History Assignment
Name of Student
Institution affiliation

HISTORY ASSIGNMENT Immigrant laborers are unskilled and casual workers who move about in a systematic manner from one region to another with the intention of providing their services on a seasonal and temporary basis. Chinese immigrant laborers in Vancouver faced challenges during their immigration to Vancouver. They faced victimization at the hands of vigorous native white communities. However, this has changed with time, and today some governments have apologized for the misdeeds that were racially motivated.
Unique Historical Conditions and Experience of Chinese Immigrant Laborers in Vancouver On 12 August 1907, the Asiatic Exclusion League was formed in Vancouver with the aim of protesting against the continued immigration from Japan, China and Korea. The Asiatic Exclusion league was backed by a labor organization named the Knights of labor. The members agreed to the idea of holding a mass meeting to protest the increased immigration, and they had the backing of religious leaders as well as businesses (Barnholden, 2007). According to reports, a young boy hit the window of a store belonging to a Chinese merchant, leading to riots. The Chinese were caught off guard, and they could only set up barricades and lock their doors, as a way of protecting themselves. However, the Japanese were prepared since they had bought weapons after holding a meeting the previous day. The riots lasted for a period of two days. These were acts of racism against the Asian immigrants. Chasing the Asian community was not a wise idea because they were contributing positively to the economy. Furthermore, Chinese people just like other pioneers to Northern America came with certain traditions that shaped their choices and activities in the new setting. In addition, some Chinese merchants had resolved to limit contact with non-Chinese people. However, others might have assimilated in a quick manner had they been given that choice. These developments enabled the Canadian society target and apprehend their settlement. The other challenge that the Chinese faced is that by the time of the incorporation of Vancouver city in1886, their settlement in the city was proscribed in a severe manner. After the completion of the trans- Canada railway in the year 1885, the federal government located in Ottawa decided to impose head tax on all Chinese immigrants. In addition, the head tax was raised to a high level of $500 in 1903 by Wilfrid Laurier’s administration (Anderson, 1987). Furthermore, the senior levels of the state had ensured that the Chinese would not participate in political matters. This was a way of denying them the right to vote. For example, during Vancouver’s first municipal election in the year 1886 sixty men of Chinese origin were denied the right to vote and chased from the polls. In terms of employment, the Chinese could not get white collar jobs, and most survived on unskilled jobs at the Moodyville and Hastings sawmills. A minority opened stores so they could provide a service to the sawmill employees. Moreover, towards the late nineteenth century, there was the launch of a vigorous assault in the name of sanitary reform. The reform was directed towards the wooden shacks in a settlement located in the Dupont Street (Anderson, 1987). This came about because of a demand presented by the local press after the fear of a cholera outbreak gripped the city. The press demanded that the city takes action against the residents of Dupont Street since they would not maintain cleanliness because of their Chinese background. This was a discriminative statement by the press. The press associated the Chinese with dirtiness, and that they lived without toilets and bathrooms, which increased the chances of a cholera outbreak. In addition, Dupont Street was not the only settlement that would have been considered as having a marginal sanitary status. Other districts in Vancouver qualified for a similar status, but since they did not have Chinese immigrants, the press did not push for action against the districts. Furthermore, the wife of a railway administrator was murdered in the year 1914 by what the people referred to as her china boy. This development made the council pushed for the removal of Chinese from all schools. The reasoning was that the boy that committed the murder received his education in the school system and that he might have exposed their children to oriental vices. In addition, the council argued that close association with oriental children endangered the health of their children (Anderson, 1987). In addition, Chinatown faced the problem of prostitution and drugs. In the year 1906, prostitutes moved to shanghai alley after the council ordered their eviction from their previous location. Therefore, Chinatown became the new prostitution zone in Vancouver. Drugs were also a menace in Chinatown because a newspaper reporter reported that in the bachelor shacks people smoked opium in a luxury manner. However, despite this challenge, Chinatown continued to wield its power in a tireless manner. A success associated with Chinatown is that it signified many impulses that the Canadians feared and made attempts to repress in their communities. Furthermore, the members of the governing body of Vancouver only filtered the aspects of Chinese living that conformed to the category of Chinese way of life. Moreover, the cheap labor that the Chinese presented might have contributed to the many anti-Chinese sentiments that existed. In addition, the Chinese immigrant laborers in Vancouver have had another success in that some governments have made public apologies regarding racial motivated misdeeds that took place in Canada in the past. These apologies show that the governments finally realized that their actions were wrong, and they now want to form good relations with the people they mistreated (Barnholden, 2005). Canada still needs immigrants, and it imports labor to fill many vacant jobs. Had the governments not made the apologies, they would have found it challenging to import the labor they require.
Conclusion
During their immigration to Vancouver, Chinese laborers faced many challenges. For example, they faced victimization at the hands of vigorous native white communities. In addition, they lacked the right to vote, and experienced difficulties in securing white collar jobs. However, this changed with time since some governments apologized for the misdeeds that were racially motivated.
References
Anderson, K. J. (1987). The Idea Of Chinatown: The Power Of Place And Institutional Practice In The Making Of A Racial Category. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 77(4), 580-598.
Barnholden, M. (2007, August 1). Michael Barnholden on: the lessons of the Anti-Asiatic Riot: in 1907, an anti-immigration rally explodes into violence and vandalism in Vancouver's Chinatown and Japantown.(Explorations). The Beaver: Exploring Canada's History, 1, 14-15.
Barnholden, M. D. (2005). Reading the riot act: a brief history of riots in Vancouver. Vancouver: Anvil Press.