Understanding American Citizenship: Chinese Immigration in the United States
Contract Learning/Independent Study
Abstract
Students will learn about Chinese Immigration in the United States starting with the Gold Rush in 1849 to
the Census in 2010. Topics to be touched upon include discrimination, citizenship, immigration laws,
industrial revolution, working conditions, Communism, Chinese American contributions, and population.
Glossary and Appendix included.
Materials to be used include: Website articles. These lesson plans should be used in conjunction with
your American History textbook, but can be used as stand-alone assignments.
Total Time: 1-2 weeks
California Content Standards used:
11.1.4 Examine the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction and of the industrial revolution,
including demographic shifts and the emergence in the late nineteenth century of the United States as a
world power.
11.2.1 Know the effects of industrialization on living and working conditions, including the portrayal of
working conditions and food safety in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.
11.2.2 Describe the changing landscape, including the growth of cities linked by industry and trade, and
the development of cities divided according to race, ethnicity and class.
11.4.1 List the purpose and effects of the Open Door Policy.
11.5.2 Analyze the international and domestic events, interests and philosophies that prompted attacks on
civil liberties, including . . . immigration quotas and the responses of organizations . . .
11.8.7Describe the effects on society and the economy of technological developments since 1945,
including the computer revolution, changes in communication, advances in medicine and improvements
in agricultural technology.
11.11.1 Discuss the reasons for the nation’s changing immigration policy, with emphasis on how the
Immigration Act of 1965 and successor acts have transformed American society.
11.11.2 Discuss the significant domestic policy speeches of . . .Eisenhower . . .
California Common Core State Standards (CCCSS) used:
Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
Grades 11-12
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order
to address a question or solve a problem.
8. Evaluate an author’s premises, claims and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other
information.
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12
Grades 11-12
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events (a, b, c, d, e)
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose and audience.
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question . . .
9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.
Understanding American Citizenship: Chinese Immigration in the United States
Big Idea: Regardless of the Constitution, the Chinese were denied citizenship in the United States for
many years.
Focus question: What hardships did the Chinese encounter when emigrating to America?
Lesson 1
California Content Standard: 11.2.1
CCCSS: Writing 4, 9, Reading 2, 7
Objective: Student will be able to explain why the Chinese came to America first and how working
conditions were.
Materials Used:
Various websites and primary sources (see below)
Into the Lesson
Writing assignment: Ask students about their family and how ancestors came to America.
What obstacles might they encounter when trying to build a railroad track across the United States?
Through the Content
Handout of Mining photos and questions
Article on the Chinese Massacre of 1871, Los Angeles, CA and questions
Primary Source article on Lew Chew and questions
Primary Source poem “The Heathen Chinee” by Bret Harte
Primary Source political cartoon on assimilation from “Puck” and questions
Beyond
Essay prompt on stereotypes
Introduction to Chinese Immigration
Prewriting Assignment
Where did your ancestors come from?
How did they get to America?
How long ago was that?
What cultural differences do you think they had to overcome or get used to?
Were they welcomed? (Do you think they felt like they were welcomed?) Explain.
The Chinese Immigrants came to America because of the Gold Rush and were instrumental in building
the railroads across the United States. What obstacles might they encounter when trying to build a
railroad track across the United States?
http://miningartifacts.homestead.com/California-mines.html
Auburn Ravine, CA and Empire Mine in Grass Valley, CA
Primary Source Photo
Auburn Ravine Miners
Content
Is there a noticeable difference between the 2 groups of miners? Explain.
What are they doing?
What time period does it look like?
Connections
What do you already know about gold mining?
What do you know already know about immigration in the early years of the United
States?
Communications
Who do you think took this photo? Why?
Is there a point of view or message the photographer was trying to get across?
Conclusions
Overall, what information is this photo giving us?
http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/scandals/chinese_ri
ots.htm
Chinese Massacre of 1871
In the history of Los Angeles there have been few other crimes as senseless, barbaric, or
shameful as the Chinese Massacre of 1871. The racially motivated behavior of the crowd on
October 24, 1871 was a black mark on the city for many years.
Background
There seems little doubt today that the anti-Chinese atmosphere is Los Angeles (mirrored and
even worse in San Francisco) was a result of the immigration of Chinese laborers in very large
numbers during this period. Their willingness to work long hours at low wages was very
threatening to white laborers.
The Immediate Cause
The incident which apparently set off the mob action was the accidental shooting of a white
person who got caught in the crossfire between two rival Chinese gangs.
What Happened
Within a short time of the shooting, hundreds of whites rampaged through the street called Calle
de los Negros which had become the city's Chinatown. They broke windows, knocked down
doors, and attacked every Chinese they encountered. Some were hanged and some were dragged
by the neck until dead. The total number of Chinese killed is uncertain, but was probably around
20.
The Investigation
There was a grand jury investigation which denounced the individuals for "disgracing our city";
it also charged that the authorities had been derelect in performing their duty. In spite of the
investigation and the public's revulsion over the massacre, no one was ever brought to trial.
From the above description, what can you infer about how people in Los Angeles
felt about the Chinese? Explain.
What other times in history did something similar happen?
http://teachingresources.atlas.uiuc.edu/chinese_exp/resources/resource_3_2.pdf
The Chinese Experience in 19th Century America
THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHINAMAN
by Lee Chew
Originally published in the New York Independent, 15 (19 February 1903), 417-423.
The village where I was born is situated in the province of Canton, on one of the banks of the Si-Kiang
River. It is called a village, altho it is really as big as a city, for there are about 5,000 men in it over
eighteen years of age—women and children and even youths are not counted in our villages.
All in the village belonged to the tribe* of Lee. They did not intermarry with one another, but the men
went to other villages for their wives and and brought them home to their fathers’ houses, and men from
other villages—Wus and Wings and Sings and Fongs, etc.—chose wives from among our girls.
When I was a baby I was kept in our house all the time with my mother, but when I was a boy of seven I
had to sleep at nights with other boys of the village—about thirty of them in one house. The girls are
separated the same way—thirty or forty of them sleeping together in one house away from their parents—
and the widows have houses where they work and sleep,tho they go to their fathers’ houses to eat.
My father’s house is built of fine blue brick, better than the brick in the houses here in the United States.
It is only one story high, roofed with red tiles and surrounded by a stone wall which also encloses the
yard. There are four rooms in the house, one large living room which serves for a parlor and three private
rooms, one occupied by my grandfather, who is very old and very honorable; another by my father and
mother, and the third by my oldest brother and his wife and two little children. There are no windows, but
the door is left open all day.
All the men of the village have farms, but they don’t live on them as the farmers do here; they live in the
village, but go out during the day time and work their farms, coming home before dark. My father has a
farm of about ten acres, on which he grows a great abundance of things—sweet potatoes, rice, beans,
peas, yams, sugar cane, pineapples, bananas, lychee nuts and palms. The palm leaves are useful and can
be sold. Men make fans of the lower part of each leaf near the stem, and waterproof coats and hats, and
awnings for boats, of the parts that are left when the fans are cut out.
So many different things can be grown on one small farm, because we bring plenty of water in a canal
from the mountains thirty miles away, and every farmer takes as much as he wants for his fields by means
of drains. He can give each crop the right amount of water.
Our people all working together make these things, the mandarin* has nothing to do with it, and we pay
no taxes, except a small one on the land. We have our own Government, consisting of the elders of our
tribe—the honorable men. When a man gets to be sixty years of age he begins to have honor and to
become a leader, and then the older he grows the more he is honored. We had some men who were nearly
one hundred years, but very few of them.
In spite of the fact that any man may correct them for a fault, Chinese boys have good times and plenty of
play. We played games like tag, and other games like shinny and a sort of football called yin.
We had dogs to play with—plenty of dogs and good dogs—that understand Chinese as well as American
dogs understand American language. We hunted with them, and we also went fishing and had as good a
time as American boys, perhaps better, as we were almost always together in our house, which was a sort
of boys’ club house, so we had many playmates. Whatever we did we did all together, and our rivals were
the boys of other club houses, with whom we sometimes competed in the games. But all our play
outdoors was in the daylight, because there were many graveyards about and after dark, so it was said,
black ghosts with flaming mouths and eyes and long claws and teeth would come from these and tear to
pieces and devour any one whom they might meet.
It was not all play for us boys, however. We had to go to school, where we learned to read and write and
to recite the precepts of Kong foo-tsze* and the other Sages and stories about the great Emperors of
China, who ruled with the wisdom of gods and gave to the whole world the light of high civilization and
the culture of our literature, which is the admiration of all nations.
I went to my parents’ house for meals, approaching my grandfather with awe, my father and mother with
veneration and my elder brother with respect. I never spoke unless spoken to, but I listened and heard
much concerning the red-haired, green-eyed foreign devils with the hairy faces, who had lately come out
of the sea and clustered on our shores. They were wild and fierce and wicked, and paid no regard to the
moral precepts of Kong-foo-tsze and the Sages; neither did they worship their ancestors, but pretended to
be wiser than their fathers and grandfathers. They loved to beat people and to rob and murder. In the
streets of Hong Kong many of them could be seen reeling drunk. Their speech was a savage roar, like the
voice of the tiger or the buffalo, and they wanted to take the land away from the Chinese. Their men and
women lived together like animals, without any marriage or faithfulness and even were shameless enough
to walk the streets arm in arm in daylight. So the old men said.
All this was very shocking and disgusting, as our women seldom were on the street, except in the
evenings, when they went with the water jars to the three wells that supplied all the people. Then if they
met a man they stood still, with their faced turned to the wall, while he looked the other way when he
passed them. A man who spoke to a woman in the street in a Chinese village would be beaten, perhaps
killed.
My grandfather told how the English foreign devils had made wicked war on the Emperor, and by means
of their enchantments and spells had defeated his armies and forced him to admit their opium, so that the
Chinese might smoke and become weakened and the foreign devils might rob them of their land.
My grandfather said that it was well known that the Chinese were always the greatest and wisest among
men. They had invented and discovered everything that was good. Therefore the things which the foreign
devils had and the Chinese had not must be evil. Some of these things were very wonderful, enabling the
red-haired savages to talk with one another, tho they might be thousands of miles apart. They had suns
that made darkness like day, their ships carried earthquakes and volcanoes to fight for them, and
thousands of demons that lived in iron and steel houses spun their cotton and silk, pushed their boats,
pulled their cars, printed their newspapers and did other work for them. They were constantly showing
disrespect for their ancestors by getting new things to take the place of the old.
I heard about the American foreign devils, that they were false, having made a treaty by which it was
agreed that they could freely come to China, and the Chinese as freely go to their country. After this
treaty was made China opened its doors to them and then they broke the treaty that they had asked for by
shutting the Chinese out of their country.
When I was ten years of age I worked on my father’s farm, digging, hoeing, manuring, gathering and
carrying the crop. We had no horses, as nobody under the rank of an official is allowed to have a horse in
China, and horses do not work on farms there, which is the reason why the roads there are so bad. The
people cannot use roads as they are used here, and so they do not make them.
I worked on my father’s farm till I was about sixteen years of age, when a man of our tribe came back
from America and took ground as large as four city blocks and made a paradise of it. He put a large stone
wall around and led some streams through and built a palace and summer house and about twenty other
structures, with beautiful bridges over the streams and walks and roads. Trees and flowers, singing birds,
water fowl and curious animals were within the walls.
