Assignment #9- The Last of the Chinese :(

To sum it all up, the 3 Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882,1892, and 1902 were unfair legislation passed by congress because more and more Chinese were pouring into the United States. The three Chinese Exclusion acts changed the America because of the negative outlook towards Chinese immigrants. The Chinese Exclusion acts changed the way the Bay Area in a positive way. The Bay Area is full of diversity especially Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, and San Francisco. The world has seen how Angel Island processed immigrants. Immigrants were treated like dirt. They were poorly fed, treated, and many were crammed into small rooms. The living conditions were really bad for Chinese immigrants. Reactions to the Chinese Exclusion Acts after 1882 were harsh. People were mistreating immigrants everywhere. Immigration restrictions became torture for the Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area. The mistreatment of the Chinese spread like a wild fire through out the country. People were portraying the Chinese immigrants in a negative way. The media played a big part in enhancing the stereotypes of Chinese immigrants through newspaper articles and images. Many images depicting the Chinese were presented all over the United States.

My final opinion of the 3 Chinese Exclusion Acts is that they were unfair and created a lot of stereotypes for the Chinese. There were to many restrictions and Americans began to follow into the stereotypes and judgments of the Asian people. The Chinese people were hardworking and took any job that presented itself. Americans on the other hand were picky. As a result Chinese immigrants were working more but getting paid less because of the Americans were to indecisive about the type of work they wanted to do. If it Angel Island was not a processing camp for immigrants the diversity in the bay area would not be so rich. The story of the Chinese immigrants and there struggles will be highly recognized as the years fly by. History is being uncovered everyday and the Chinese immigrants have played a major part into that role. Today Angel Island is a part of U.S history and has been closed down after the fire that destroyed the administration building in August, 1940. The government decided to abandon the immigration station. At Angel Island, the objective was to exclude new arrivals, the memories of many returning visitors are now bittersweet. A museum has been established in the old barracks building. It includes a re-creation of one of the dormitories, and highlights some of the poems that were carved into the station's walls. It's a reminder of what the Chinese did to get to this country and shows how strong they are.

Assignment #8

The main point of Chinese Immigration and the Exclusion Acts I would like to give is how it affected the Bay Area....mainly San Francisco because of the Immigration Station, Angel Island. Chinese immigrants were treated poorly with the utmost disrespect. The immigration laws became more and more strict. Most Chinese immigrants were processed in Angel Island. The Chinese introduced their unique culture to the Bay Area which should of been welcomed because of the diversity the bay area holds but it wasn't. The Chinese were not mainly welcomed in the U.S. because of the way they were portrayed. The Chinese were negatively aimed like a freaking sniper. As shown at the bottom of my blog the Chinese were depicted with ridiculous illustrations all over the United States that really started the negative stereo types. Those stereo types were like a domino affect because it's spread like a wildfire from state to state. It was the worst in the Bay Area because so many immigrants were forced to reside here. Many Immigrants were processed like retail items. Chinese immigrants were working for lower wages than Americans so as a result the Chinese were finding more jobs and "taking" them from the Americans.
With so many Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area it has affected many cities in thee Bay Area. Many Chinese decided to stay in the bay area and raise children here. There culture is so unique that they created a Chinatown in San Francisco. Chinatown has now become a popular place where tourist like to go. There culture is so strong because Chinatown is "old fashioned". When you are in Chinatown you feel like you are in China and the people are so friendly. There is also a Chinatown in Oakland which is very cultured as well. Despite the hardship the Chinese Immigrants have gone through it shows the "BIG PICTURE" of what the Chinese are. No matter what, they will always have their culture and be strong and share that culture with the communities surrounding them. It has not only made the Bay Area a unique place to live but an ideal place to live because of the diversity. The Bay Area's Chinese Immigration has affected the U.S. in a unique way by showing how to adjust to cultures and enjoy other cultures by welcoming them.

