China in America!



Jack Chen one of the immigrants...

Chinese immigrated to the US because the over population in China and most of them lived poorly and needed better jobs. They also wanted to live with their families in better places for more possibilities. Some also came to America for the "Gold Mountain". Others left China either as contract laborers or refugees. Most of their immigration purpose were similar to those of most immigrants of other countries. Most of them left from being peasents to become laborers.

Most of them had to travel by foot, boat, and trains. When they landed in America they had to be inspected in Angel Island and if they had good answers in their interviews they could enter America.They would have to wait weeks even months. While waiting they were put in bars and poor habitats. Some were sent back to China just because their interviews were not educated or did not have a good reason to immigrate.

First immigrants were received well in America. They were even working in good jobs. After the Gold Rush ended beacuse of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. They were recruited to extract metals and minerals, also to construct railroads, build irrigation system and even in fishery. By the first period America had over 110,000 Chinese immigrants. However, Americans started to exclude them because of their good working skills. They ended up in poor jobs like laboring, shoecleaners, and grocery stores. Because of their segregation they made their own community called "Chinatown". Chinatown was a community in which they had all their rights with their culture and traditions.  With this they had their way out of the racism and seperation.

The segregation of the Chinese people was very wrong. Chinese immigrants had trouble to fit in at America but they worked their way out of there. It was unfair to make them go for so much pain not physically but mentally by seeing there children go through a lot. If I were one of this immigrants i would feel powerful for all the things I went through just to move. I would take this moment as a legend in my family because I had brought them to a better place. Immigration has been in this world since, well since the world started. People who immigrate have to take a challenge with their faith because sometimes you can do it but sometimes to immigrate is not for you.