The Workingmen's Party: The Chinese Exclusion Movement
1088 Words5 Pages
Although the Chinese were negatively affected through economic means by the Workingmen’s Party, they encountered a negative impact on their societal views. No longer were the Chinese looked upon by the white community as simply laborers, but moreover terrorists to white society. While the Chinese immigrants rushed to the gates of California, most of the immigrants had settled in areas where there were large populations of their kind. Many nativists also belonged to the worker’s groups and had described the increasing amounts of immigrants in a negative perspective. “… The Chinese quarter of any city was sure to be a plague spot of vice and disease” (Hicks). Therefore, the American society proclaimed these workers to be dangerous to the fabrication…show more content… Violent outbreaks caused civilian unrest within the whites. Furthermore, fever-like nativist sentiments spread throughout the nation, hitting especially hard in the West. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a racist legislation primarily based on the how the Chinese were seen in society. Kearney’s preaching influenced individuals in Congress to perceive them as “parasites… they come to this country not to partake in the responsibilities of citizenship… no love for our institutions” (Gold 212). The Chinese were easily scapegoated and sent into social exile due to their physical and cultural barriers. Ultimately as Chinese communities’ failed to let go of traditional values and assimilate into Western values, angry anti-Chinese enthusiasts demanded, and pushed the Chinese out of “white culture.” There, the Chinese were incapable of entering institutions and were not given any accreditation to their contributions to the society, specifically with the construction of the transcontinental railroad which connected the far west with the…show more content… Denis Kearney had played a very large and influential role in United States history. An explosion of hatred towards the Chinese resulted in an act to suppress the flow of Chinese immigrants into the United States. Consequently, the Chinese were ultimately affected as many were not able to assimilate and contribute to society. This legislation had made it difficult to for one to become a citizen and to contribute to the social and financial aspect in the United States. The Chinese who were already in the country were forced to face demoralizing conditions. Kearney had set catchy slogans throughout the campaign against the Chinese. “‘The Chinese Must Go’ was being widely repeated” (Carlsson). Racial barriers were placed upon the Chinese. The Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted in 1881 and further strengthened these barriers. Thus, the United States had officially enacted a law that prohibited and regulated the flow of immigrants (“The Chinese Exclusion Act”). Immigrating as a Chinese person during the nineteenth century equated to a deportation back to their homeland. For example, after the Exclusion Act, in the early 20th century, California formed stations to monitor the immigrants entering the county. These immigration centers made it nearly impossible for a Chinese person to search for a better life in America as “…the Chinese were subjected to a series of physical examinations and