US History

The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)

Asian Americans

Migration

This collection uses primary sources to explore early Chinese immigration to the United States.

Teaching Guide: Exploring Early Chinese Immigration to the US

A photo of four Chinese field hands, 1898.

A photo from a family’s applications to reenter the U.S., circa 1892­-1900.

A photo of Chinese workers on the Central Pacific Railroad, circa 1863­.

A photo of a Minnesota YMCA’s English class for Chinese speakers, circa 1895­-1900.

A certificate of residence for a Chinese man living in California, 1894.

Three letters from a set written from 1946­-1948 between a Chinese-­American husband and wife (in Chinese with English translations).

Flyers distributed by trade unions for a boycott of Chinese and Japanese-­run businesses, 1898.

An 1882 political cartoon of politicians showing “unanimity” on the issue of Chinese immigration by beating a Chinese worker.

An 1870 political cartoon, “Throwing Down The Ladder By Which They Rose.”

An 1871 political cartoon, “The Chinese Question.”

A deposition of “a non-­Chinese witness” testifying for a Chinese man’s immigration process, 1902.

An application of a “lawfully domiciled Chinese merchant, teacher, or student,” 1923.

A photo of a crowd gathered around a man dressed as a dragon during the Chinese New Year Celebration, Chinatown, 1920s.

A photo of a Chinese boy and his father, 1899.

Resources

1. [Building the First Transcontinental Railroad](http://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/transcontinental-railroad), Digital Public Library of America. 

2. [Chinese Immigration and the Chinese in the United States](http://www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide.html), The National Archives and Records Administration. 

3. [Chinese Immigration](http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/chinese.html), The Library of Congress. 

4. [Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts](https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration), US Department of State, Office of the Historian. 

5. [Gold Rush and Anti-Chinese Hatred](http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/chinhate.html), Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco. 

Overview

The advent of the railroad brought about many changes to the United States, including an early wave of Chinese immigration to America. Chinese laborers were the backbone of the Transcontinental Railroad’s creation, and worked diligently in other difficult industrial jobs for low wages. During this period, they faced intense racial discrimination both socially and politically. This culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which placed new obstacles in the way of Chinese and other Asian immigrants looking to come to America. In particular, the act placed limits and exclusions on laborers, not wealthy businessmen from China looking to immigrate. The following set of resources provides photos, documents, and oral histories that help tell the story of this early period of Chinese immigration to the United States. 

English

Early Chinese Immigration to the US

early-chinese-immigration_03_b0e55bde523a6886bfab097618428e97.jpg

Courtesy of Utah State Historical Society via Mountain West Digital Library.

“Central Pacific Railroad--Construction P.19; 20052,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/6a1bf743f8816ffee395e13d15d20963.

Central Pacific Railroad -- Construction P.19

Mountain West Digital Library

Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement

A photo of Chinese workers on the Central Pacific Railroad, circa 1863.

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Tips for Students

Item 3 of 14 in the Primary Source Set Early Chinese Immigration to the US

A photo of Chinese workers on the Central Pacific Railroad, circa 1863­.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 3 of 14 in the Primary Source Set Early Chinese Immigration to the US

A photo of Chinese workers on the Central Pacific Railroad, circa 1863.