The man had gone away from our village a poor boy. Now he returned with unlimited wealth, which he
had obtained in the country of the American wizards. After many amazing adventures he had become a
merchant in a city called Mott Street, so it was said.
When his palace and grounds were completed he gave a dinner to all the people who assembled to be his
guests. One hundred pigs roasted whole were served on the tables, with chickens, ducks, geese and such
an abundance of dainties that our villagers even now lick their fingers when they think of it. He had the
best actors from Hong Kong performing, and every musician for miles around was playing and singing.
At night the blaze of the lanterns could be seen for many miles.
Having made his wealth among the barbarians this man had faithfully returned to pour it out among his
tribesmen, and he is living in our village now very happy, and a pillar of strength to the poor.
The wealth of this man filled my mind with the idea that I, too, would like to go to the country of the
wizards and gain some of their wealth, and after a long time my father consented, and gave me his
blessing, and my mother took leave of me with tears, while my grandfather laid his hand upon my head
and told me to remember and live up to the admonitions of the Sages, to avoid gambling, bad women and
men of evil minds, and so to govern my conduct that when I died my ancestors might rejoice to welcome
me as a guest on high.
My father gave me $100, and I went to Hong Kong with five other boys from our place and we got
steerage passage on a steamer, paying $50 each. Everything was new to me. All my life I had been used
to sleeping on a board bed with a wooden pillow, and I found the steamer’s bunk very uncomfortable,
because it was so soft. The food was different from that which I had been used to, and I did not like it at
all. I was afraid of the stews, for the thought of what they might be made of by the wicked wizards of the
ship made me ill. Of the great power of these people I saw many signs. The engines that moved the ship
were wonderful monsters, strong enough to lift mountains. When I got to San Francisco, which was
before the passage of the Exclusion Act, I was half starved, because I was afraid to eat the provisions of
the barbarians, but a few days’ living in the Chinese quarter made me happy again. A man got me work as
a house servant in an American family, and my start was the same as that of almost all the Chinese in this
country.
The Chinese laundryman does not learn his trade in China; there are no laundries in China. The women
there do the washing in tubs and have no washboards or flat irons. All the Chinese laundrymen here were
taught in the first place by American women just as I was taught.
When I went to work for that American family I could not speak a word of English, and I did not know
anything about housework. The family consisted of husband, wife and two children. They were very good
to me and paid me $3.50 a week, of which I could save $3.
I did not know how to do anything, and I did not understand what the lady said to me, but she showed me
how to cook, wash, iron, The Chinese Experience in 19th Century America
sweep, dust, make beds, wash dishes, clean windows, paint and brass, polish the knives and forks, etc., by
doing the things herself and then overseeing my efforts to imitate her. She would take my hands and show
them how to do things. She and her husband and children laughed at me a great deal, but it was all good
natured. I was not confined to the house in the way servants are confined here, but when my work was
done in the morning I was allowed to go out till lunch time. People in California are more generous than
they are here.
In six months I had learned how to do the work of our house quite well, and I was getting $5 a week and
board, and putting away about $4.25 a week. I had also learned some English, and by going to a Sunday
school I learned more English and something about Jesus, who was a great Sage, and whose precepts are
like those of Kong-foo-sze.
It was twenty years ago when I came to this country, and I worked for two years as a servant, getting at
the last $35 a month. I sent money home to comfort my parents, but tho I dressed well and lived well and
had pleasure, going quite often to the Chinese theater and to dinner parties in Chinatown, I saved $50 in
the first six months, $90 in the second, $120 in the third and $150 in the fourth So I had $410 at the end
of two years, and I was now ready to start in business.
When I first opened a laundry it was in company with a partner, who had been in the business for some
years. We went to a town about 500 miles inland, where a railroad was building. We got a board shanty
and worked for the men employed by the railroads. Our rent cost us $10 a month and food nearly $5 a
week each, for all food was dear and we wanted the best of everything—we lived principally on rice,
chickens, ducks and pork, and did our own cooking. The Chinese take naturally to cooking. It cost us
about $50 for our furniture and apparatus, and we made close upon $60 a week, which we divided
between us. We had to put up with many insults and some frauds, as men would come in and claim
parcels that did not belong to them, saying they had lost their tickets, and would fight if they did not get
what they asked for. Sometimes we were taken before Magistrates and fined for losing shirts that we had
never seen. On the other hand, we were making money, and even after sending home $3 a week I was
able to save about $15. When the railroad construction gang moved on we went with them. The men were
rough and prejudiced against us, but not more so than in the big Eastern cities. It is only lately in New
York that the Chinese have been able to discontinue putting wire screens in front of their windows, and at
the present time the street boys are still breaking the windows of Chinese laundries all over the city, while
the police seem to think it a joke.
We were three years with the railroad, and then went to the mines, where we made plenty of money in
gold dust, but had a hard time, for many of the miners were wild men who carried revolvers and after
drinking would come into our place to shoot and steal shirts, for which we had to pay. One of these men
hit his head hard against a flat iron and all the miners came and broke up our laundry, chasing us out of
town. They were going to hang us. We lost all our property and $365 in money, which members of the
mob must have found.
Luckily most of our money was in the hands of Chinese bankers in San Francisco. I drew $500 and went
East to Chicago, where I had a laundry for three years, during which I increased my capital to $2,500.
After that I was four years in Detroit. I went home to China in 1897, but returned in 1898, and began a
laundry business in Buffalo. But Chinese laundry business now is not as good as it was ten years ago.
American cheap labor in the steam laundries has hurt it. So I determined to become a general merchant
and with this idea I came to New York and opened a shop in the Chinese quarter, keeping silks, teas,
porcelain, clothes, shoes, hats and The Chinese Experience in 19th Century America
Chinese provisions, which include sharks’ fins and nuts, lily bulbs and lily flowers, lychee nuts and other
Chinese dainties, but do not include rats, because it would be too expensive to import them. The rat which
is eaten by the Chinese is a field animal which lives on rice, grain and sugar cane. Its flesh is delicious.
Many Americans who have tasted shark’s fin and bird’s nest soup and tiger lily flowers and bulbs are firm
friends of Chinese cookery. If they could enjoy one of our finer rats they would go to China to live, so as
to get some more.
American people eat ground hogs, which are very like these Chinese rats, and they also eat many sorts of
food that our people would not touch. Those that have dined with us know that we understand how to live
well.
The ordinary laundry shop is generally divided into three rooms. In front is the room where the customers
are received, behind that a bedroom and in the back the work shop, which is also the dining room and
kitchen. The stove and cooking utensils are the same as those of the Americans.
Work in a laundry begins early on Monday morning—about seven o’clock. There are generally two men
one of whom washes while the other does the ironing. The man who irons does not start in till Tuesday,
as the clothes are not ready for him to begin till that time. So he has Sundays and Mondays as holidays.
The man who does the washing finishes up on Friday night, and so he has Saturday and Sunday. Each
works only five days a week, but those are long days—from seven o’clock in the morning till midnight.
During his holidays the Chinaman gets a good deal of fun out of life. There’s a good deal of gambling and
some opium smoking, but not so much as Americans imagine. Only a few of New York’s Chinamen
smoke opium. The habit is very general among rich men and officials in China, but not so much among
poor men. I don’t think it does as much harm as the liquor that the Americans drink. There’s nothing so
bad as a drunken man. Opium doesn’t make people crazy.
Gambling is mostly fan tan, but there is a good deal of poker, which the Chinese have learned from
Americans and can play very well. They also gamble with dominoes and dice.
The fights among the Chinese and the operations of the hatchet men are all due to gambling. Newspapers
often say that they are feuds between the six companies, but that is a mistake. The six companies are
purely benevolent societies, which look after the Chinaman when he first lands here. They represent the
six southern provinces of China, where most of our people are from, and they are like the German,
Swedish, English, Irish and Italian societies which assist emigrants. When the Chinese keep clear of
gambling and opium they are not blackmailed, and they have no trouble with hatchet men or any others.
About 500 of New York’s Chinese are Christians, the others are Buddhists, Taoists, etc., all mixed up.
These haven’t any Sunday of their own, but keep New Year’s Day and the first and fifteenth days of each
month, when they go to the temple in Mott Street.
In all New York there are only thirty-four Chinese women, and it is impossible to get a Chinese woman
out here unless one goes to China and marries her there, and then he must collect affidavits to prove that
she really is his wife. That is in [the] case of a merchant. A laundryman can’t bring his wife here under
any circumstances, and even the women of the Chinese Ambassador’s family had trouble getting in lately.
Is it any wonder, therefore, or any proof of the demoralization of our people if some of the white women
in Chinatown are not of good character? What other set of men so isolated and so surrounded by alien and
prejudiced people are more moral? Men, wherever they may be, need the society of women, and among
the white women of Chinatown are many excellent and faithful wives and mothers. The Chinese
Experience in 19th Century America
Recently there has been organized among us the Oriental Club, composed of our most intelligent and
influential men. We hope for a great improvement in social conditions by its means, as it will discuss
matters that concern us, bring us in closer touch with Americans and speak for us in something like an
official manner.
Some fault is found with us for sticking to our old customs here, especially in the matter of clothes, but
the reason is that we find American clothes much inferior, so far as comfort and warmth go. The
Chinaman’s coat for the winter is very durable, very light and very warm. It is easy and not in the way. If
he wants to work he slips out of it in a moment and can put it on again as quickly. Our shoes and hats also
are better, we think, for our purposes, than the American clothes. Most of us have tried the American
clothes, and they make us feel as if we were in the stocks.
I have found out, during my residence in this country, that much of the Chinese prejudice against
Americans is unfounded, and I no longer put faith in the wild tales that were told about them in our
village, tho some of the Chinese, who have been here twenty years and who are learned men, still believe
that there is no marriage in this country, that the land is infested with demons and that all the people are
given over to general wickedness. I know better. Americans are not all bad, nor are they wicked wizards.
Still, they have their faults, and their treatment of us is outrageous.
The reason why so many Chinese go into the laundry business in this country is because it requires little
capital and is one of the few opportunities that are open. Men of other nationalities who are jealous of the
Chinese, because he is a more faithful worker than one of their people, have raised such a great outcry
about Chinese cheap labor that they have shut him out of working on farms or in factories or building
railroads or making streets or digging sewers. He cannot practice any trade, and his opportunities to do
business are limited to his own countrymen. So he opens a laundry when he quits domestic service.
The treatment of the Chinese in this country is all wrong and mean. It is persisted in merely because
China is not a fighting nation. The Americans would not dare to treat Germans, English, Italians or even
Japanese as they treat the Chinese, because if they did there would be a war.
There is no reason for the prejudice against the Chinese. The cheap labor cry was always a falsehood.
Their labor was never cheap, and is not cheap now. It has always commanded the highest market price.
But the trouble is that the Chinese are such excellent and faithful workers that bosses will have no others
when they can get them. If you look at men working on the street you will find an overseer for every four
or five of them. That watching is not necessary for Chinese. They work as well when left to themselves as
they do when some one is looking at them.
It was the jealousy of laboring men of other nationalities—especially the Irish—that raised all the outcry
against the Chinese. No one would hire an Irishman, German, Englishman or Italian when he could get a
Chinese, because our countrymen are so much more honest, industrious, steady, sober and painstaking.
Chinese were persecuted, not for their vices, but for their virtues. There never was any honesty in the
pretended fear of leprosy or in the cheap labor scare, and the persecution continues still, because
Americans make a mere practice of loving justice. They are all for money making, and they want to be on
the strongest side always. They treat you as a friend while you are prosperous, but if you have a
misfortune they don’t know you. There is nothing substantial in their friendship.
