The Chinese in 19th Century America

Tell you neighbor What do you remember about Chinese-Americans from 8th grade?

Homework Write a 1-page response to the following prompt: How would you resist transformatively? Remember that transformative resistance: Identifies what oppression existed. Identifies who was responsible for that oppression. Identifies who did what to resist that oppression. Reduces or eradicates the oppression.

Why they came Poor economic opportunities at home Gold Rush After, many worked on railroads or laundries Almost all men Came to earn money and return to China Many highly educated

How they were treated Viewed as “aliens”, unlike European immigrants Personal, city, state, and federal discrimination Seen as a labor threat Worked too hard and “stole” “American” jobs Seen as a sexual threat Anti-miscegenation laws passed to stop ALL race-mixing

Rock Springs Massacre, Wyoming Territory

Personal Discrimination Chinese workers refuse to join white strike 150 white miners attack Chinese and kill 28 and injure 15 No penalties People of color forbidden to testify Police don’t investigate Sparks similar violence in Washington and California UDHR 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Laundry Ordinance

City Discrimination Laws and bias in other jobs force Chinese to own laundries SF Board of Supervisors requires fire marshall inspections of laundries Chinese laundries almost always refused White laundries almost always granted UDHR 23.1: Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment … and to protection against unemployment.

Foreign Miner’s Tax

State Discrimination California: all non-native miners must pay $20/month; later only Chinese miners Huge burden on poor laborers White miners have financial advantage UDHR 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Federal Discrimination USA: No Chinese immigrants allowed Exception for sons of those already here Only complete ban on national immigration EVER Precedent for future racist immigration law 1906 Earthquake Fire destroys records kept in San Francisco Chinese immigrants claim to be relatives Tested on all information on all people in home village UDHR 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Homework Write a 1-page response to the following prompt: How would you resist transformatively? Remember that transformative resistance: Identifies what oppression existed. Identifies who was responsible for that oppression. Identifies who did what to resist that oppression. Reduces or eradicates the oppression.