Chinese Immigrants During the Gold Rush
Once the Chinese heard the news of the gold rush, an immense amount of them traveled to California. The majority of these Chinese immigrants were unskilled male laborers who were in search of a better life for themselves and, for many, their families at home. These Chinese laborers typically lived in groups, and were very different from the others in the area. For example, they were not Christian, they barely spoke English, they had darker skin, and they had unique eating habits and clothing. They were also extremely unobtrusive, peaceful, frugal, and hard-working. A great deal of them chose to mine for gold, although due to their hard-working attitude, they tended to mine for small pieces of gold only in areas that had been abandoned by impatient gold miners. However, many Chinese immigrants chose to find jobs rather than mine for gold. Again, they usually had hard-working attitudes, and were willing to take low-wage jobs that other groups considered "dirty," if necessary. Some became laborers for other gold miners, while others opened up their own personal service businesses, such as restaurants, stores, hotels, and laundries. When Chinese immigrants made money either through mining for gold or earning wages, they usually sent it home to their families, whose lives were then immensely improved ("Journey to America", "Chinese Immigrants and Gold Rush", Norton, "Chinese Immigration to United States", Brands 330-331).
At first, when gold was plentiful in California, Chinese immigrants were treated extremely well by others in the area. They were grateful that the Chinese were so hard-working, and were willing to take low-wage jobs. In fact, Chinese workers typically charged only twenty-six dollars per month, while most white workers charged over thirty dollars per month, pleasing wealthy businessmen. In addition, gold miners appreciated the personal service businesses the Chinese had founded. They often interacted with the Chinese by doing things such as sleeping at their hotels and eating at their restaurants. Many even believed that the Chinese's darker skin color added excitement to the country, and enjoyed having them around. Governor McDougal, the governor of California during most of the Gold Rush, even said that they were "One of the most worthy of our [California's] newly adopted citizens," illustrating how accepted the Chinese immigrants were at the beginning of the Gold Rush ("Journey to America", Norton, Brands 426-426).
At first, when gold was plentiful in California, Chinese immigrants were treated extremely well by others in the area. They were grateful that the Chinese were so hard-working, and were willing to take low-wage jobs. In fact, Chinese workers typically charged only twenty-six dollars per month, while most white workers charged over thirty dollars per month, pleasing wealthy businessmen. In addition, gold miners appreciated the personal service businesses the Chinese had founded. They often interacted with the Chinese by doing things such as sleeping at their hotels and eating at their restaurants. Many even believed that the Chinese's darker skin color added excitement to the country, and enjoyed having them around. Governor McDougal, the governor of California during most of the Gold Rush, even said that they were "One of the most worthy of our [California's] newly adopted citizens," illustrating how accepted the Chinese immigrants were at the beginning of the Gold Rush ("Journey to America", Norton, Brands 426-426).
A few years after the Gold Rush began, Chinese immigrants began to be treated terribly. One major reason for this was that the gold mines were starting to become exhausted. The newest gold miners were not able to find gold and become rich as easily as they had expected to, leading them to feel disappointed and angry. These difficult economic times caused the abandoned mines and the "dirty" jobs previously reserved for the Chinese to become desirable. Suddenly, the Chinese workers were seen as competition, and were accused of stealing jobs and driving down wages. Their peculiar lifestyle added to the hostility towards Chinese immigrants, as they were now viewed as exotic and inferior, rather than interesting and exciting (Norton, Brands 330-331).
Chinese immigrants were often treated violently, and the government even supported this behavior. Anti-Chinese riots and attacks on Chinese areas were very common, and in addition, Chinese miners were often violently driven from the abandoned mines they had been working. In fact, an issue of the Alta California reported that at Rich Gulch, an area in California, 200 Chinese miners had been robbed and four had been murdered. One Yankee miner also illustrated the hatred towards Chinese immigrants when he stated that "Chinamen are getting to be altogether too plentiful in this country." Many politicians, such as John Bigler, the governor of California from 1852 to 1856, suggested decreasing the amount of Chinese immigrants. As a result, the Foreign Miners Tax was passed in 1852. This was a tax that required Chinese miners to pay a fee of three dollars per month. Overall, the acceptance of Chinese Immigrants shifted to violence and hatred as the Gold Rush progressed ("Chinese Immigrants and the Gold Rush", "Chinese Immigration to United States", Brands 325-333).
Chinese immigrants were often treated violently, and the government even supported this behavior. Anti-Chinese riots and attacks on Chinese areas were very common, and in addition, Chinese miners were often violently driven from the abandoned mines they had been working. In fact, an issue of the Alta California reported that at Rich Gulch, an area in California, 200 Chinese miners had been robbed and four had been murdered. One Yankee miner also illustrated the hatred towards Chinese immigrants when he stated that "Chinamen are getting to be altogether too plentiful in this country." Many politicians, such as John Bigler, the governor of California from 1852 to 1856, suggested decreasing the amount of Chinese immigrants. As a result, the Foreign Miners Tax was passed in 1852. This was a tax that required Chinese miners to pay a fee of three dollars per month. Overall, the acceptance of Chinese Immigrants shifted to violence and hatred as the Gold Rush progressed ("Chinese Immigrants and the Gold Rush", "Chinese Immigration to United States", Brands 325-333).