Chinese Migration to the United States

Paper Summary:

The writer of this paper attempts to justify why many Chinese citizens chose to immigrate to America as opposed to other nations, such as England or Germany. This paper utilizes the push-pull theory to provide insights into the Chinese migration to the U.S. The pull-factor represents the attraction to a receiving country, often a major industrialized nation of the first world, by some perceived offering or opportunity. The push-factor entails impelling reasons such as low living standards, lack of economic opportunities, political repression or war, which made the people choose to leave their country of origin. This paper examines the various reasons Chinese citizens chose to leave their country, including China's feudal society that was controlled through traditional roles and responsibilities that were based on age, sex, birth order and social class. Chinese migration to the U.S. started during the 1840s. This paper explains how the American gold rush of the 1850s served as the pull factor, while the economically depressed area of south China served as the push. This paper examines the difficulties the immigrants faced in America, including the inherent cultural differences that led to conflicts between the new immigrants and the Americans. The writer also discusses the various reasons many Chinese immigrated to Hawaii and the Pacific West Coast, in which Chinese immigrants made up a large portion of the labor force.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Immigration History
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Hawaiian government felt it was right to use the workers in the fields but one the contracts were up they did everything in power to keep the Chinese from becoming g full fledged members of the island. This included bringing Japanese to substitute for Chinese as well as using Filipinos for the same purpose. In 1903, Hawaii literally created a law that stipulated that only United States citizens or anyone who was eligible to become a citizen which meant non Asians could become employed in the Hawaiian territory. Metropolitan areas became the sanctuaries for the masses of Chinese immigrants. In San Francisco for example, the notion of a 'Chinatown' implied that Chinese in America were in charge of a world within a world."

More papers on Chinese Migration to the United States:

• Analytical Essay # 53099 : "Chinese Immigrants to the U.S.A."
• Narrative Essay # 113928 : "Adjusting To a Different Culture"
• Book Review # 75721 : "Cathy Song's Poem "Lost Sister"

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