Assignment 7- Uncovering our findings

During my 7 week period of researching my topic I found out tons of information on the Exclusion Act after 1882. A lot of the information was overwhelming at time but it has been helpful in understanding why these events were happening. I've found out that there were 3 exclusion acts in 1882,1892, and 1902. Every 10 years a new exclusion act was renewed. But every Exclusion Act was intensified and it had it's effects on the Chinese especially in the Bay Area. A lot of the Chinese immigrants were processed in Angel Island so the bay area was the core place of immigration detainment. Many American were against Asian immigrants because they would work for low wages and take jobs of Americans. The Exclusion Acts were really enforced in the Bay Area because we had a high percentage of Asian immigrants because they were detained in Angel Island. At the time it was a positive thing to have a place to isolate all immigrants from Americans. Now its an embarrassment because it shows how bad racism was back then and how we treated Asian immigrants. It tells us that we follow laws even if we don't believe they are right. Our past is not a good past to be remembered by but its part of our history. The story of the Exclusion Acts and Angel island reveals how the Bay Area contributed to the negative history of the United States.

Assignment 6

Following up on my last post, I want to touch bases on immigration restrictions from 1870-1900. During the late 19 century, nativist and anti-Catholic groups such as the Immigration Restriction League and the American Protective Association(APA), labor union leaders, and several American intellectuals called on the federal government to rethink its immigration policies. They wanted to implement a program of more selective immigration. The movement to restrict the number of immigrants entering the U.S. had first emerged in the 1870's. The main cause of the restriction movement was the social and economic changes taking place in America following the Civil War. These changes had produced a more stratified society where class tensions and labor conflicts abounded. Many Americans saw the immigrants as the main source of social and economic issues. Americans thought immigrants promoted radical or "un-American" interests. Also they were viewed as mentally and physically inferior and believed they corrupted politics by selling their votes, were prone to poverty and crime, undermined the standard of living of American workers, and posed a threat to traditional American values.
From the beginning of restriction on immigrations there were labor unions with the opposition focused on the Chinese in California. The Workingmen's Party of California blamed unemployment and low wages on Chinese immigration. Supported by labor organizations in the East, western labor leaders lobbied Congress to pass restrictive measures aimed to reduce the number of Chinese immigrants entering the United States.

Assignment 5

Wow! this week was the most informal week so far. I spoke to a lady named Maryanne at the library in Berkley and she gave me tons of primary sources. She even took the liberty of printing them for me. We were discussing the Chinese exclusion act and she pointed out that a new Chinese Exclusion act would be created every ten years. First there was the Chinese Exclusion act of 1882. Followed by the Chinese exclusion act of 1892, and finally the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1902. The Chinese Exclusion act of 1892 was a renewal by the U.S congress of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 suspending the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States for ten years. It was a violation of an 1880 treaty with China, which allowed the U.S to regulate, limit or suspend immigration but not to prohibit it entirely. In this exclusion act when a Chinese person is convicted and adjudged under any laws to be not lawfully entitled to be or remain in the U.S will be sent to China unless that person can prove to a judge that they are citizens of another country. Furthermore, they can remain in the U.S and be imprisoned for less than a year and then be sent back to their country. If arrested they must prove their lawful right to remain in the U.S. I noticed in Section 6 of the written act they used the word "Chinaman". The sentence goes like so; "Should it appear that said Chinaman had procured a certificate which has been lost or destroyed he shall be detained and judgment suspended a reasonable time to enable him to procure a duplicate from the officer granting it". In a written law for them to use the word Chinaman was really surprising to me but I guess back then people didn't really see it as a bad thing. In the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1902 legislation enacted by the U.S congress on April 29, 1902, that suspended Chinese immigration to the U.S indefinitely. Favored by organized labor, especially within California, it succeeded in the Chinese Exclusion acts of 1882 and 1892. The act was more restricted than previous measures and extended the law to the Philippines and Hawaii and prevented Chinese migration from these islands to the mainland. The 1902 prohibition remained in effect until 1943, when immigration was permitted under a strict quota system.
California was most effected by the coming of Chinese laborers which was one of the reasons why Angel Island was so important during this era. Like I spoke about in my last post, Angel island was a terrible nightmare for Chinese immigrants. Angel island was where they were processed but the living conditions in the island were horrible. The rooms were small, dozens of people would sleep in one room, and some immigrants would be there for years. It wasn't a great system of process but it's what California relied on. It was the perfect place to keep immigrants if you think about it. It's an island close to land but you have to get there on a boat. The immigrants were not on the land of U.S citizens they were on an island miles away from land. Chinese immigrants were detained and interrogated in hopes to deport as many as possible by asking them obscure questions about their villages and family histories in which most of them did not answer correctly. Men and women were housed separately. Detainees spent much of their time in the barracks, languishing between interrogations.The immigrants expressed their fears and frustrations through messages and poems written or carved into barrack walls. Some poems are still visible at the museum today.Immigrants were detained weeks, months, sometimes even years. Word got back to China about the prolonged questioning, so people would try to mentally prepare before even crossing the Pacific Ocean.A 1940 fire destroyed the Angel Island administration building, so the U.S. government abandoned the immigration station.

