A Chinese Exclusion Act
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The Chinese exclusion act was enacted in the year 1882, restricting illegal immigration of the Chinese into the United States of America. The law did not only put strong restriction measures but also denied citizenship to those already present. The majority of Americans complained that the Chinese were taking up most of their jobs even though their numbers were negligible. The act, therefore, was enacted in response to these demands claiming a reduction of wages and poor economic returns because many Chinese workers offered cheap labor. During the 179th century, racism was prevalent in most significant parts of the United States. The major factor contributing was, therefore, response to racism and an escape from earning low wages by the Americans.
Current debates argue that the Chinese arrived in the United States for the same reason as everyone. Their goal was to find better economic opportunities and build successful lives for themselves and their families. Those who arrived early struggled to fit into the US economy and lived in fear of arrest and deportation. Many immigrants considered having achieved the American dream upon entering America. They would settle in city enclaves because of cheap housing, entry for available employment opportunities, and support from members of their ethnic groups. Recently, there has been an increase of Asian immigrants into the USA, resulting from the restructuring of the American immigration policies. The changing global, political, and economic factors have led to a change of immigration patterns, facilitating the shift of the immigration pattern.
The early Chinese immigrants passed through traumatic experiences while arriving in the United States. For example, David Leong traveled for 20days in a boat trying to memorize the names of his fake parents and siblings who lived in particular blocks in the USA. He was only an eight-year-old boy at the time of his immigration. He stated how he escaped war and deplorable conditions in China to look for a better life in the USA. While in Angel Island, together with other immigrants, they experienced fear, and many of them attempted suicide because they could not leave the island. They wrote their melancholic frustrations on the walls inside the building held against their will. To them, this was an island. Recently, many Chinese families live in embarrassment and fear of possibly being victims of deportation. They always question their descent, especially when their forefathers fail to reveal the truth to them. As seen from the discussion, other minority groups such as the black, Hispanics, Latino Americans share a similar experience with the Chinese Americans. Most of their ancestors entered the US territories through illegal means, aiming to live the ‘American dream.’ In many instances, they have been discriminated based on race, especially in work opportunities.
Paper sons and daughters are immigrants who entered the USA claimed blood relations to Chinese American families who had already gained US citizenship by presenting fake documents. Hence, they are illegal immigrants. Everyone who considers moving to the US should understand rules on immigration. The authorities, not to include the larger society, should handle those who break these rules individually. Moreover, ethnicities should not strive for dominance on who is better than the other, instead focus on working to improve the economy.
Recently, there has been an influx of immigrants from various ethnicities. The newer generation of immigrants is no longer staying in the overcrowded and metropolitan areas for ethnic enclaves. Moreover, these new generations are financially stable, which enables them to maneuver their way into the US economy with ease. They can comfortably engage in grassroots leaderships and electoral politics, compared to the past when they faced racial segregation, which barred them from having better job opportunities and political representativeness. Learning from the Chinese Exclusion Act, immigrants have the role of contributing to a robust economy, culture, improved homesteads, and improved working conditions for the working immigrants.
Bibliography
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {“uncited”:[],”omitted”:[],”custom”:[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Dunigan, Grace. “The Chinese Exclusion Act: Why It Matters Today” 8, no. 8 (2017): 82–87.
Lui, Richard. Https://Www.Youtube.Com/Watch?V=Hhc-Om3SXKw, 2009.
“The Nativist Response,” 706, n.d.
