During the Gilded Age ( ) there was a massive of immigrants from all over the world. These immigrants were hopeful they would live out the and experience a better life for their families. What they found however, was a very different reality.

Quick Background Info: For almost a half-century after the of in 1845, the immigration flow from Mexico was barely a trickle. In fact, there was a significant migration in the other direction: Mexican citizens were leaving the newly claimed U.S. territories and resettled back in Mexican territory.

FYI: Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 and became the 28th state. Prior to this annexation, Texas was a part of Mexico.

Not all Americans welcomed this change however. Many Americans during this time held beliefs, and thought that they were inherently better than the newly arrived immigrants from Mexico, China, and European countries.

Prohibited by law in 1790 from obtaining US citizenship through naturalization [legally becoming a citizen], Chinese immigrants faced harsh and violence from American settlers in the West.

The Chinese community banded in an effort to create social and cultural centers in cities such as San Francisco. They sought to provide services ranging from to education, places of worship, and health facilities to their fellow Chinese immigrants.

But, as Chinese workers began competing with white Americans for jobs in California cities, anti-Chinese discrimination increased with the rise of .

Racism and discrimination became law. The new California constitution of 1879 denied naturalized Chinese citizens the right to vote or hold state .

Furthermore the US Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which was the first significant law immigration into the United States. The ban lasted for 10 years and was later extended on multiple occasions until its repeal in 1943.