What was one push factor leading to Chinese immigration to the United States?
What was a major "pull factor" attracting Chinese immigrants to the US from 1850-1890?
PART 2: TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD PHOTO ANALYSIS
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad connected the East with the West of North America, and it allowed the US economy to expand dramatically. But building the railroad was hard, dangerous work, and required skillful planning, engineering, and dedicated workers.
The workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad included Chinese immigrants, Irish immigrants, African Americans, and White Americans.
Here's a a famous picture of the place where the transcontinental railroad was completed (the two parts of the railroad tracks finally came together), and it marked the beginning of a new US economic boom.
Look closely at the faces in the photo and answer the question below.
Why do you think the owners of the railroad companies did not include any Black or Chinese immigrant workers in the photo?
Is it a problem that historic pictures like these (and often textbooks) omit (exclude) people of color? Why or why not?
Describe the contributions of Chinese immigrants on the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
Describe some injustices described in these videos about Chinese immigrant railroad workers.
What are two ways Chinese immigrant miners were mistreated in the 1850s?
Why did Charles Crocker, owner of the Central Pacific Railroad, decide to hire Chinese immigrants?
Chinese workers were rewarded for their work the same as white workers.
List 2-3 specific ways Chinese immigrant workers were targeted for discrimination and mistreatment. BE SPECIFIC.
What did the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act do?
What does this cartoon (drawn by a white American artist) suggest about Chinese immigrants?
How does the artist portray white American women?
By showing these swords in their hands, what does the white cartoon artist suggest Chinese workers will do to European immigrants like this Irish immigrant boot-maker?
Why do you think the artist printed the words "cheap labor" on the swords?
By showing diseases coming from Chinatown, what does this white American artist seem to want people to think?
What does this first paragraph say would be illegal starting in 1882?
Who does the Chinese Exclusion Act say would be fined $500 or be imprisoned for up to a year?
To what extent do you think the publishing of those racist cartoons contributed to Congress passing the Chinese Exclusion Act?
Why did John Wise, the Collector of Customs, not allow Wong Kim Ark to re-enter the United States?
Why is Wong Kim Ark's 1898 Supreme Court case important? What rights did it secure and for whom?
Explain the push and pull factors leading to Chinese immigration to the US in the mid to late 1800s and describe the experience of those Chinese immigrants once they arrived. Include 2-3 specific details to back up your argument.
By portraying the Irish immigrant and Chinese immigrants this way, what do you think this cartoon suggests about popular views on race and immigration status in America in the 1870s?