"After all, the Chinese are, at least were, until the Treaty days, a happy and contented people, of exemplary industry, sober and of simple frugal tastes, passing through the ordeal of existence as sensibly and as successfully in the view of their resources as the inhabitants of any other land"
~W.C. Hunter, Bits of Old China |
"The gold rush was born out of the sense among people living bleak lives of interminable desperation, Chinese or otherwise, that here at last was a chance to change the unchangeable- to wrench themselves out of the endless and demeaning routine of their daily existence and maybe catapult themselves into another class entirely."
~Iris Chang, The Chinese in America |
The Gold Rush of 1849 brought thousands of people to California hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields. While many people became successful from the Gold Rush, the greed for gold spread quickly. The prejudice against Chinese miners along with the “free-for-all” mentality of the rush resulted in the murders of many of the Chinese. |
Many Chinese immigrants also worked on the Union Pacific Railroad. Because the majority of workers were Irish or Chinese, a substantial amount of racism was generated. One derogatory term used by Caucasian workers was "coolie," which referred to the Chinese as slave labor. Many of these Chinese workers risked their lives to complete this railroad. Of the many speeches after the railroad’s completion, only one mentioned the Chinese, referring them as a “a degraded race of people" (Crocker).
"In the Second reign year of Haamfung [1852]
A trip to the Golden Mountain was made. With a pillow on my shoulder, I began my perilous journey: Sailing a boat with bamboo poles across the sea, Leaving behind wife and sisters in search of money No longer lingering with the woman in bedroom No longer paying respect to parents at home" ~A song sung by Chinese men emigrating from China |
"Swallows and magpies, flying in glee:
Greeting for New Year. Daddy has gone to Gold Mountain To earn money. He will earn gold and silver, Ten Thousand taels. When he returns, We will build a house and buy farmland" ~A Cantonese nursery rhyme sung by families in China. |
These songs sung by Chinese immigrants and their families show some of the motives of Chinese immigration to America. The harassment these Chinese confronted in the gold fields and railroads began the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in the US.