Essay, Research Paper: Chinese Exclution Act

Chinese Exclution Act Be it enacted, That from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expirationof ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming ofChinese laborers to the United States be, Suspended; andDuring such suspension it shall not be lawful for any ChineseLaborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration ofSaid ninety days, to remain within the United States. (ChineseExclusion Act, The, 257) The Chinese exclusion act was a harsh act passed during the time of immigration for the Chinese. People were worried that the Chinese population in the late 1870 s would reach over the enormous number of one hundred thousand. Even though this large group of immigrants might have done more for America than many other ethnic groups as a whole. Still traditional Americans did not want them to be able to migrate to America, particularly California s San Francisco area. This group of people connected the East and West cost. On-the-other-hand Eastern European Jews encountered anti-Semitism and violence before they left their native lands in Europe. As a result, Migration overseas exploded principally as a flight from poverty and also from rising religious and racial oppression. (Origins Europe East European Jews Menu) These two ethnic groups are similar in the respect that they have both faced prejudices, although, these two groups faced prejudices at different points in their mass immigration.Before the mass immigration, the railroad companies were never able to get over seven or eight hundred men at one time. (Chinese Immigration, 261) Even when there was some sort of labor force, the men were extremely unreliable and many just wanted enough money to get drunk. Finally the Railroad Company resorted to Chinamen. These were dedicated, hard working men. They would follow instructions. It is explained best by an example from Chinese Immigration by George F. Seaward. He said, You take a Chinaman, a green boy, into your factory and show him just how to do a thing, and you leave him and come back, if it is a year afterward, you find him doing the work precisely as you instructed him. This was not a group of immigrants that needed to be treated as bad as they were. They were a group of hard working individuals who were in search of a better life or known as the American Dream.
The Eastern European Jews encountered anti-Semitism at a much earlier time. Unlike the Chinese who encountered it after they came to the States, the Jews faced it before they left. The Jews held many of the high positions in the polish kingdom . The were the moneylenders, tax collectors, estate managers, merchants, and innkeepers. (Origins Europe East European Jews Menu) After the old economic order disappeared, the Jews faced a crisis. They experienced a population growth by over four hundred percent, anti-Semitism, and extreme poverty. Exceedingly, the Jews had no choice but to move to what was called the Goldenah Medina (Golden Land). (Origins Europe East European Jews Menu) Only the best and worst off remained. When the Jews arrived they faced a situation that was better but not by much. They stuck together in Ghettos, started their own businesses and minded their own business. In the Jewish culture there is an emphasis on family and this emphasis is what helped the Jews survive. When the Jews came over there was a pretty well balanced ratio of men to woman, unlike the Chinese who mainly the men came over. The Chinese men frightened and were a threat to many Americans, because American thought the Chinaman was going to take away jobs in a market that was limited. By the Jews picking up and relocating, into there own ghettos, this ethnic group were not as much of a threat. Both the Chinese and the Eastern European Jews lived through hard lives filled with oppression, even though both groups added incredible contributions to any place they live. It is hard to put blame on a whole group of people who only want what is best for themselves, their family, and their heritage. The Chinese and the Jews both add great depth and diversity to any culture or place and American's should be thankful for the cultural diversity that they bring.