39 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: America's first major immigration crackdown and the making and breaking of the West
From Part 1:
*"The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is widely considered to be the first major immigration clampdown in American history. It's a riveting tale that parallels today and may provide insights into the economic consequences of immigration restrictions and mass deportations. This is Part 1 of that story, which explains how Chinese immigrants became a crucial workforce in the American West and why, despite their sacrifices and contributions creating the transcontinental railroad, the railroad's completion may have actually contributed to a populist backlash that sealed their fates."*
From Part 2:
"The completion of the transcontinental railroad may have, ironically, contributed to the coming populist backlash. For one, excitement over the transcontinental and other railroads led to a speculative bubble. Investors overestimated[1] the money-making potential of railroads, and once the transcontinental railroad was up and running, reality began to set in about how much money railroads and related investments would actually make. When the bubble burst in 1873, it took the whole economy with it...
Even more, during and after completion of the railroad, Chinese immigrants became a more sought after workforce, which effectively put a target on their backs. Increasing numbers of white workers began to resent them. They saw them as a culturally alien workforce, willing and able to do all sorts of jobs for less pay. And it wasn't just railroads. Chinese immigrants now worked in all sorts of West Coast industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, woodcutting, and mining. "While the Chinese constituted less than 10 percent of the population of California in 1870, they accounted for approximately 25 percent of the workforce," writes Beth Lew-Williams in her book *The Chinese Must Go: Violence, Exclusion, and the Making of the Alien in America.*"
Comment by BoniceMarquiFace at 28/11/2024 at 17:37 UTC
7 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Something that needs to be noted is that the Chinese migrants at the time were largely indentured servants and sex trafficked women
Hence many abolitionists who worked to end slavery also pushed and supported the Chinese exclusion act
Comment by Gogs85 at 29/11/2024 at 23:07 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Speculative bubbles and using immigrants if a certain race as a scapegoat, history really does repeat doesn’t it? Quite a few times in fact. . .