Injustice and the Head Tax Chinese Immigration Injustice and the Head Tax
Timeline 1788: 50 Chinese arrive in Canada 1858: 1st Major wave of Chinese arrive. ~ 1,000 (almost exclusively) young men seeking fortunes in a new land referred to as “Gold Mountain”. 1881: 2nd wave 17, 000 Chinese workers were employed(exploited) to build the Transcontinental Railway. 1885: Transcontinental Railway complete. 1885: ‘yellow peril” sparked anti-Chinese legislation which included a head tax (entry fee) of $50 to discourage further immigration and disrupt family life. 1900: Head tax increase from $50-$100 1903: Head tax increase from $100-$500 1858 Came to work as gold prospectors, when jobs dried up in the mining industry they became: labourers (digging ditches, building roads) domestic work (ie laundry service) Considered the bottom of the social ladder.
Timeline 1923: Chinese Immigration Act all Chinese immigration was prohibited effectively closing the entry door to Canada. 1947: Chinese Immigration Act repealed and Chinese granted the right to vote. 1967: All anti-Chinese clauses were removed. 2006: Stephen Harper delivers official apology to head tax survivors and families. 1858 Came to work as gold prospectors, when jobs dried up in the mining industry they became: labourers (digging ditches, building roads) domestic work (ie laundry service) Considered the bottom of the social ladder.
Chinese Sacrifice Chinese labourers made only between $0.75 and $1.25 a day (not including expenses), leaving hardly anything to send home. They did the most dangerous construction jobs. The families of the Chinese who were killed received no compensation—not even notification of loss of life. Many of the men who survived did not have enough money to return to their families in China and spent years in lonely, sad and (often) poor conditions. Families were split up for years, some as many as 22 years without seeing wife and children. It is estimated that 600 Chinese died.(1 for every mile of track)
Political Cartoons
Political Cartoons