intention of becoming permanent residents and no desire to adopt our customs and habits of life19. They have shown no desire to become acquainted with our political institutions or to take part in political life; that the whole history of the intercourse between China and the Western powers has exemplified the fact that, with their four thousand years of civilization behind them, they are imbued with a thorough contempt for the mushroom growth of European life; and that they remain isolated and constitute an alien element20. Unlike See’s family, many Chinese women became prostitutes in order to survive in America. Besides prohibiting the importation of women, especially Chinese, for the purpose of prostitution, and the immigration of convicts was that the transporting into the United States of residents of China, Japan or any Oriental country, without their free and voluntary consent21. Thus, See admits that the second wife of the great grandfather “a Chinese waif who had supported herself marking fire-crackers She was only sixteen”22. The main reason why immigrants come to the USA is that the American land proposes great opportunities for personal development, social security, government protection of rights and freedoms and high paid job in contrast to native countries of immigrants. For many immigrants, America represents humans’ rights, equal opportunities and freedom that embodies in the idea of the American dream, called by Fong See “Gold Mountain”. Many Chinese immigrants coming to America suppose that through persistence, hard work and determination they can achieve prosperity and high social status in foreign land. Many immigrants work hard for many years but fail to achieve high social position. Many foreign students suppose that American education opens new opportunities for immigrants helping them to “become equal” to native citizens. Unlike Fond See, many immigrants were satisfied with low paid jobs looking for government protection and support. In contrast to traditional immigrants23, See’s family did it best to achieve high social position and overcome poverty. Many people, afraid of change, preferred to stay in unfavorable conditions lifelong dreaming about high social position. In this very case, education was therefore a key element of improved intellectual potential as it increases the level of individual compe­tence. In immigrants’ world, what was unspoken but assumed and hinted at was a morality that holds that there could be no such thing as happiness, no such thing as love, without honesty. In one of the letters, her father writes: "You asked what I want in a wife. Right now I want me in a wife. Ha Ha chuckle slurp drool quiver blurp giggle"24. A painful self-knowledge was that Chinese immigrants never admitted to their families or their audience who they were and why they have done what theyve done25. Critics (Lee, 2007)26 admit that there was no compulsory emigration from China to the United States; that China rejoiced in the freedom which her subjects enjoyed in America; they also quoted a declaration of Senator Morton, that the constitution declared that all peoples might come to the United States without let or hindrance, and they declared that the Chinese in America had added greatly to the wealth of this country. The American commissioners intimated rather sharply, due to this unexpected attitude of the Chinese negotiators, that this proposal was insufficient and asked that the Chinese Government consent to such a modification of the free immigration clauses of the Burlingame treaty as would avoid the raising of questions that might disturb the friendly relations of the two countries27. The Chinese commissioners agreed to the limitation of immigration, but not to the prohibition, and they sought to confine the limitation to California. The American commissioners finally agreed to omit the word "prohibit" and use the words "regulate, limit, or suspend," but they declined to subject to conditions the right thus secured. They also declined to admit the exception of "artisans" from the class of Chinese laborers28. Opposition to the Chinese in this country continued, so that, the Chinese Government announced to the United States minister at Pekin that China of her own accord proposed to establish a system of strict and absolute prohibition, under heavy penalties, of her laborers coming to the United States, and likewise to prohibit the return to the United States of any laborer who had at any time gone back to China29. By this arrangement the United States secured the cooperation of China in the main purpose and object of the treaty, which is stated in the first article to be the absolute prohibition of Chinese laborers from coming into the United States for twenty years, and unless notice should be given by either Government six months before the expiration of the period it should remain in force for another like period of twenty years. While the immigration from India was never large, there was always a fear that many might desire to come30. In sum, a drastic policy of exclusion against Chinese immigrants did not prevent a flow of immigrants. Except for a very inhospitable attitude the United States had no effective legal means of dealing with the matter until this geographical or barred zone test was enacted. See’s family experienced the same problems as a typical Chinese family working at low paid jobs and receiving small salaries. Thus, great desire to survive and unique traditions helped the family to achieve high social position and social status. Endnotes Read More