Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act

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Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act
“Many Chinese immigrants falsely claimed American citizenship during the exclusion era…I’ve considered this question…ever since I learned that my American last name was different, in spelling and meaning, from my Chinese last name… What’s in a name?” said Karen Lew, a community anchor at the Museum of Chinese in America. She discovered that her ancestors were forced to change their last names during the Chinese Exclusion Act to prevent deportation. Most believe that the Chinese Exclusion Act was a mistake from the American government. The Chinese Exclusion Act had an impact on not only the Chinese, but also most Asians Americans’ lives.
In the year of 1848, a significant amount of gold was discovered in Sutter’s Mill. The gold rush not only made Eastern American labors to come to the West, but also caused a large amount of people in China to immigrate over in hopes of a fortune (Tien, Kelly). “Chinese workers then were willing to take jobs that no one else really wants to do,” stated Munson Kwok, president of the LA chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (qtd. in Los Angeles Times). As stated in Menlo’s Sun Server, when the American economy became unstable during the Panic of 1873, labors thought that the "working and low-paid" Chinese were receiving more money than they should, therefore reducing the non-Chinese workers’ wages. The Chinese eventually became scapegoats for the economic downfall, and the non-Chinese workers started propaganda against the Chinese, making cartoons and slogans like “Mark the man who would crush us to the level of the Mongolian slave.” Immigration taxes and laundry-operation fees were passed to limit Chinese population (Menlo’s Sun Server). Ultimately, ...

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.... "Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences." Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences. University of Chicago, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark. United States Reports 169. Northern District of California. 28 Mar. 1898. United States v. Wong Kim Ark - 169 U.S. 649 (1898). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
"UNITED STATES v. WONG KIM ARK." United States v. Wong Kim Ark. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Wing, Bob. "Crossing Race and Nationality: The Racial Formation of Asian Americans, 1852-1965." Monthly Review 7 (2005): 1. ELibrary. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Wong, William. "The Citizenship of Wong Kim Ark." San Francisco Examiner 08 Apr. 1998, Second Edition ed., News sec.: A-19. Print.
Yokoi, Iris. "CHINATOWN Exclusion Law's Effect Examined." Los Angeles Times 12 Dec. 1993: n. pag. Print.

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