Wu-Ting-Fang talked very plainly to Americans about their ill treatment of our countrymen, but we don’t
see any good results. We hoped for good from Roosevelt—The Chinese Experience in 19th Century
America
we thought him a brave and good man, but yet he has continued the exclusion of our countrymen, tho all
other nations are allowed to pour in here—Irish, Italians, Jews, Poles, Greeks, Hungarians, etc. It would
not have been so if Mr. McKinley had lived.
Irish fill the almshouses and prisons and orphan asylums, Italians are among the most dangerous of men,
Jews are unclean and ignorant. Yet they are all let in, while Chinese, who are sober, or duly law abiding,
clean, educated and industrious, are shut out. There are few Chinamen in jails and none in the poor
houses. There are no Chinese tramps or drunkards. Many Chinese here have become sincere Christians, in
spite of the persecution which they have to endure from their heathen countrymen. More than half the
Chinese in this country would become citizens if allowed to do so, and would be patriotic Americans. But
how can they make this country their home as matters now are! They are not allowed to bring wives here
from China, and if they marry American women there is a great outcry.
All Congressmen acknowledge the injustice of the treatment of my people, yet they continue it. They
have no backbone.
Under the circumstances, how can I call this my home, and how can any one blame me if I take my
money and go back to my village in China?
QUESTIONS FOR “THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHINAMAN” BY LEE CHEW
When was the autobiography written?
Why did the Chinese consider the Westerners in China to be barbarians?
How did the whites compare to how the Chinese behaved?
What does Chew say about the treaty between China and the United States?
Why did Lee Chew leave his village to come to the United States when he was a teenager?
How did Lee Chew get his first job in the United States?
In China, who does the laundry?
Why would Americans want to pay someone to do their laundry in the early 1900s?
How does Chew learn to do laundry?
Why did Lee Chew go into the laundry business?
Why did Lee Chew and his partner follow the railroad and mining camps?
How were the Chinese treated in New York?
What happened to Chew and his business while working near the mines?
Why did he switch from laundry to shopkeeper?
What is Lee Chew’s general impression of Americans? What experiences have shaped his view?
Why do the Chinese not dress like others in America? Is that okay?
What reason does Lee Chew offer to explain why Americans treat Chinese so badly?
Why does Chew believe the Chinese are better workers than other nationalities?
Can prejudice be based on jealousy? Explain.
What are some of the stereotypes Lee Chew expresses regarding other immigrant groups?
Why are most of the Chinese men unmarried? Give both reasons that Chew states.
Were the Chinese allowed to become citizens?
Do you think Lee Chew is happy about his decision to leave China and come to the United States?
Do you think he will take his money and go back to his village in China?
How does this article relate to immigrants in the United States today? Write a 5-7 sentence paragraph for
an answer.
[The Heathen Chinee]
By Bret Harte
1870
Which I wish to remark,
And my language is plain,
That for ways that are dark
And for tricks that are vain,
The heathen Chinee is peculiar,
Which the same I would rise to explain.
Ah Sin was his name;
And I shall not deny,
In regard to the same,
What that name might imply;
But his smile it was pensive and childlike,
As I frequent remarked to Bill Nye.
It was August the third,
And quite soft was the skies;
Which it might be inferred
That Ah Sin was likewise;
Yet he played it that day upon William
And me in a way I despise.
Which we had a small game,
And Ah Sin took a hand:
It was Euchre. The same
He did not understand;
But he smiled as he sat by the table,
With the smile that was childlike and bland.
Yet the cards they were stocked
In a way that I grieve,
And my feelings were shocked
At the state of Nye's sleeve,
Which was stuffed full of aces and bowers,
And the same with intent to deceive.
But the hands that were played
By that heathen Chinee,
And the points that he made,
Were quite frightful to see, -Till at last he put down a right bower,
Which the same Nye had dealt unto me.
Then I looked up at Nye,
And he gazed upon me;
And he rose with a sigh,
And said, "Can this be?
We are ruined by Chinese cheap labor," -And he went for that heathen Chinee.
In the scene that ensued
I did not take a hand,
But the floor it was strewed
Like the leaves on the strand
With the cards that Ah Sin had been hiding,
In the game "he did not understand."
In his sleeves, which were long,
He had twenty-four packs, -Which was coming it strong,
Yet I state but the facts;
And we found on his nails, which were taper,
What is frequent in tapers, -- that's wax.
Which is why I remark,
And my language is plain,
That for ways that are dark
And for tricks that are vain,
The heathen Chinee is peculiar, -Which the same I am free to maintain.
When was the poem originally published?
Define “heathen.” Use the word in a sentence.
What does “Chinee” stand for?
In the first stanza, what was the author’s opinion of the Chinese man?
What is the name of the Chinese man?
What feeling does the author hope to convey with this name?
Which 2 players cheat while playing the game of Euchere?
Even though Ah Sin claims not to know how to play, how does the author figure out Ah Sin
was lying?
Define “stereotype.” List 2 examples. What is the stereotype about Chinese in this poem?
Are today’s stereotypes about Asians the same as back then?
Why do you suppose that even though a white man was cheating as well, that only the Chinese
man was called a heathen?
According to the poem by Bret Harte, how did Americans in the late 1800s feel about the
Chinese?
Primary Source Political Cartoon
Puck
http://teachingresources.atlas.uiuc.edu/chinese_exp/resources/resource_1_4e.pdf
Primary Source Political Cartoon
Puck
Vocabulary: Assimilation
Define “assimilation.”
Use “assimilation” in a sentence.
Draw a picture to illustrate “assimilation.”
Content
What do you see in the cartoon?
What is written on the man’s clothes? Who does he represent?
What is written on the woman’s clothes? What country does she represent?
What is written on the scissors? Why is she cutting his hair?
There is a form of transportation drawn on her dress. What is it? Why would that be there?
Connections
How is this cartoon related to what you’ve already learned?
Communication
What is the point of view (bias)? In other words, which side of the issue is the artist taking?
How do you know?
Conclusion
What is the cartoon really saying?
Write about a time someone wanted you to look or act differently than you normally would. How does
that relate to the cartoon?
Lesson 2
California Content Standards:11.2.2
CCCSS: Reading 2, 7 Writing 9
Objective: Students will know laws that excluded the Chinese in the cities of America.
Materials used:
Websites and Primary Sources (listed below)
Into the Lesson
Political Cartoon: “The Magic Washer”
Questions worksheet
Through the Content
Handout and questions on Denis Kearney
Primary Source: Rocks Springs Massacre, WY 1885 article and questions
Tacoma Expulsion (WA) 1885 article and questions
Triple Venn Diagram to compare and contrast LA Massacre, Tacoma Expulsion and Rock Springs
Massacre.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark 1898 (Discusses Right of Citizenship)
Handout of court case and questions
Beyond
Juvenile Rights Writing Prompt
http://www.retrosnapshots.com/1880s-magic-washer-illustrated-advertising-poster.html
Primary Source Political Cartoon
The Magic Washer
Vocabulary: nativist
Define “nativist.”
Use “nativist” in a sentence.
Draw a picture to illustrate “nativist.”
Content
What do you see in the cartoon?
Who does the bearded man represent? How do you know this?
The men being kicked are from where?
Note the face on the sun. What country does the sun represent?
Connection
How does this cartoon connect to what you already know?
Communication
“Don’t use this if you want to be dirty.” What is the artist trying to say?
“The Chinese must go.” Where is it that the artist thinks the Chinese should go?
What side of the issue is the artist?
Conclusion
How do Nativists feel about the Chinese?
Overall, what is the cartoon trying to say?
http://immigrants.harpweek.com/ChineseAmericans/2KeyIssues/DenisKearneyCalifAnti.htm
Use the links above to navigate this web site.
Denis Kearney and the California Anti-Chinese Campaign
Denis Kearney was one of most important leaders of the anti-Chinese
campaign in California. Kearney was born in Ireland in 1847 and spent his
youth at sea. He arrived in San Francisco in 1868, entered the draying
business in 1872, married and started a family. In 1877, he became active
in the labor movement, and was known for his impassioned, vitriolic
speeches. He attracted large crowds and his orations were reprinted in
the daily papers. Kearney and others in the Workingmen’s associations
blamed the owners of large businesses and factories ("Capitalists") and
Chinese immigrants for keeping jobs scarce and wages low. Kearney
called for lynching the rich bosses and burning their property, and he
began and ended every speech with the slogan "The Chinese Must Go!"
Read the above information about Denis Keaney.
Explain the irony (“irony” is in the glossary) of Kearney’s campaign against Chinese immigrants.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5043/
“To This We Dissented”: The Rock Springs Riot
Even in the late nineteenth-century American West, a notably violent region, the violence
directed against Chinese immigrants was shocking. The Union Pacific railroad employed 331
Chinese and 150 whites in their coal mine in Rock Springs, Wyoming. On September 2, 1885,
Chinese and white miners, who were paid by the ton, had a dispute over who had the right to
work in a particularly desirable area of the mine. White miners, members of the Knights of
Labor, beat two Chinese miners and walked off their jobs. That evening the white miners, armed
with rifles, rioted and burned down the Chinese quarter. No whites were prosecuted for the
murder of twenty-eight Chinese and $150,000 in property damage, even though the identities of
those responsible were widely known. Although U.S. Army troops had to provide protection
before some of the Chinese could finally return to their burned-out homes in Rock Springs, some
defiantly continued to work in the Union Pacific mines into the next century. The grim story of
the riot was given in the Chinese workers’ own words in this “memorial” that they presented to
the Chinese Consul at New York.
We, the undersigned, have been in Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory, for periods ranging from one to
fifteen years, for the purpose of working on the railroads and in the coal mines.
Up to the time of the recent troubles we had worked along with the white men, and had not had the least
ill feeling against them. The officers of the companies employing us treated us and the white man kindly,
placing both races on the same footing and paying the same wages.
Several times we had been approached by the white men and requested to join them in asking the
companies for an increase in the wages of all, both Chinese and white men. We inquired of them what we
should do if the companies refused to grant an increase. They answered that if the companies would not
increase our wages we should all strike, then the companies would be obliged to increase our wages. To
this we dissented, wherefore we excited their animosity against us.
During the past two years there has been in existence in “Whitemen’s Town,” Rock Springs, an
organization composed of white miners, whose object was to bring about the expulsion of all Chinese
from the Territory. To them or to their object we have paid no attention. About the month of August of
this year notices were posted up, all the way from Evanston to Rock Springs, demanding the expulsion of
the Chinese, & c. On the evening of September l, 1885, the bell of the building in which said organization
meets rang for a meeting. It was rumored on that night that threats had been made against the Chinese.
On the morning of September 2, a little past seven o’clock, more than ten white men, some in ordinary
dress and others in mining suits, ran into Coal Pit No. 6, loudly declaring that the Chinese should not be
permitted to work there. The Chinese present reasoned with them in a few words, but were attacked with
murderous weapons, and three of their number wounded. The white foreman of the coal pit, hearing of the
disturbance, ordered all to stop work for the time being.
After the work had stopped, all the white men in and near Coal Pit No. 6 began to assemble by the dozen.
They carried firearms, and marched to Rock Springs by way of the railroad from Coal Pit No. 6, and
crossing the railroad bridge, went directly to “Whitemen’s Town.” All this took place before 10:00 A.M.
We now heard the bell ringing for a meeting at the white men’s organization building. Not long after, all
the white men came out of that building, most of them assembling in the barrooms, the crowds meanwhile
growing larger and larger.
About two o’clock in the afternoon a mob, divided into two gangs, came toward “Chinatown,” one gang
coming by way of the plank bridge, and the other by way of the railroad bridge. The gang coming by way
of the railroad bridge was the larger, and was subdivided into many squads, some of which did not cross
the bridge, but remained standing on the side opposite to “Chinatown”; others that had already crossed the
bridge stood on the right and left at the end of it. Several squads marched up the hill behind Coal Pit No.
3.
One squad remained at Coal Shed No. 3 and another at the pump house. The squad that remained at the
pump house fired the first shot, and the squad that stood at Coal Shed No. 3 immediately followed their
example and fired. The Chinese by name of Lor Sun Kit was the first person shot, and fell to the ground.
At that time the Chinese began to realize that the mob were bent on killing. The Chinese, though greatly
alarmed, did not yet begin to flee.
Soon after, the mob on the hill behind Coal Pit No. 3 came down from the hill, and joining the different
squads of the mob, fired their weapons and pressed on to Chinatown.
The gang that were at the plank bridge also divided into several squads, pressing near and surrounding
“Chinatown.” One squad of them guarded the plank bridge in order to cut off the retreat of the Chinese.
Not long after, it was everywhere reported that a Chinese named Leo Dye Bah, who lived in the western
part of “Chinatown,” was killed by a bullet, and that another named Yip Ah Marn, resident in the eastern
