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Shirley Chen
Dr. Knelper
Freshman Inquiry: Portland
11/12/14
Chinese in Oregon
As Oregon was developing and urbanizing, the population of immigrants was
increasing too. One of the largest groups of immigrants was the Chinese. The early
Chinese immigrants to Oregon were an overflow from California into Oregon. The first
group of Chinese immigrants came to the United States, mainly to California during the
Gold Rush. They worked as miners and sent money back to their families in China. After
Chinese people arrived in Oregon, they also worked on the railroads, in textile mills, and
in the salmon canning industries. Since Chinese workers were willing to work for longer
hours, but with lower wages, competition increased between Chinese workers and White
workers. As the tension between Chinese workers and White workers increased, the Anti
– Chinese Association in Oregon was founded in 1873. (“Anti – Chinese Association” 1)
Soon after in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed (“Compendium of the U.S.
Eleventh Census, 1890” 1). The opportunities in Oregon caused the population of Chinese
immigrants to increase between the decades of 1870 – 1880. However the discrimination
toward Chinese immigrants, and the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act caused the
population of Chinese immigrants to decrease after 1880.
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Between the decades of 1870 – 1880, the population of Chinese in Oregon almost
tripled. “In 1870, the census takers enumerated 3,330 Chinese in Oregon. In 1880, they
numbered 9,510” (Corbett and Corbett 75). The major occupations occupied by Chinese
workers in 1870 included common laborers, railroad workers, salmon canners, laundry
workers, domestics, cooks, and dishwashers. The average age of Chinese people in
Oregon was 26 years old. Most of them were between 20 – 30 years old. Most
importantly, in the beginning of 1870, 92.3% of the Chinese in Multnomah County were
mature males. As a result, there were also many Chinese women working as prostitutes.
(Corbett and Corbett 77)
Because of the tension between white workers, Chinese workers were always
forced to work in bad conditions, and received relatively low wage. The article Chinese
Cannery Workers near Astoria, Oregon, describes the working conditions in a salmon
canning company. Beginning in the 1870s, Columbia River Canneries employed mostly
Chinese to clean, chop, can, and cook salmon. During the census in 1880, at the peak of
salmon season, 2,045 out of the 7,055 workers were Chinese. This article describes the
fish-cleaning process:
One [person] does nothing but cut off heads, tails, and fins. Then he passes
the fish onto another man who rips it open and takes out the insides. The
next man scrapes off the scales. And so the salmon go all the way down
these long rows of tables until they are dressed, washed, and sliced. Then
they are put into cans and are shipped to all parts of the world. ("Chinese
Workers in Astoria Cannery" 1)
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Despite all this work, on average, Chinese workers earned only about one dollar per day.
Chinese workers were willing to work for less money and longer hours, which
took the job opportunities away from white workers. One of the most common arguments
that white people had toward Chinese immigrants was that Chinese people couldn’t
assimilate into American culture. Almost no Chinese immigrants in Oregon had gone to
school. According to the Chinese in Oregon, “In 1870, within the three select counties,
there was not a single Chinese, male or female, attending school. Furthermore, in the
whole state, there were no Chinese females and only seven Chinese males recorded as
having attended school between January 1869 and January 1870.” (Corbett and Corbett
79) The attendance was so low mainly because the average age of Chinese immigrants in
Oregon was 26 years old and it would have been embarrassing for them to attend school
with children so much younger than them. Since Chinese people couldn’t assimilate into
American society, and white people were not accepting of them, the tension between
them kept increasing.
In 1873, the Anti – Chinese Association of Oregon was founded, which officially
was called the Anti – Chinese protective Alliance No.1 for the State of Oregon. The
establishment of this association led to serious discrimination against Chinese workers,
and it greatly impacted the Chinese in Oregon. Part of the pledge of the membership of
the association was:
I will not employ or use Chinamen on any work under my control, and
will discourage their employment by others on all occasions. I also pledge
myself that I will not knowingly patronize those who employ Chinamen,
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when it is in my power to do otherwise; and that I will not vote for any
man for office who will not pledge himself to support the foregoing
principles, and use all lawful means in his power for those abrogation of
that portion of the treaty between the United States and the Empire of
China by which Chinese are admitted amongst as upon the same terms
with the most favored nations of Europe. ("Anti - Chinese Association" 1)
This suggests that some white people shunned Chinese people in Oregon by not
employing them, not supporting them, and discouraging others to help them.
Discrimination was severe, and the association believed that Chinese immigrants should
not be protected under the same terms as European immigrants.
As racial tensions heated up, the immigration office passed the Chinese Exclusion
Act in 1882. It banned Chinese people from entering the United States. Those who
arrived before November 1, 1880 could re-enter with a special certificate. Chinese who
were exempted from exclusion included merchants, teachers, students, government
officials and tourists. Since “merchant” was one of the exempted categories, many
Chinese shifted from being labor to merchants. Historian Aaron Daniel Coe suggests that:
In the ensuing four decades, the laboring population dwindled while
successful merchants built families along with social and trade networks.
Moreover, the decline in the Chinese population made the merchants, now
well-known, appear less threatening and newsworthy, and the increasing
proportion of the respectable merchant class generated more positive
media coverage. (Coe 2)
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In conclusion, Chinese immigrants have long history in Oregon ever since it
became a state. Between the decades of 1870 – 1880, Chinese immigrants came to
Oregon because of the opportunities to make money, and Chinese immigrants left
because of the tensions between whites and themselves. The formation of the Anti –
Chinese Association and passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act both caused a huge
impact on the Chinese community in Oregon.
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Bibliography
"Anti - Chinese Association." Oregonian 13 June 1873. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
"Chinese Workers in Astoria Cannery." Oregon History Project. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Coe, Aaron Daniel , “Chinese Merchants and Race Relations in Astroia, Oregon, 1882 – 1924”
(2011). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 422.
"Compendium of the U.S. Eleventh Census, 1890." Compendium of the U.S. Eleventh Census,
1890. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Corbett, P., and Nancy Corbett. "The Chinese in Oregon." JSTOR. Oregon Historical Society, 1
Mar. 1977. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.