Once this movement became the law, Chinese immigrants successfully came to the United States, both legally and illegally. To prevent illegal immigration, the immigrant-processing center was moved from San Francisco to a new center on Angel Island. This way, Chinese immigrants that were caught with falsified documentation, or immigrants who did not pass either the physical exam or interview, could not escape their detainment. Although this method proved to be effective, there were quickly issues with capacity and sanitation. This forced many immigrants to be deported back to China on various ships.
5 comments:
Very insightful on how difficult life was for Chinese immigrants back then, also shows how difficult it was to even get into the U.S.
I think it is very interesting how time and time again the "traditional", white Americans used race as a way to find a scapegoat to blame for their suffering. As you describe, Chinese immigrants suffered just as much, if not more, because of the racist violence preceding the Exclusion Act. As Lorenzo said, it was difficult just trying to get into the US.
The detail of the inspections and the processes to control the Chinese immigrants and their journeys to America is clearly highlighted through this account. It is also clearly stated the hardships they endured trying to find equality in their new lives. As you probably already know, many Chinese-Americans were exploited as they were forced to work on the railroads for cheap to almost no payment, thus creating terrible socioeconomic circumstances for them.
In some ways, the methods used to enforce Chinese exclusion were similar to the ways the South enforced segregation and discriminated against blacks. They both used trivial matters, such as physical examinations or property ownership, as an excuse for prejudice and victimization.
In some ways, the methods used to enforce Chinese exclusion were similar to the ways the South enforced segregation and discriminated against blacks. They both used trivial matters, such as physical examinations or property ownership, as an excuse for prejudice and victimization.
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