end of the town, was likewise killed. The Chinese now, to save their lives, fled in confusion in every
direction, some going up the hill behind Coal Pit No. 3, others along the foot of the hill where Coal Pit
No. 4 is; some from the eastern end of the town fled across Bitter Creek to the opposite hill, and others
from the western end by the foot of the hill on the right of Coal Pit No. 5. The mob were now coming in
the three directions, namely, the east and west sides of the town and from the wagon road.
Whenever the mob met a Chinese they stopped him and, pointing a weapon at him, asked him if he had
any revolver, and then approaching him they searched his person, robbing him of his watch or any gold or
silver that he might have about him, before letting him go. Some of the rioters would let a Chinese go
after depriving him of all his gold and silver, while another Chinese would be beaten with the butt ends of
the weapons before being let go. Some of the rioters, when they could not stop a Chinese, would shoot
him dead on the spot, and then search and rob him. Some would-overtake a Chinese, throw him down and
search and rob him before they would let him go. Some of the rioters would not fire their weapons, but
would only use the butt ends to beat the Chinese with. Some would not beat a Chinese, but rob him of
whatever he had and let him go, yelling to him to go quickly. Some, who took no part either in beating or
robbing the Chinese, stood by, shouting loudly and laughing and clapping their hands.
There was a gang of women that stood at the “Chinatown” end of the plank bridge and cheered; among
the women, two of them each fired successive shots at the Chinese. This was done about a little past 3:00
P.M.
Most of the Chinese fled toward the eastern part of “Chinatown.” Some of them ran across Bitter Creek,
went up directly to the opposite hill, crossing the grassy plain. Some of them went along the foot of the
hill where Coal Pit No. 4 stood, to cross the creek, and by a devious route reached the opposite hill. Some
of them ran up to the hill of Coal Pit No. 3, and thence winding around the hills went to the opposite hill.
A few of them fled to the foot of the hill where Coal Pit No. 5 stood, and ran across the creek, and thence
by a winding course to the western end of the “Whitemen’s Town.” But very few did this.
The Chinese who were the first to flee mostly dispersed themselves at the back hills, on the opposite bank
of the creek, and among the opposite hills. They were scattered far and near, high and low, in about one
hundred places. Some were standing, or sitting, or lying hid on the grass, or stooping down on the low
grounds. Every one of them was praying to Heaven or groaning with pain. They had been eyewitnesses to
the shooting in “Chinatown,” and had seen the whites, male and female, old and young, searching houses
for money, household effects, or gold, which were carried across to “Whitemen’s Town.”
Some of the rioters went off toward the railroad of Coal Pit No. 6, others set fire to the Chinese houses.
Between 4:00 P.M. and a little past 9:00 P.M. all the camp houses belonging to the coal company and the
Chinese huts had been burned down completely, only one of the company’s camp houses remaining.
Several of the camp houses near Coal pit No. 6 were also burned, and the three Chinese huts there were
also burned. All the Chinese houses burned numbered seventy-nine.
Some of the Chinese were killed at the bank of Bitter Creek, some near the railroad bridge, and some in
“Chinatown.” After having been killed, the dead bodies of some were carried to the burning buildings and
thrown into the flames. Some of the Chinese who had hid themselves in the houses were killed and their
bodies burned; some, who on account of sickness could not run, were burned alive in the houses. One
Chinese was killed in “Whitemen’s Town” in a laundry house, and his house demolished. The whole
number of Chinese killed was twenty-eight and those wounded fifteen.
The money that the Chinese lost was that which in their hurry they were unable to take with them, and
consequently were obliged to leave in their houses, or that which was taken from their persons. The
goods, clothing, or household effects remaining in their houses were either plundered or burned.
When the Chinese fled to the different hills they intended to come back to “Chinatown” when the riot was
over, to dispose of the dead bodies and to take care of the wounded. But to their disappointment, all the
houses were burned to ashes, and there was then no place of shelter for them; they were obliged to run
blindly from hill to hill. Taking the railroad as their guide, they walked toward the town of Green River,
some of them reaching that place in the morning, others at noon, and others not until dark. There were
some who did not reach it until the fourth of September. We felt very thankful to the railroad company for
having telegraphed to the conductors of all its trains to pick up such of the Chinese as were to be met with
along the line of the railroad and carry them to Evanston.
On the fifth of September all the Chinese that had fled assembled at Evanston; the native citizens there
threatened day and night to burn and kill the Chinese. Fortunately, United States troops had been ordered
to come and protect them, and quiet was restored. On the ninth of September the United States
government instructed the troops to escort the Chinese back to Rock Springs. When they arrived there
they saw only a burnt tract of ground to mark the sites of their former habitations. Some of the dead
bodies had been buried by the company, while others, mangled and decomposed, were strewn on the
ground and were being eaten by dogs and hogs. Some of the bodies were not found until they were dug
out of the ruins of the buildings. Some had been burned beyond recognition. It was a sad and painful sight
to see the son crying for the father, the brother for the brother, the uncle for the nephew, and friend for
friend.
By this time most of the Chinese have abandoned the desire of resuming their mining work, but inasmuch
as the riot has left them each with only the one or two torn articles of clothing they have on their persons,
and as they have not a single cent in their pockets, it is a difficult matter for them to make any change in
their location. Fortunately, the company promised to lend them clothing and provisions, and a number of
wagons to sleep in. Although protected by government troops, their sleep is disturbed by frightful dreams,
and they cannot obtain peaceful rest.
Some of the rioters who killed the Chinese and who set fire to the homes could be identified by the
Chinese, and some not. Among them the two women heretofore mentioned, and who killed some
Chinese, were specially recognized by many Chinese. Among the rioters who robbed and plundered were
men, women, and children. Even the white woman who formerly taught English to the Chinese searched
for and took handkerchiefs and other articles.
The Chinese know that the white men who worked in Coal Pit No. 1 did not join the mob, and most of
them did not stop work, either. We heard that the coal company’s officers had taken a list of the names of
the rioters who were particularly brutal and murderous, which list numbered forty or fifty.
From a survey of all the circumstances, several causes may be assigned for the killing and wounding of so
many Chinese and the destruction of so much property:
1. The Chinese had been for a long time employed at the same work as the white men. While they knew
that the white men entertained ill feelings toward them, the Chinese did not take precautions to guard
against this sudden outbreak, inasmuch as at no time in the past had there been any quarrel or fighting
between the races.
2. On the second day of September 1885, in Coal Pit No. 6, the white men attacked the Chinese. That
place being quite a distance from Rock Springs, very few Chinese were there. As we did not think that the
trouble would extend to Rock Springs, we did not warn each other to prepare for flight.
3. Most of the Chinese living in Rock Springs worked during the daytime in the different coal mines, and
consequently did not hear of the fight at Coal Pit No. 6, nor did they know of the armed mob that had
assembled in “Whitemen’s Town.” When twelve o’clock came, everybody returned home from his place
of work to lunch. As yet the mob had not come to attack the Chinese; a great number of the latter were
returning to work without any apprehension of danger.
4. About two o’clock the mob suddenly made their appearance for the attack. The Chinese thought that
they had only assembled to threaten, and that some of the company’s officers would come to disperse
them. Most of the Chinese, acting upon this view of the matter, did not gather up their money or clothing,
and when the mob fired at them they fled precipitately. Those Chinese who were in the workshops,
hearing of the riot, stopped work and fled in their working clothes, and' did not have time enough to go
home to change their clothes or to gather up their money. What they did leave at home was either
plundered or burned.
5. None of the Chinese had firearms or any defensive weapons, nor was there any place that afforded an
opportunity for the erection of a barricade that might impede the rioters in their attack. The Chinese were
all like a herd of frightened deer that let the huntsmen surround and kill them.
6. All the Chinese had, on the first of September, bought from the company a month’s supply of provision
and the implements necessary for the mining of coal. This loss of property was therefore larger than it
would be later in the month.
We never thought that the subjects of a nation entitled by treaty to the rights and privileges of the most
favored nation could, in a country so highly civilized like this, so unexpectedly suffer the cruelty and
wrong of being unjustly put to death, or of being wounded and left without the means of cure, or being
abandoned to poverty, hunger, and cold, and without the means to betake themselves elsewhere.
To the great President of the United States, who, hearing of the riot, sent troops to protect our lives, we
are most sincerely thankful.
In behalf of those killed or wounded, or of those deprived of their property, we pray that the examining
commission will ask our minister to sympathize, and to endeavor to secure the punishment of the
murderers, the relief of the wounded, and compensation for those despoiled of their property, so that the
living and the relatives of the dead will be grateful, and never forget his kindness for generations.
Hereinabove we have made a brief recital of the facts of this riot, and pray your honor will take them into
your kind consideration.
Questions
When did the riot occur?
Who wrote “To This We Dissented?”
What was the dispute about?
In your opinion, why was no one arrested?
According to the memorial, up to 1885, how did the whites and Chinese men get along?
Why did animosity begin?
What was “Whitemen’s Town?”
What was the name of the area where the Chinese men lived?
A massacre is when unarmed people are attacked. Was this a massacre?
The memorial mentions the treaty between the United States and China, allowing the Chinese to work in
America. What did that have to do with the Chinese not expecting the violence?
Who ordered the Army troops to come protect the Chinese?
What was his name (You may have to do some research!)?
http://www.tacomachinesepark.org/page.aspx?nid=235
Expulsion: The Tacoma Method
On November 3, 1885, a large group of Tacoma men rounded up all the Chinese people still in the city
(about 200 people, including both individual laborers and whole families) and marched them out of
town. The next day some Tacomans ravaged Chinese businesses downtown and burned shops and
lodgings that formed the Chinese settlement along the waterfront. This dramatic set of actions was the
climax of growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the region and beyond in the 1880s, the era of the Chinese
Exclusion Act (1882) to stop Chinese immigration into the United States. In the western part of the
country, Tacoma was not the only venue of violence; but Tacoma's use of orderly force to drive out of
the city all Chinese who had not left earlier, when tensions were mounting, set an example that became
known as "The Tacoma Method," remembered for its seeming avoidance of physical harm to the
Chinese.
Lorraine Barker Hildebrand, author of Straw Hats, Sandals, and Steel: The Chinese in Washington State,
drafted the original version of the following synopsis of the expulsion of Tacoma's Chinese population.
The statement dates from fall 1992 and was part of the earliest work of what would become the Chinese
Reconciliation Project Foundation.*
"In 1849, Chinese workers began to emigrate to the United States, particularly California. Lured by tales
of "Gum San," the Land of the Golden Mountains, they came seeking a better life for themselves and
their families in China.
Working the tailings left by white miners, they soon discovered that Gum San was not all they had been
told. Oppressive taxes and restrictive legislation were enacted against them by white miners and other
workers who feared a tide of foreign labor that would deprive white Californians of their livelihoods.
During the early 1860s, ten thousand Chinese laborers were imported to California to complete work on
the Central Pacific Railroad. After the completion of the project in 1869, many of the Chinese were
without work and had to look farther afield for jobs. British Columbia and eastern Washington Territory
offered gold mining. In 1870, two thousand Chinese were hired to work on the Northern Pacific Railroad
line from Kalama in the southwestern corner of Washington Territory to Tacoma, the western terminus
of the line. Many Chinese came north, and both legislative and popular persecution followed them, first
in British Columbia, then in eastern Washington, and finally in western Washington and the Puget Sound
area.
Some say that history repeats itself, and in this instance, it did. Work that had been available for the
Chinese began to dwindle as projects reached completion and the national economy went into a slump
in 1873. As in California, Washington residents were beginning to feel the economic pinch, and they also
looked for something or someone to blame. What better scapegoat than the Chinese: They wore odd
clothes, ate different food, and, since they could “live on practically nothing,” sent most of their
earnings home to China rather than spending it in the local economy.
Several local citizens who had witnessed problems in California firsthand and knew of Californians'
efforts to send away the Chinese met with the mayor of Tacoma and members of the school board, the
