03 Chinese Migration and Exclusion Free Online FlashCards

When did Chinese migration to the United States grow significantly?

Migration grew during the California Gold Rush, beginning in 1848–49, as people sought work and opportunity.

What practical and social support did Chinatowns provide?

Chinatowns offered familiar food, lodging, shops, cultural institutions, and contact with people who shared a language or place of origin.

How did a California law leave Chinese people especially vulnerable in court?

For a time, California law barred Chinese people from testifying against white people in court, increasing their vulnerability to violence and injustice.

Where did many early Chinese arrivals come from?

Many early arrivals came from Guangdong province in southern China, where economic hardship and political upheaval encouraged migration.

What did the phrase “Gam Saan” mean?

Gam Saan means “Gold Mountain” and expressed the hope that migration would bring prosperity.

What railroad project employed thousands of Chinese workers in the 1860s?

Thousands of Chinese workers helped build the Central Pacific Railroad across the Sierra Nevada and toward the transcontinental railroad’s meeting point in Utah.

What hardships did Chinese railroad workers face?

They faced dangerous conditions, segregated work camps, and lower pay than white workers.

How did Chinese railroad workers protest working conditions in 1867?

Chinese railroad workers organized a major work stoppage in 1867 to seek better conditions.

What kinds of work did many Chinese immigrants pursue beyond railroad construction?

Laundry work, restaurants, gardening, fishing, and small shops offered livelihoods where other employment was difficult to obtain.

What forms of mutual aid did district and family associations provide?

District and family associations helped newcomers find jobs and lodging, cared for people in need, and arranged funerals and the return of remains to China.

What role did San Francisco’s Chinese Six Companies play?

The Chinese Six Companies represented Chinese residents in dealings with government officials and supported legal challenges to discrimination.

What were the effects of the 1875 Page Act on Chinese communities?

The 1875 Page Act sharply restricted the entry of Chinese women, limiting family migration and contributing to communities with far more men than women.