Assigment 4

It's been a hectic week, but I am trying to get a better understanding on the Chinese Exclusion Act. I called the Chinese Historical Society of America located in San Francisco and asked a few questions about the Chinese Exclusion act. The lady that I was talking to seemed to be distracted so I asked if I can make an appointment to speak to someone who can tell me about the Chinese Exclusion Act and the affects in San Francisco. I made an appointment for Friday wish me luck :). If anyone wants to know how to reach them here is the number- 415-391-1188. I will keep you guys updated.
I also found a video of the Chinese exclusion act on you tube.
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akC_XNlYeec&feature=related

The San Francisco Building Trades Council (BTC), organized in 1898, actively participated in the anti-Asian agitation that characterized California politics, particularly labor politics, in the late-19th century. They argued that the very presence of Chinese (and, after 1900, Japanese and Korean immigrants as well) dragged down the living standards of white workers.Between 1910 and 1940, there were as many as 175,000 Chinese immigrants detained and processed at Angel Island, San Francisco. Generally, Chinese without family connections in the United States were excluded from entry. The exception to this law was Chinese diplomats. Later, legal loopholes emerged for Chinese merchants and wealthy travelers. At that time, no other racial groups were denied entry into the United States. As a result to this law, "paper-sons" were created. Many Chinese seeking entry bought false papers to show a family connection living in the United States. Often, Chinese residents would list numerous non-existing sons and daughters to try to help bring others of their village or town here. The great earthquake and fire that almost leveled San Francisco facilitated this objective because most, the original records were destroyed.To enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and other subsequent Chinese exclusion laws, the Immigration Station at Angel Island was built in 1910. Chinese arriving in San Francisco were inspected.

Assignment-3

I found a few important pictures for my topic. I narrowed my topic down to the Chinese exclusion act and how it affected California along with the views toward the Chinese. This is a picture of the Chinese exclusion act, it looks authentic I did a background check on the website and it seems to be legit. This website has records of Chinese immigrants and some great pictures. It also had a downloadable document with tons of useful information.
In a book California History the author talked about the Chinese exclusion act in California. She mainly talked about the economic growth that was a result of the Chinese coming to America. They also contributed through labor in the mines, agriculture, and railroads. During the 30 year period from 1850 to 1880 anti Chinese agitators in California captured the news spotlight, suggesting to East coast observers that there was agreement among Californians on the need to seriously restrict or altogether exclude Chinese immigrants. The authors argument in this section of the book was that no matter what the Chinese contributed in people didn't recognize it. They only recognized the spot light of the Chinese exclusion act.
My second secondary source is a book called The North American Review, Ho Yow the author, is arguing whether the Chinese Exclusion act was a benefit or harm. She's just giving points on each of the arguments. She also describes how the exclusion act caused the United States to cut off all communication with China during the time. She gives great counter points to each argument that are very helpful to my topic once I piece them together.