legal profession, the local press, and other influential people. Together, they generated their plan for
ridding Tacoma of its Chinese population: Not a massacre but an expulsion. This, they concluded, would
assure plenty of jobs available for the locals who were without work in a sour economy.
Mass meetings, with the mayor presiding, were held at the Alpha Opera House for public debate on the
subject. As reported in the local paper, the rhetoric was passionately in favor of expulsion. The other
side of the debate was presented by some local citizens--Ezra Meeker, the Puyallup pioneer, and an
alliance of Protestant ministers--but their pleas were in vain. Swayed by civic leaders and others, the
crowds favored expulsion.
Warnings were issued to the Chinese: "You must be Gone!" Employers of Chinese workers were forced
to replace them with whites or Indians. Posters on the telephone poles said "The Chinese Must Go!"
Seattle soon followed Tacoma’s lead, and the persecution spread up and down the Puget Sound.
Final plans were made on the night of November 2, 1885. On November 3, at 9:30 a.m., the whistles
blew at Lister’s Foundry and other mills in the area. Several hundred workers assembled and began their
methodical march through Tacoma’s streets where the Chinese had businesses--wash-houses, chophouses, shops--and residences. On to Chinatown and the waterfront they marched. At each place where
Chinese were, the crowd stopped, hammered on the door, and told them to assemble at 7th and Pacific
Avenue by early afternoon, for they were to leave Tacoma that day.
Later in the day, about 200 Chinese--young, old, men, and women--were gathered. Then began the
forced trek to Lake View, a suburban railway station just beyond the city limit south of Tacoma. The
wind was bitter and the rain driving as the Chinese were marched through the mud.
Some of the Chinese who were quite old or ill were driven to Lake View by wagon. The station at Lake
View had only a shed for protection, and after seeing the distress of the Chinese some local people
brought food and hot water for tea. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed. However, the wife of Lum
May, a successful merchant, was so frightened by the violence that she lost her reason and threatened
to kill people with an ax.
When the 3 a.m. train came through, some Chinese bought tickets and headed for Portland, Oregon.
Later, when the morning freight train came, the engineer said "Put 'em aboard. I'll take 'em to
Portland!" For several days, forlorn Chinese stragglers could be seen walking the tracks southward. As
Lum May said, "It was a sad spectacle."
After the expulsion, the 27 key ringleaders of the event were arrested and taken to the Vancouver
Barracks. They were prosecuted but never convicted. Some years later, the United States Government
paid an indemnity of over $424,000 to the Chinese government for all damages to Chinese in the United
States in numerous anti-Chinese incidents, including those in Tacoma and Seattle, Washington; Rock
Springs, Wyoming; and elsewhere.
What became known as "The Tacoma Method" was successful, but Tacoma lost in the end. The city lost
productive Chinese residents who could have contributed much to the wider community. There were no
Chinese again in Tacoma until the 1920s, for they were discouraged for decades from coming to town
and Tacomans actively campaigned not to allow Chinese to locate here."
Lorraine Hildebrand ended her 1992 summary of the expulsion with words that look ahead, not back:
"Now, the community is in the process of creating a park to reconcile this event and to provide a lesson
for future generations--to welcome future Asian citizens to Tacoma."
Tacoma Expulsion
Questions
How is what happened to the Chinese similar to what happened to the Jews during the Holocaust in
WWII?
How is it similar to how the American government treated Native Americans?
Using the Triple Venn Diagram, compare the Los Angeles Massacre, The Rock Springs Riot and the
Tacoma Expulsion.
Triple Venn Diagram
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0169_0649_ZS.html
Syllabus
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
169 U.S. 649
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE NORTHERN
DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
No. 18 Argued: March 5, 8, 1897 --- Decided: March 28, 1898
A child born in the United States, of parents of Chinese descent, who, at the time of his birth, are subjects
of the Emperor of China, but have a permanent domicil and residence in the United States, and are there
carrying on business, and are not employed in any diplomatic or official capacity under the Emperor of
China, becomes at the time of his birth a citizen of the United States, by virtue of the first clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution,
All person born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of
the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
This was a writ of habeas corpus issued October 2, 1895, by the District Court of the United States for the
Northern District of California to the collector of customs at the port of San Francisco, in behalf of Wong
Kim Ark, who alleged that he was a citizen of the United States, of more than twenty-one years of age,
and was born at San Francisco in 1873 of parents of Chinese descent and subjects of the Emperor of
China, but domiciled residents at San Francisco, and that, on his return to the United States on the
steamship Coptic in August, 1895, from a temporary visit to China, he applied to said collector of
customs for permission to land, and was by the collector refused such permission, and was restrained of
his liberty by the collector, and by the general manager of the steamship company acting under his
direction, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, not by virtue of any judicial order
or proceeding, but solely upon the pretence that he was not a citizen of the United States.
At the hearing, the District Attorney of the United States was permitted to intervene in behalf of the
United States in opposition to the writ, and stated the grounds of his intervention in writing as follows:
That, as he is informed and believes, the said person in [p650] whose behalf said application was made is
not entitled to land in the United States, or to be or remain therein, as is alleged in said application, or
otherwise.
Because the said Wong Kim Ark, although born in the city and county of San Francisco, State of
California, United States of America, is not, under the laws of the State of California and of the United
States, a citizen thereof, the mother and father of the said Wong Kim Ark being Chinese persons and
subjects of the Emperor of China, and the said Wong Kim Ark being also a Chinese person and a subject
of the Emperor of China.
Because the said Wong Kim Ark has been at all times, by reason of his race, language, color and dress, a
Chinese person, and now is, and for some time last past has been, a laborer by occupation.
That the said Wong Kim Ark is not entitled to land in the United States, or to be or remain therein,
because he does not belong to any of the privileged classes enumerated in any of the acts of Congress,
known as the Chinese Exclusion Acts, [*] which would exempt him from the class or classes which are
especially excluded from the United States by the provisions of the said acts.
Wherefore the said United States Attorney asks that a judgment and order of this honorable court be made
and entered in accordance with the allegations herein contained, and that the said Wong Kim Ark be
detained on board of said vessel until released as provided by law, or otherwise to be returned to the
country from whence he came, and that such further order be made as to the court may seem proper and
legal in the premises.
The case was submitted to the decision of the court upon the following facts agreed by the parties:
That the said Wong Kim Ark was born in the year 1873, at No. 751 Sacramento Street, in the city and
county of San Francisco, State of California, United States of America, and [p651] that his mother and
father were persons of Chinese descent and subjects of the Emperor of China, and that said Wong Kim
Ark was and is a laborer.
That, at the time of his said birth, his mother and father were domiciled residents of the United States, and
had established and enjoyed a permanent domicil and residence therein at said city and county of San
Francisco, State aforesaid.
That said mother and father of said Wong Kim Ark continued to reside and remain in the United States
until the year 1890, when they departed for China.
That during all the time of their said residence in the United States as domiciled residents therein, the said
mother and father of said Wong Kim Ark were engaged in the prosecution of business, and were never
engaged in any diplomatic or official capacity under the Emperor of China.
That ever since the birth of said Wong Kim Ark, at the time and place hereinbefore stated and stipulated,
he has had but one residence, to-wit, a residence in said State of California, in the United States of
America, and that he has never changed or lost said residence or gained or acquired another residence,
and there resided claiming to be a citizen of the United States.
That, in the year 1890 the said Wong Kim Ark departed for China upon a temporary visit and with the
intention of returning to the United States, and did return thereto on July 26, 1890, on the steamship
Gaelic, and was permitted to enter the United States by the collector of customs upon the sole ground that
he was a native-born citizen of the United States.
That after his said return, the said Wong Kim Ark remained in the United States, claiming to be a citizen
thereof, until the year 1894, when he again departed for China upon a temporary visit, and with the
intention of returning to the United States, and did return thereto in the month of August, 1895, and
applied to the collector of customs to be permitted to land, and that such application was denied upon the
sole ground that said Wong in Ark was not a citizen of the United States. [p652]
That said Wong Kim Ark has not, either by himself or his parents acting for him, ever renounced his
allegiance to the United States, and that he has never done or committed any act or thing to exclude him
therefrom.
The court ordered Wong Kim Ark to be discharged, upon the ground that he was a citizen of the United
States. 1 Fed.Rep. 382. The United States appealed to this court, and the appellee was admitted to bail
pending the appeal.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
Questions
When was the court case?
How long did it take before there was a verdict?
What does the 14th Amendment say about persons born in the United States?
Where was Wong Kim Ark born?
Where were his parents born?
At what point was Wong Kim Ark questioned about his citizenship?
Why was he not allowed to re-enter the United States?
What is the argument given by the District Attorney that denies Ark his citizenship? List at least 3 of his
points.
The Supreme Court looked at the facts to determine its verdict. What were the 8 facts given?
Based on those facts, do you think he was or was not a citizen? Explain.
What did the Supreme Court decide?
Why do you think the DA argued the case in the first place?
When parents come to America from another country to have their baby, should that baby born in the
United States automatically be a citizen? Explain.
In your opinion, should race be considered when determining citizenship in the United States?
Writing Prompt
The rights of juveniles are not the same as adults, just as the rights of Chinese immigrants were not the
same as others living in America. Think of some issues facing juveniles today. Do you see any court
cases in the future? (examples—gay/lesbian rights, dress codes, freedom of speech) Explain.
Lesson 3
California Content Standard: 11.4.1
CCCSS: Reading 2, Writing 2, 4
Objective: Students will understand the Open Door Policy.
Materials Used:
Website article
Into the Lesson
Strikes, Lay-offs and a depression around 1899. Writing prompt
Through the Content
Handout on the Open Door Policy including questions
Handout on the Boxer Rebellion history, including a political cartoon and questions
Beyond
Handout 2011 Political Cartoon, Latino immigration with questions
Writing Prompt
Around 1899, many businesses were closing and laying-off workers. At the same time, workers were
striking for better wages. Women were struggling for equal rights and the right to vote. A Depression (a
time when the Economy is bad) was beginning. How would what was going on in the United States
affect Chinese Immigration?
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h908.html
The Open Door Policy
Foreign Affairs, 1899
China was in political and economic disarray as the end of the 19th century approached. The giant was
not recognized as a sovereign nation by the major powers, who were busy elbowing one another for
trading privileges and plotting how the country could be partitioned. The imperial nations sought spheres
of influence and claimed extraterritorial rights in China.
The United States took Far Eastern matters more seriously after the Spanish-American War, when they
came into possession of the Philippines. In the fall of 1898, President McKinley stated his desire for the
creation of an "open door" that would allow all trading nations access to the Chinese market. The
following year, Secretary of State John Hay sought a formal endorsement of the concept by circulating
diplomatic notes among the major powers, enabling the secretary to be credited with authoring the Open
Door policy.
Hay’s proposal for an Open Door Policy called for the establishment of equal trading rights to all nations
in all parts of China and for recognition of Chinese territorial integrity (meaning that the country should
not be carved up). The impact of such an Open Door Policy would be to put all of the imperial nations on
an equal footing and minimize the power of those nations with existing spheres of influence.
No nation formally agreed to Hay’s policy; each used the other nations' reluctance to endorse the Open
Door as an excuse for their own inaction. An undeterred Hay simply announced that agreement had been
reached. Only Russia and Japan voiced displeasure.
On the surface, it appeared that the United States had advanced a reform viewpoint, but the truth was
otherwise. The U.S. had no sphere of influence in China, but had long maintained an active trade there. If
other nations were to partition China, the United States would likely be excluded from future commercial
activities. In short, Hay was simply trying to protect the prospects of American businessmen and
investors.
Challenges to the Open Door policy would be mounted frequently in the ensuing years, including the
Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in which Chinese nationalists resorted to armed opposition in an attempt to end
foreign occupation of their country; Japanese incursions into Manchuria following the Russo-Japanese
War; and the "21 Demands" levied by Japan on China in 1915.
An effort was made to shore up the Open Door in 1921-22 at the Washington Naval Conference, but a
challenge was again mounted by the Japanese in the 1930s as they expanded their control in Manchuria.
China would not be recognized as a sovereign state until after World War II.
The Open Door Policy
Questions
Why was it easy for other countries to lay claim to Chinese territory?
What nation in Asia did the U.S. take over in 1898?
Who was President at that time?
According to the president, what would an “open door” do?
Who actually wrote the Open Door Policy?
List the 2 parts of the policy.
Why did the United States want this policy?
List the 3 challenges against the policy.
Define “irony” (see Glossary).
At the same time that the United States is pushing the Open Door Policy, the U.S. is excluding the
Chinese from entering America. Why is that ironic?
http://archive.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=309
The Boxers
Uncle Sam (to the obstreperous Boxer). "I occasionally do a little boxing myself."
This Harper's Weekly cartoon by W. A. Rogers encourages an aggressive American military reaction to
the Boxer Rebellion in China. A determined Uncle Sam has donned two naval ships as boxing gloves,
provoking the Chinese rebel, whose knife drips with blood, into a wide-eyed grimace of fear.
The shock of Japan's defeat of China in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 spurred the Chinese
government to initiate reforms and open itself to Western influence. However, the Empress Dowager,
Tz'u-hsi, and many other Chinese favored traditional ways, so the reforms were only implemented in one
province. The Western powers took advance of this period of turmoil to carve up China into their own
spheres of influence. The United States only gained a foothold in Asia with the acquisition of the
Philippines after the Spanish-American War of 1898, so was in a weaker position in China. In response to
European expansion there, President William McKinley and Secretary of State John Hay formulated the
Open Door policy (1899), which insisted that trade barriers not be erected by the European nations and
that the territorial integrity of China be maintained.
Resentment of foreign intervention crystallized in the establishment of I-ho ch'üan (Righteous and
Harmonious Fists), called Boxers in the West because of their belief that mystical boxing rituals protected
them from bullets. The Boxers were primarily a religious society that initially focused its wrath on
Christian missionaries and Chinese converts to the Western religion. Their agenda soon expanded into the
eradication of all foreign presence and influence in China, and they attracted strong backing in Northern
China, which had been devastated by floods and drought.
In 1898, the Boxers led a rebellion in Shantung province and soon gained adherents in the Chinese capital
of Peking (Beijing). The ruling Manchu court was ambivalent about the movement, pleased by its antiforeign drive but concerned about its destabilizing affect on China, and took a neutral stance at first.
However, by the spring of 1900, the Ch'ing administration gave its secret blessing to the Boxers. In early
June, an international force of 2000 sailed from Tientsin to Peking, where the Boxers were burning
foreign property and killing foreign nationals and Chinese Christians. Meanwhile, the Empress Tz'u-hsi
declared war on the foreign powers.
As associates ran McKinley's reelection campaign, the president and his foreign policy advisors crafted
America's response to the Boxer Rebellion. The administration preferred the United States to act
independently, but circumstances soon prodded McKinley to order the American military commander in
China, Rear Admiral Louis Kempff, to "act in concurrence with other powers so as to protect all
American interests." In late June 1900, McKinley transferred 2500 American soldiers from the
Philippines, where they were suppressing an uprising against American control, to China. The troop
dispatch sparked criticism from American politicians (mainly Democrats) and editors who charged the
president with imperialism and exceeding his Constitutional authority. McKinley believed a president's
Constitutional war powers granted him such authority.
Questions
Why did the Americans care what was going on in China (see “Open Door Policy” if you’ve forgotten)?
Who were the Boxers?
Why were they called that?
What were they protesting?
According to artist W. A. Roger’s cartoon, how did Rogers want the United States to handle the Boxer
Rebellion? How do you know that?
How did President McKinley want to handle the Rebellion? What did he instead eventually do?
Were the Boxers successful? Explain.
In your opinion, should McKinley have gotten US troops involved? Why/why not?
What is your opinion of President Obama’s decision to currently have troops in the Middle East?
http://www.otherwords.org/files/3352/alabama-immigration-cartoon.jpg?width=800
2011 Immigration Political cartoon
Questions
Define Jim Crow laws (glossary).
Give 2 examples of the laws.
Currently, the United States and Mexico have a treaty to allow free trade between the 2 countries.
According to the above cartoon, does the United States want immigrants from Mexico?
How is that ironic?
What do Jim Crow laws have to do with Latino immigrants?
What percentage of Americans do you think agree with this cartoon? Explain.
Should American taxpayers have to pay for all students, legal or not, to go to school? Explain.
Lesson 4
California State Standard: 11.5.2
CCCSS: Writing 7
Objective: Students will know the laws regarding school and immigrant students.
Materials Used:
Website
Into the Lesson
Writing Prompt: Should students be allowed to go to any school that they want to attend?
Through the Content
Article on the history of Segregated Schools for the Chinese in America. Questions
Beyond
Writing Prompt
Writing Prompt
Should students be allowed to go to any school that they want to attend? Explain
What if it was in a different city?
History of Segregated Schools for the Chinese in California
http://web.me.com/joelarkin/MontereyDemographicHistory/1885_CA_Educ.html
An 1880 California Education law required the admission of “all children” to the public schools, without
regard to race. The 1885 law copied below modified that by authorizing (but not requiring) school
districts to establish segregated schools for Chinese or Mongolian (including Japanese) students. The
1893 law expanded that authorization by adding American Indians as another racial group that school
districts could teach in segregated schools. Notice that authorization to segregate African American
students was not included in these two laws.
1885: Amendment to Political Code section 1662, establishing separate schools for children of
Mongolian and Chinese descent.
Every school, unless otherwise provided by law, must be open for the admission of all children
between six and twenty-one years of age residing in the district; and the Board of Trustees, or City
Board of Education, have power to admit adults and children not residing in the district, whenever
good reasons exist therefor. Trustees shall have the power to exclude children of filthy or vicious
habits, or children suffering from contagious or infectious diseases, and also to establish separate
schools for children of Mongolian or Chinese descent. When such separate schools are established,
Chinese or Mongolian children must not be admitted into any other schools.
1893: Amendment to Political Code section 1662, adding Indian children to the list of children for
whom separate schools may be established.
Every school, unless otherwise provided by law, must be open for the admission of all children
between six and twenty-one years of age residing in the district; and the Board of Trustees, or City
Board of Education, have power to admit adults and children not residing in the district, whenever
good reasons exist therefor. Trustees shall have the power to exclude children of filthy or vicious
habits, or children suffering from contagious or infectious diseases, and also to establish separate
schools for Indian children and for children of Mongolian or Chinese descent. When such separate
schools are established, Indian, Chinese, or Mongolian children must not be admitted into any
other school; provided, that in cities and towns in which the kindergarten has been adopted, or may
hereafter be adopted, as part of the public primary schools, children may be admitted to such
kindergarten classes at the age of four years.
http://web.me.com/joelarkin/MontereyDemographicHistory/Plessy_Case.html
1896.“Plessy v. Ferguson”, a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled that it was constitutionally
okay to provide racially segregated facilities.
Following passage of the 14th Amendment, which said that all persons were entitled to equal protection
under the law regardless of race, many states, including California, began racially segregating their
facilities. Non-white persons would be served, if they must, but they would be served in separate
facilities.
In the Plessy case linked above, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated facilities were okay as long
as the separate facilities were equal. This federal ruling permitting racial segregation would remain in
effect until 1954.
http://web.me.com/joelarkin/MontereyDemographicHistory/Mendez_1.html
1947.Westminster v. Mendez, a court ruling that affirmed California school districts’ right to run
segregated schools for Indian and Asian students, but not for Mexican American students.
In 1946, Gonzalo Mendez and several other Mexican American parents sued five school districts in
Orange County, including the Westminster School District, because they denied their children admission
to the white schools, and instead required them to attend segregated schools for children of Mexican
ancestry. The school districts argued that it was their right, under both federal court rulings and California
law, to operate racially segregated schools.
In 1947, the Ninth Circuit Court agreed that California school districts could operate racially segregated
schools. However, it also ruled that both federal court rulings and California statutes only allowed the
segregation of children “belonging to one or another of the great races of mankind”. They did not permit
segregation of children “within one of the great races”.
California school districts could continue to segregate American Indian and Asian students, but they
could not segregate Mexican American students from other white students.
http://web.me.com/joelarkin/MontereyDemographicHistory/1947_CA_End_Ed_Seg.html
The landmark Mendezcase (see earlier document in list) had subjected California’s long history of
operating racially segregated schools to considerable public scrutiny and debate. Thus, later in 1947,
legislation was introduced to repeal all racial segregation authority from California Education Codes. This
“Anderson Bill” passed in the legislature and was signed into law by California Governor Earl Warren.
This law ended state-approved racially segregated schools in California. However, it did not end racially
segregated schools, per se. Schools that served predominantly white students or predominantly non-white
students remained common across California.
The repeal of the state’s formal education segregation laws did reframe the debate over equal education
for children of all races. What would it mean to provide “equal education” in schools that were attended
by students that came from school attendance neighborhoods that were racially segregated? What would it
mean to provide “equal education” to students of all races when non-white communities experienced
other forms of social and economic discrimination outside of the schools? What responsibilities would a
school district or the state have to racially desegregate the schools, or to overcome the debilitating
consequences of poverty and discrimination faced by many non-white families?
http://web.me.com/joelarkin/MontereyDemographicHistory/Brown_v_Bd_of_Ed.html
1954.Brown v. Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racially
segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and therefore unconstitutional.
The link above goes to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. This
ruling overturned the Court’s 1896 ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson which had decided that racially “separate
but equal” facilities were allowed under the U.S. Constitution. The Brown decision ruled that segregated
schools were “inherently unequal” and therefore violated students’ constitutional rights. [The Supreme
Court’s decision was written by Earl Warren, the former California governor—see above]
Because racial segregation was deeply rooted in American culture, things were very slow to change
following the Brown decision. After decades of legal resistance and violence, large-scale school
desegregation eventually came to much of American education. However, the complex debate related to
the issue of equal education, as well as the legislative and judicial maneuverings triggered by the Brown
decision, are still with us to this day.
Questions
What did the laws of 1885 say about schools? List 3 facts.
Plessy v. Ferguson allowed schools to legally do what? Which institution okayed the law?
In Mendez v. Westminster, which groups rights were upheld? Which groups were still discriminated
against?
What was the name of the court case that outlawed segregated schools?
What kind of personality characteristics do you think Earl Warren had?
How did these new laws change education for Chinese students?
In your experience and observation, are students treated equally in school?
Create a timeline showing the history of school segregation in California.
Title:
x_____________x_______________x_____________________x_____________________x
Writing Prompt
Are all public schools equal? Explain.
Are students treated equally in public schools? Explain.
Lesson 6
California State Standard: 11.5.2
CCCSS: Reading 2, 7 Writing 4,9
Objective: Students will see how new Immigration acts affected the Chinese immigrants and
Americans.
Materials Used:
Websites
Through the Content
Chinese Immigration timeline and assignment
Angel Island Excerpt and essay prompt
Scoring Rubric included
Sing Sheng wanted to move into a white neighborhood—Handout and questions
Student Friendly
Scoring Guide—Essay
Score: 4 The essay
Clearly completed all parts of the writing assignment.

