4. The change of population
4.1 The huge influx of Chinese
The immigration and Nationality act of 1965 results in the booming of Chinese population in America. The number of Chinese in America was 237,292 in 1960, and it grew to be 435,062 by the end of 1970, and 806,027 in 1980. During 1969-1977, the number of Chinese immigrants mounted to 196,000. The Chinese take a greater and greater proportion of America population, with 0.14% in 1960(before the act), 0.21% in 1970, 0.35% in 1980 and 0.67% in 1990. (Chart 1) Another fact that can strongly illustrate the scale of influx is that before the immigration and Nationality act of 1965, 61% Chinese in America was born within the U.S., while it turned out to be 68% Chinese in America was born outside the U.S. after that . (Chart 1)
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Manhattan’s Chinatown is just a microcosm. Before the immigration and Nationality act of 1965, the population of Chinese in downtown Manhattan was no more than 30,000. The 1990 census shows that 54,315 Chinese lived in Chinatown in Manhattan. (Chart 2)
Chart 2 Chinese population in Manhattan
According to Table 3.1 on page 62, Godfrey shares information upon population by race and hispanic origin in New York City, Poughkeepsie, and San Francisco from the U.S Census. San Francisco’s total population is 805,232 as of 2010 and Chinatown itself has a population of 14,542.
The short-term impact within 10 years after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed which led to the Geary Act being passed in 1892. “The law requires all Chinese residents of the United States to carry a resident permit, a sort of internal passport. Failure to carry the permit at all times was punishable by deportation or a year of hard labor.”(DBPedia) And in return within 10 years, the economy had visibly changed after the act was passed because it had affected the Chinese laborers that contributed to the expansion of the railroad industry and led to more discrimination against the Chinese population after the act had passed excluding Chinese people from America even after 10 years. “Republican President Rutherford B. Hayes vetoed the
Chinese people came to America for opportunities to support their families in the 1800s. It all started when slavery was abolished. The sudden lack of labor created a shortage of workers in the nation’s economy. The immigrants rushed into the country to fill the empty positions at plantations. Many of them came as indentured servants, which were men who recruited workers and paid for their transportation in exchange for a period of labor with little to no profit.
In the 1920’s there was a resurgence of Nativism that led to massive immigration restriction. The National Origins Act of 1924 had a goal to limit specific nationalists, ethnic, and religious groups that could enter the United States. They did so by allowing only a certain percentage come into America per year. For example, based on the number of immigrants during the Gilded Age if there were four million individuals of Anglo-Saxon descent living in the U.S., only eighty thousand, two percent, could come into
Everyone in Seattle might be familiar with a place called Chinatown. It is a place where you can feel a Chinese-like atmosphere. It was also constructed as the International District station (Thumbnail History). The Chinatown – International District has been the historical, cultural, and political center for Seattle’s Asian American communities. For the first generation immigrants, it was their first home in Seattle.
Nowadays, when traditional urban Chinatowns in Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia are fading due to gentrification and changing cultural landscapes, Chicago 's Chinatown is growing larger — becoming what experts say could be a model for Chinatown survival in the U.S. Between 2000 and 2010, Chicago Chinatown 's population increased 24 percent and its Asian population increased 30 percent. Asians make up nearly 90 percent of the neighborhood 's population, according to 2000 and 2010 Census of the U.S. Census Bureau. Experts also say that of all the foreign-born Asians living in Chicago 's Chinatown, nearly 10 percent arrived in the last three years — a stark contrast to New York and San Francisco, where immigrants no longer fuel
The period between 1877 and 1920 marked a significant chapter in American history, characterized by a massive wave of immigration. This transformative era witnessed both notable changes and enduring continuities that shaped the United States. Exploring this topic as a college student, we delve into the historical events of this period and analyze the dynamics of immigration during this time frame. By examining what changed and what remained the same between 1877 and 1920, we gain valuable insights into the societal and cultural shifts that occurred. Changes in Immigration (1877-1920): One of the most prominent changes during this period was the shift in the countries of origin for incoming immigrants.
