Ancestors in the Americas
As compare to ancient times, I feel lucky today for being Asian. As we know, Asian American populations make up one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, contributing to an increasing racial and ethnic plurality in communities across the nation. History has been told us that Asian Americans suffered too much inequality in the past and the landmark of them. Although racial discrimination still exists somehow in America, as a new immigrant, I feel such situation has been improved a lot. Language barriers, cultural disparity and other issues still become the problems for the connection between Asian Americans and the Americans, but most of us are trying to break out the barrier.
By looking back to the history of Asian American, the documentary “Ancestors in the Americas: Chinese in the Frontier West” which directed by Loni Ding, reveals the arrival and harsh experiences of the large-scale Chinese immigrants on the West Coast of the United States during the 1850’s Gold Rush in California. Also, it portrays their role in developing the American West, and their battles to overcome racial discrimination. In order to have a better life for the family, the Chinese men determined to leave their families and sailed to the Gam Sann (Gold Mountain) with the “American dream”. Far from home, they always send money home without any hesitation. They separate for decades, sometimes forever. However, it is so hard to maintain life in America. They didn’t have the basic civil right, only treated as foreigners.
Why Chinese immigrants couldn’t be treated equally as whites? They were prevented by law from either owning property or becoming citizens. There were new laws enforced only against them, just to discourage Chinese, such as the Foreign Miner's Tax. The Chinese miners were welcomed in California in the beginning. However, the