Clearly states the thesis*; organization and focus are consistent throughout assignment.

Uses thoughtful examples and specific details to support the topic and thesis* statement.

Uses a variety of sentence types and precise, descriptive language.

Clearly written for the intended reader.

Contains few mistakes in punctuation, grammar and spelling; revised in first draft.
Score: 3 The essay
Includes all steps of the writing assignment.

Gives a point of view (thesis* statement) on the topic, stays on the topic, and is
organized.

Uses several examples and details to support the main idea and thesis*.

Uses several sentence types with some descriptive vocabulary.

Addresses the reader.

Has some punctuation, grammar and spelling mistakes, but is easily understood.
Score: 2 The essay
Covers only parts of the writing assignment.

May have a main idea or thesis statement, but wanders off topic; order of events may be
confused.

May support the thesis* statement, but more details and examples are needed.

Uses short basic sentences and limited descriptive vocabulary.

Has little or no awareness of the reader.

Has errors in punctuation, grammar and spelling that may make it difficult for the
reader
to understand.
Score: 1






The essayTalks about only one part of the task.
Wanders away from topic, is unorganized, has no main point or thesis statement.
Does not use examples or details to support ideas.
Uses sentences that sound alike and are missing descriptive words.
Has no awareness of the reader.
Has many punctuation, grammar and spelling mistakes that make it difficult for the
reader to understand.
http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/immigr05.htm
Asian Pacific Americans and Immigration Law
Timeline
After each section of information, write how the law affected Chinese
Immigrants.
1844 Treaty established formal relations with China, allowing Chinese to travel to America to work
1862 An act to protect free White labor against competition from Chinese labor and to discourage the
immigration of the Chinese into California
1868 Burlingame-Seward Treaty The US and China agreed to trade, travel and residence rights for each
other’s citizens; still prohibited naturalization (glossary)
1878 Chinese ineligible for naturalized citizenship
1880 Sino-American Treaty The Chinese government said they would prohibit Chinese people from
going to the US in exchange for protection from the US for the immigrants already in America
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited immigration of Chinese workers for 10 years; prohibited
naturalization
1884 Increased restrictions on Chinese workers in the US—wives not allowed; anti-miscegenation laws
(glossary)
1888 Scott Act prohibited immigration of virtually all Chinese, including those that had left the US for a
visit to China and wanted to return to America
1889 Chae Cahn Ping v. United States Supreme Court ruled that an entire race could be barred from
entry into the US if it seemed that the group would not assimilate (glossary)
1892 Geary Act extended exclusion of Chinese workers another 10 years; stripped legal rights; required
immigrants to carry legal papers
1894 Immigration officers authorized to ban the entry of Chinese
1894 Gresham-Yang Treaty China agreed to total prohibition of immigration to the US in exchange for
re-entry for those that had left the US to visit China. Did away with Scott Act
1898 United States v. Wong Kim Art Supreme Court ruled that any person born in the United States,
even with Chinese parents, was an American
1900 “United States v. Mrs. Cue Lim Supreme Court ruled that wives and children of Chinese
businessmen were allowed into the US
1902 Exclusion of Chinese workers extended another 10 years
1910 Angel Island opened as an immigration station, it served as a prison for Chinese immigrants
1921 National Origin System-Immigration Act The US started setting a number of how many people
could enter the US from individual countries
1922 Cable Act took away an American woman’s citizenship if she married an immigrant that could not
become a naturalized citizen
1924 Johnson-Reed Act restricted all Asians from coming into the United States
1925 Chang Chan v. John Nagle—Supreme Court ruled that Chinese wives of American men were not
allowed to enter the US
1925 Cheun Sumchee v. Nagle Supreme Court ruled that the Johnson-Reed Act did not apply to the
wives and children of Chinese businessmen
1927 Weedin v. Chin Bow Supreme court ruled that any babies born to American parents who never
lived in the US are not American and therefore are not allowed to enter
1931—Repealed Cable Act
1943 Magnuson Act repealed the exclusion of Chinese immigrants. Chinese were allowed to become
American citizens. 100 Chinese immigrants allowed every year
1953-1956 Refugee Relief Act—Since China had been taken over by Communism, 2000 Chinese
allowed to enter each year
1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act—gave equal amounts to all countries for immigration. 20,000
people per country; priority to those that had special skills and family in the US
1986 Amnesty (glossary) declared for certain illegal immigrants
Chapter 6: Detained on Angel Island
We arrived in high hopes but we worried about not being able to answer the
many questions that the authorities were to ask us. We were scared of getting
deported.
A number of Chinese people were deported back to China. For us, returning
to China would be shameful. There were rumors that a few people committed
suicide rather than to be sent back to China in shame.
Women and men were segregated in Angel Island, and while we were there,
we were locked up in the women's barracks. The barracks had barred doors
and windows. Guards wearing green uniforms stood outside and constantly
watched us. Our barrack had a handful of women who came before us and
were still waiting to learn their fate — would they make it into the United
States or return home in shame?
Chinese detainees getting tested on
Angel Island. (Photo © California State
Museum Resouce Center)
Each day, we sat and waited to be called for our immigration interview. The
waiting was nerve-wracking. There wasn't anything to keep us occupied. We had no books to read and no toys to
play with. We didn't study the coaching papers while being detained because we had memorized the questions and
answers back in our village.
Each day, we were escorted to the dining area, where we ate Chinese food. We ate rice, meat, and vegetables. We
also ate bread and fruit. The food was good and was supplemented by the government.
But we were not treated kindly. The officials seldom smiled or acknowledged us. I hated the detention and I was
worried that we could be deported, but I did not have to worry for long.
After a week, we had our immigration interview. We were interrogated separately. Mother was questioned for one
day, my older sister Li Hong was questioned for half a day, and I was questioned for two hours. My father had to
make the trip from Oakland, taking the ferry to Angel Island, where he was questioned for two days. We didn't even
know he was there until later because we had no way to communicate with him!
Finally, we were released, and we were so relieved! My father was waiting for us when we got off the ferry in San
Francisco, and we traveled to Oakland where we would start our new lives in Gold Mountain — our name for
America.
I was so upset by my experience that for 50 years I refused to talk about Angel Island. It was not until 1985 that I was
able to talk and write about it.
Li Keng Wong, 1933
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-american/angel_island/chapter1.htm
Angel Island
Essay Prompt
Read the primary source excerpt from Angle Island about Chinese Immigrants. Write a 5
paragraph essay describing 3 ways how this historical account relates to your life or other times
in history.
One possible structure to this essay could be:
1st paragraph: Introduction. You could start your essay by summarizing the article.
2nd paragraph: What is the first account of a time in history or your life that is similar to the
Chinese immigrants? (Be Specific)
3rd paragraph: What is the second event?
4th paragraph: What is the third time?
5th paragraph: Conclusion. Summarize the main points of your essay and give the reader ONE
LAST IDEA to think about, such as other times not already written about or thoughts on the
future.
Keep in Mind:
Use words that are appropriate for your audience and purpose. Your teacher will be reading this.
Carefully read the question.
Organize your writing with a strong introduction, body and conclusion.
Vary your sentences to make your writing interesting to read.
Check for mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence formation.
Make sure you have at least 5 paragraphs.
A high school level paragraph includes 5-7 sentences.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816012,00.html
TIME Magazine
February 25, 1952
The white bungalow with the pink shutters in San Francisco's Southwood subdivision was just what Sing Sheng and
his family wanted. With their second baby coming soon, they needed more room than they had in their little house on
Eagle Street, and Southwood was only ten minutes away from Sing's job as a mechanic for Pan American World
Airways. So Sing, a 26-year-old former Chinese Nationalist intelligence officer, scraped together $2,950 for the down
payment, and began buying furniture. Then he got a phone call. Their future neighbors, all white, didn't want them to
move in. "I was not born in America, and I don't understand," said Sing. "I didn't know about any race prejudice at all."
Nothing Personal. Sing, a U.S. college graduate who took refuge in the U.S. when the Communists came to power in
China, thought surely that a problem like this could be solved in a democracy. He asked to see some of the
neighbors, and was pleased as could be when the first man who showed up was Charles H. ("Harry") Carlyle, a
fellow Pan American employee. Sing and Carlyle had met at the plant, and Carlyle had fondly recalled the Chinese
friends he made in China before the war. But Harry quickly made it clear that he was not on Sing's side. Nothing
personal, he said, but the property owners didn't want the area overrun by non-Caucasians and the value of their