These institutions were a way for Chinese immigrants to cling to their culture and allow them to seek economic and social improvement. “During the 1850s, Chinatowns in San Francisco was already a bustling colony of thirty-general merchandise stores, fifteen apothecaries, five restaurants, five herb shops, three boarding houses, five butcher stores, and three tailor shops” (Takaki, Pg.195). Certainly, these establishments exemplify the commitments made by the Chinese population as to developing an infrastructure for proceeding generations. These close net communities were often designed to establish social ties to the United States; ideally, the earlier mindset of many Chinese immigrants had changed; however, for some Chinese immigrants, they were uncertain of their future in the country and as a result “the Chinese tended to invest their money in personal property rather than in land, preferring to take long leases in order to sublet” (Chinese in America Life, Pg. 202). As this mindset was only the minority of the Chinese population, many immigrants contributed to the development of Chinatown by creating their own businesses.
Prolouge As I took a deep breath in, smoke entered my lungs and I could barely hear my mother saying, “Go. Go to America, get a job and send us money and one day” she coughs and when she can function, she continues, “ one day, we will join you.” he grabbed my trembling hands in her own soft, warm ones as I asked her, “ What about the kids, it’s not safe here for them?” She motioned for me to bend lower to her and she whispered gently into my ear, “They will be fine, I will protect them.
If the american child 's parents found out that they were hanging out with a chinese child then they would be forbidden to ever see them again, some never had a chance to say goodbye to the other child. As each bad rumor came out about the chinese,more american parents became more protective of their children. The chinese did so much for not only their people but for other immigrants to, they fought for their rights and future even if it meant dying for the others who were having miserable lives. The immigrants from the past helped people today by opening people 's eyes to show them that everyone is the same, we all bleed,get sick,make mistakes,and show emotions.
Assimilation is usually meant to indicate what happens to immigrants in a new land. However, “rejection, loneliness, discrimination—these were the byproducts of living in the United States” (Ghymn 37). In Marilyn Chin’s essay on assimilation “How I Got That Name,” the speaker acquaints the readers how she got the American name “Marilyn.” The tension between the two cultures is evident, for the speaker is treated as “Model Minority.” Her race and ethnicity define her; in fact, the stereotypes inscribed with her race restricted and cage her significance in the society.
Chinese Immigrants in Northern California Throughout its history the United States has seen a great ebb and flow in the amount of immigrants entering the country. For a country that was founded by immigrants many of its policies in the 19th and 20th centuries sought to exclude and limit the amount of immigrants coming from many continents, including Asia and Africa. Chinese Immigrants increasingly started showing up in Northern California at the start of the gold rush in 1849 and would establish a large enclave known as China Town in San Francisco. Immigrants from China were particularly targeted with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, that made illegal, the influx of Chinese laborers that had been migrating to the US just a few years prior.
Currently, the population of people with Chinese descent in America reaches to 1.2%, which accounts to an estimated 3.8 million people. This all started with the Gold Rush, which let two completely opposite cultures that had never interacted before encounter their differences. The religious and cultural exchanges between the American and Chinese societies occurred with many difficulties of acceptance and tolerance, resulting in the diverse American society of present day. After differences between the two cultures were overcome, the Gold Rush opened the doors of exploration for many generations of not only Chinese immigrants, but all Asian ethnicities to follow. Many immigrants would later follow in their footsteps to find what America has to offer them.
Thesis: The Chinese Exclusion Act. A document that was first signed in 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur. This was and still is important because it was the first law that restricted immigration into the United States. This document was signed because Congress was concerned about keeping white “racial purity,” even though the Chinese population consisted of only 0.002 (two thousandths) percent of the whole population.
These immigrants were immensely different ethnically and culturally. This immigration resulted in nativism – the fear of immigrants – becoming a major issue. Ordinary citizens of the United States looked to both control and restrict immigrants with a number of laws including the Chinese Exclusion Act which was enacted in the year 1882 (Lamoreaux, 2010). Most of the immigrants resided in ethnic urban neighborhoods. Immigrants were also affected since most of them were poor and lived in poorer neighborhoods and slums where conditions were