The Undeserved Discrimination and Exclusion of the Chinese...

Millions of immigrants over the previous centuries have shaped the United States of America into what it is today. America is known as a â€Å"melting pot†, a multicultural country that welcomes and is home to an array of every ethnic and cultural background imaginable. We are a place of opportunity, offering homes and jobs and new economic gains to anyone who should want it. However, America was not always such a â€Å"come one, come all† kind of country. The large numbers of immigrants that came during the nineteenth century angered many of the American natives and lead to them to blame the lack of jobs and low wages on the immigrants, especially the Asian communities. This resentment lead to the discrimination and legal exclusion of immigrants,†¦show more content†¦When an earthquake destroyed the area in 1906, natives thought that they would be able to reclaim the area and kick the immigrants out. To their surprise, the old, run-down Chinatown was rebuilt i n the exact same location but had an entirely different feel. The new Chinatown was bright, cheery, and characteristically oriental with â€Å"curved eaves, colorful street lanterns, recessed balconies, and gilded facades† (Bancroft). The new Chinatown brought to California exactly what it was intended to: more attraction, more people, and therefore more business. With filling the job spots that were difficult and grueling and then attracting tourism to California, the immigrants were now boosting our economy in more way than one. The Chinese immigrants also contributed to us a whole new culture of which we had not been familiar with before. They brought their religious beliefs, prompting a Chinese Temple to be built in 1863 in Oroville, which provided a place of worship for Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism (Bancroft). They also brought their traditions, like the celebrations that they’d have for certain holidays like the Lunar New Year. These celebrations entailed f estivals, parades, partying and all of the Chinese community coming together in the streets. Another one of the traditions they held dear to their culture was theatre, and so they continued these performances and even built their own Chinese theatre in 1852 (Bancroft). TheyShow MoreRelatedSummary Of The Chinese Inclusion Act Of 18821496 Words   |  6 PagesThe Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Summary The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a nativist act passed by people who were afraid of a Chinese dominated workforce and the resulting backlash. The white people thought of the Chinese as lesser people to themselves. This is inherently obvious based on published works that depict racist stereotypes of Chinese immigrants who conspire together to make sure that all jobs are held by the Chinese. Large amounts of white people were willing to act in a hostile