homes lessened. The other neighbors added that they had clauses in their deeds forbidding sales of properties to
non-Caucasians.
Sing knew that the U.S. Supreme Court had declared such clauses unenforceable. What would happen if he insisted
on his rights and moved in? Well, said the neighbors, the children might be inclined to throw garbage on his lawn and
break his windows. Sing said he didn't see how children would do things like that unless their parents told them to,
and that hardly seemed like a good way to bring up children in a country dedicated to the principles of Washington
and Lincoln.
At that point, Les Clements, construction supervisor for Williams & Burrows, Southwood home builders, stepped up to
straighten out Sing's thinking. "Look," said Clements. "You've been to college and been taught to think that the U.S. is
just like the America of Washington and Lincoln that they write about in history. But that's not the whole picture. There
are other things to be considered, and people must stick together to protect their property rights."
"Please Vote for Us." Then Sing proposed a "democratic" way out: let the neighbors vote on whether his family
should move in, and he would abide by the decision. The residents agreed, and a ballot went to every Southwood
home. With great hope, Sing sent each resident a letter: "Before you reach any decision as to how you will vote in the
ballot, allow us to tell you our opinion. The present world conflict is not between individual nations, but between
Communism and democracy. We think so highly of democracy because it offers freedom and equality. America's
forefathers fought for these principles and won the independence of 1776. We have forsaken all our beloved in China
and have come to this country seeking the same basic rights. Do not make us the victims of false democracy. Please
vote for us." A real-estate development company also sent out a letter to South-wood's home owners: protect your
property, keep the non-Caucasians out.
Last week, in Harry Carlyle's garage, the votes were counted: 174 objected to Sing Sheng and his family; only 28 did
not, 14 had no opinion.
Sing, neatly dressed in a double-breasted dark blue suit, rose to speak to the neighbors while his Chinese-American
wife wept. "Thank you very much for your decision," said Sing bitterly. "I hope your property values will go up every
three days."
Sing Sheng Questions
What year did Sing Sheng try to buy a new house?
Why did he have problems buying the house he wanted?
Was it against the law for Chinese to live in White neighborhoods?
What probably would have happened if Sheng’s family had moved in?
Would his neighbors have gotten in trouble? Why/Why not?
What was the outcome of Sheng’s democratic vote of his would-be neighbors?
What was Sheng’s response?
Do you think he believed that the Whites would let him move in? Why do you think that?
Luckily, not everyone was as racial as this neighborhood. When others heard the story, he was invited to
move into another neighborhood.
Lesson 7
California State Content Standard: 11.8.7
CCCSS: Reading 2 Writing 4
Materials:
Wikipedia.org
Students read encyclopedia entry on Jerry Yang, cofounder of Yahoo! search engine. Write summary.
Chinese Americans and Technology
Read the following article about Jerry Yang. Write a summary of the
article. For each paragraph, write 1 or more important facts.
Jerry Yang (entrepreneur)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jerry Yang
楊致遠
Jerry Yang
Early life
Born in Taipei, Taiwan on November 6, 1968, Yang moved to San Jose, California at the age of
ten with his mother and younger brother. His father died when Yang was two. He claimed that
despite his mother being an English teacher, he only knew one English word (shoe) on his
arrival. Becoming fluent in three years, he was placed into an AP English class.[4]
Yang graduated from Sierramont Middle School, and Piedmont Hills High School.[5] He went on
to earn a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Stanford
University, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.[5][6]
Career
While he studied in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, he co-created in April 1994
with David Filo an Internet website called "Jerry and Dave's Guide to the World Wide Web"
consisting of a directory of other websites. It was renamed "Yahoo!" (an exclamation). Yahoo!
became very popular, and Yang and Filo realized the business potential and co-founded Yahoo!
Inc. in April 1995.[7] They took leaves of absence and postponed their doctoral programs
indefinitely.
Yahoo! started off as a web portal with a web directory providing an extensive range of products
and services for online activities. It is now one of the leading internet brands and, due to
partnerships with telecommunications firms, has the most trafficked network on the
internet.[citation needed]
On November 17, 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported that Jerry Yang would step down as
CEO as soon as the company found a replacement. He had been criticized by many investors,
including Carl Icahn, for not increasing revenues and the Yahoo! stock price.[8]
On January 13, 2009, Yahoo! named Silicon Valley veteran Carol Bartz as its new chief
executive, effectively replacing Yang.[9] Yang regained his former position as "Chief Yahoo" and
remains on Yahoo's board of directors.[10]
Personal life
Yang is married to Akiko Yamazaki, a Japanese woman who was raised in Costa Rica. She
graduated from Stanford University with a degree in industrial engineering and is a director with
the Wildlife Conservation Network. The couple met at the Stanford University in Kyoto overseas
program in 1992.
Yang is currently on the Board of Directors of Alibaba, the Asian Pacific Fund, Cisco, and
Yahoo! Japan, and is also on the Stanford University Board of Trustees.[11]
Philanthropy
In February 2007, Jerry Yang and his wife gave USD $75 million to Stanford University, their
alma mater, the bulk of which went to building the "Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki
Environment and Energy Building",[12] a multi-disciplinary research, teaching and lab building,
the first to be realized on Stanford's new Science and Engineering Quad.
Criticism
Jerry Yang was criticized for a statement regarding the role of Yahoo! in the arrest of Chinese
journalist Shi Tao by Chinese authorities.
While in China, Shi Tao used a Yahoo email address to notify a pro-democracy website that the
Chinese government ordered the Chinese media not to cover the fifteenth anniversary of the
Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 on June 4. Yahoo! provided the Chinese security agencies
with the IP addresses of the senders, the recipients and the time of the message. Tao was
subsequently convicted for "divulging state secrets abroad." Yang was heavily criticized and
Reporters Without Borders called Yahoo! "a Chinese police informant" whose actions led to the
conviction of a journalist and writer.
Jerry Yang declared, "To be doing business in China, or anywhere else in the world, we have to
comply with local law[s]." This was controversial, as critics claimed Yahoo! violated
international law as well as a 1989 decision by the U.S. Congress to prohibit U.S. companies
from selling "crime control and detection" equipment or software to the Chinese Government.[13]
The New York Times reported that political prisoner Wang Xiaoning and other journalists had
brought a civil suit against Yahoo for allegedly aiding and abetting the Chinese government
which, it was claimed, resulted in torture that included beatings and imprisonment.[14]
In October of 2007 Jerry Yang was summoned to Washington to answer for Yahoo's comments
regarding its role in the arrests of Shi Tao and other journalists in China.[15][16]
On November 14, 2007, Yahoo agreed to settle with affected Chinese dissidents, paying them
undisclosed compensation. Yang stated, "After meeting with the families, it was clear to me what
we had to do to make this right for them, for Yahoo, and for the future." In response, Democratic
Congressman Tom Lantos, chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
stated, "It took a tongue-lashing from Congress before these high-tech titans did the right thing
and coughed up some concrete assistance for the family of a journalist whom Yahoo had helped
send to jail. What a disgrace."[17]
Jerry Yang wrote a letter to then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice requesting her assistance
in freeing the jailed dissidents.[18] In addition, Yang established the Yahoo! Human Rights Fund,
a fund to provide "humanitarian and legal support" to online dissidents.[19] One of the first public
projects of the fund was financing the establishment of the Laogai Museum, a museum opened
by noted Chinese dissident Harry Wu to showcase China's laogai penal system.[20]
This change of heart has not been able to stop the chain of events that began with the arrest of
jailed dissident Li Zhi, which resulted in another lawsuit being filed against Yahoo on behalf of
Plaintiffs Zheng Cunzhu and Guo Quan who allege the loss of property and a garment business.
The complaint alleges, "violation of international law including torture and prolonged detention,
as well as unfair business practices, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false
imprisonment and assault."[21]
Glossary
Amnesty: granting a pardon or excuse to an individual that has done something wrong—with
immigration, it means that the illegals become legal
Miscegenation: when people from different races marry
Inherent: born with
Inalienable: that may not be taken away
Naturalized: given the rights of citizenship
Irony: the opposite of what is to be expected
Exclusion: act of excluding or not including
Nativist: favoring native-born Americans over foreign-born
Literacy: the act of being able to read
Communism: a form of government where there is no private ownership of property, businesses, etc.
Red Scare: Americans were afraid that Communist countries would try to take over America.
Annual: yearly
Quota: the number that is allowed
Heathen: uncivilized or un-Christian person
Assimilation: the act of becoming like another group
Stereotype: an idea about a person based on looks, gender, etc. and not based on the actual person
Jim Crow Laws: Laws in the south until 1960s that kept blacks separate from whites