asian build san francisco railroad story

Asian build san francisco railroad story full#

In response to the violence, the Consolidated Chinese Benevolent Association or the Chinese Six Companies, which evolved out of the labor recruiting organizations for different areas of Guangdong province, was created as a means of providing a unified voice for the community. Like much of San Francisco during these times, a period of criminality ensued in some Chinese gangs known as tongs, which were onto smuggling, gambling and prostitution.

Asian build san francisco railroad story full#

With national unemployment in the wake of the Panic of 1873, racial tensions in the city boiled over into full blown race riots. Unlike the rural areas, Chinatown afforded few opportunities for women to come into contact with the larger society.” Simultaneously, Chinese women also participated in urban sex work, which resulted in local laws like one passed in April 1854 that sought to shut down 'houses of ill-fame,' not racialized in name but practically deployed to ' out Mexican and Chinese houses of ill fame, starting with Charles Walden's Golden Rule House on Pacific Street and moving on to establishments run by Ah-Choo, C. “During the Gold Rush era, when Chinese men were a common sight in California, Chinese women were an oddity” and in urban spaces were rarely seen in public. Many diseases found through these voyages were Hookworm Yersinia pestis which contributed greatly to the Bubonic Plague. Many immigrants were unable to board these voyages due to the Geary Act of 1892 which blocked the reunion of immigrants in America with their families not with them. Due to tight arrangements, unhygienic situations and scarcity in food, this led to health degradation. In 1892, a federal law passed to ensure immigrants who were on board, needed a certificate. Many were given rice bowls to eat during the voyage.

Chinese immigrants would have to ride in the steerage where food was stored. Oceanic voyages with Chinese immigrants boarded the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. “Few women accompanied these early sojourners, many of whom expected to return from after they made their fortune.” Īlthough the oceanic voyage to the United States offered new and exciting opportunities, dangers also loomed for women while traveling and many were discouraged from making the trip due to the harsh living conditions. Among this group were Chinese, primarily from the Guangdong Province, most of whom were seafarers who had already established Western contacts. Within a matter of months of Seise's arrival to the West Coast, the rush for gold in California commenced which brought a flooding of prospective miners from around the globe. The first known Chinese woman to immigrate was Marie Seise who arrived in 1848 and worked in the household of Charles V. Other early immigrants worked as mine workers or independent prospectors hoping to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush.Īlthough many of the earlier waves of Chinese immigration were predominantly men searching for jobs, Chinese women also began making the journey towards the United States. Many Chinese found jobs working for large companies, most famously as part of the Central Pacific on the Transcontinental Railroad. The majority of these Chinese shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and hired workers in San Francisco Chinatown were predominantly Hoisanese and male. Chinatown was the one geographical region deeded by the city government and private property owners which allowed Chinese people to inherit and inhabit dwellings. The Chinese arriving in San Francisco, primarily from the Taishan and Zhongshan regions as well as Guangdong province of mainland China, did so at the height of the California Gold Rush, and many worked in the mines scattered throughout the northern part of the state.

The Gateway Arch (Dragon Gate) on Grant Avenue at Bush Street in Chinatown.