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Chinese Immigration In The Late 1800s

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In the early to mid-1800s many impoverished Europeans began coming to North America to encounter opportunities and to make a new life for themselves and families. At the same time, Chinese people were crossing the Pacific to come to the United States and improve their quality of life as well. The major incline in Chinese immigration came when the gold rush kicked off in 1848. By 1880 more than 200,000 Chinese had settled in the United States. They were first met with hospitality from white Americans, but soon after the opinions turned into animosity. The Chinese had come to a country and garnered great success so many whites saw them as great rivals. Even though the Chines faced fierce discrimination during the second half of the nineteenth century, they remained in America and managed to support themselves. …show more content…
A majority of these people were hardworking and strategic. Some of them even succeeded and were able to drastically better their lives. However, the newfound prosperity that the Chinese people garnered was short-lived. There were discriminatory laws put in place to hinder the success of these people. One of such laws was the 1852 “foreign miners” tax. The sole purpose was to exclude the Chinese from gold mining. The migrants were also faced with violent hostility from the white miners. They were unfairly treated, worked in terrible conditions, and were grossly underpaid. Violence towards the Chinese continued to grow. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, banning Chinese immigration into the US for ten years. There were many other instances of unfairness towards the Chinese but ultimately, they were severely

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