IntroductionHaving been part of the Asian-American population for a little over a decade, I have encountered challenges that only an Asian living in America would know. Reflecting on this era, I wondered about the first Asians to arrive in America and the hardships they faced. The first Asians were made up of the mass of Chinese who came during the California Gold Rush. Although they had different problems than those faced by Asian Americans today, some difficulties are similar to those we face today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayContrary to popular opinion, the Chinese Empire was not always powerful and all-powerful. Although it enjoyed great power among Asian countries, China was outmatched by Western powers. The English Empire, which had reached its peak, had completely taken over China. From 1820 to 1830, British merchants used the Pearl River as a major vein for the opium trade. Opium had a great influence on the Chinese. This turned many Chinese into opium addicts, thereby increasing the demand for opium. Due to the increased demand for opium, British trading companies were able to extract more resources from China. This is why the legalization of opium was debated. However, despite the Chinese government's strong opposition to the opium trade, English traders continued to trade with Chinese smugglers. The ban on opium was therefore enforced even more severely. Ships were not even allowed to hold opium in Chinese waters. This later made it impossible for opium cargo ships to land. As a result, a naval war ensued and the First Opium War was declared. The Chinese navy was no match for the Royal Navy. Although the Chinese published false reports to maintain national morale, their ships were burned and destroyed en masse. Despite their numerical superiority, Western guns made holes in the frail Chinese hulls. As a result, China lost the First and Second Opium Wars against England and France. China was punished by England and France by having to bear war expenses on both sides and by accepting more European goods. China therefore experienced an economic recession. The local population was devastated by competition from foreign companies and heavy taxes. Economic difficulties hit the Chinese people, mainly peasants, hard. Rebellions broke out throughout China and the people were discontented and oppressed. The Chinese had every reason to leave their country and find a new home. The California Gold Rush began when James W. Marshall found a shiny object on the ground of John Sutter's farm. Marshall, a foreman on Sutter's farm, took the item for inspection and discovered that it was gold. Surprisingly, Sutter was terrified by the discovery of gold on his land. John Sutter had traveled to California to build an agricultural empire. He feared that gold would attract an uncontrollable number of people to his area, which would prevent him from realizing his dream. Therefore, he tried to keep the news of the gold a secret. Clearly, Sutter failed to stop the news from spreading. The rumor spread from Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California to nearby San Francisco. In March 1848, Samuel Brannan, publisher and merchant ofSan Francisco newspapers, published a report on the discovery of gold in Coloma after opening a gold prospecting supply store. He wandered through the streets shouting: “Gold! Gold! American River Gold! » The recent end of the Mexican-American War made the prospect of travel even more attractive. California had freed itself from Mexican domination. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded California territory to the United States. Local California residents were panning for gold and also setting up businesses to accommodate the expected mass of people who would come looking for gold. Many California families shared the work among themselves. The women of the family ran the business, with the most popular activity being boarding services, while the men went panning for gold in the hope of getting rich. People from Oregon, the Sandwich Islands and Latin America (Mexico, Peru, Chile, etc.) flocked to California. These miners were called the “forty-eight” or the “Argonauts”, after the famous travelers of Greek mythology. Most of these miners were successful. In fact, they found ten to fifteen times more gold than the eastern prospectors. Some were so profitable that they earned six years' salary in just six months. As these successes grew, the rumor once again spread across the world like wildfire. On August 19, 1948, the East Coast of America was also faced with this new gold fever when the New York Herald first reported the discovery of gold. This created the second great wave of miners. It was the surge of the famous “Forty-Niners”. Most of them were Americans, but many more came. The Chinese were part of this large group. The appalling conditions in China along with promising rumors about gold in the Americas attracted many Chinese to California. With the arrival of the Chinese, America experienced its first mass immigration of Asians. America has also seen many changes in its society. The population exploded, leading to the creation of new cities and urbanization. San Francisco grew from about 1,000 residents in 1848 to 250,000 residents in 1850. This type of growth and wealth brought by mining consumption and gold made California one of the most advanced regions in the world. 'West. However, along with the great progress in American society, one of the greatest obstacles Americans and the rest of the world face today is racism. At first, the Chinese lived in mining camps and small towns like all the other miners. However, times have changed. Due to the Foreign Mining License Act, almost the entire Chinese population immigrated to the city of San Francisco. Urban racism congregated Chinese people into a single ethnic neighborhood. The neighborhood was known as Chinatown. Chinatown was densely populated because it was one of the only areas where the city allowed Chinese people to own land. Most of the Chinese who crossed the Pacific were men. Even among women who were willing to make the trip, many were denied the trip due to U.S. policy. Additionally, almost all of the Chinese in Chinatown were poor. They depended either on labor jobs located on the railroads and in the mines, or on small shops located in Chinatown. Although the small Chinatown was lively, the quality of life was not very high. Probably the richest Chinese citizen was a woman named Ah Toy. She was a prostitute who made most of her money courting the ship's captainduring his trip to the United States. Her tall and attractive figure attracted many men and she made a living as a high-priced prostitute by hosting peep shows which brought her great fame among Western men. She opened a prostitution ring in Chinatown, which trafficked Chinese girls. Considering that the richest person in the Chinese community was a successful prostitute and human trafficker, a conclusion can be drawn about the quality of life of the Chinese people. As a result, we can observe that the Chinese lived a very humble life and their main neighborhood, Chinatown, can be considered a poor ethnic neighborhood instead of the interesting market that we stereotype China to be. After 1851, the majority of Chinese gold prospectors began arriving in California. However, they were not discriminated against at first. In fact, they were very well received. Due to the ideals of Confucius and Chinese culture, the Chinese have demonstrated an incredible passion for work. Their modest origins and difficult economic situation further amplified their passions. Their motivations for wealth and money were more desperate than ever and they did not want their difficult journey across the Pacific Ocean to become a wasted journey. Chinese immigrants took work wherever they could find it. Even though the job offered relatively low pay, the Chinese were relatively willing to accept the position. They were therefore well received by the other miners in California. Among the very ambitious miners, the Chinese displayed a rare humble personality. Although everyone else came to get rich, the Chinese were there to make a living. They took menial jobs that other miners were not willing to accept. They therefore proved to be indispensable as workers. They were the cooks, carpenters and helpers these miners needed. Governor McDougal called them “among the most worthy of newly adopted citizens.” Their hard work and courage were highly praised by all residents of California. The Chinese were also very happy with their new home. Rather than a country torn by war and poverty, America showed the opportunity for a new life. Now that their presence was accepted, they no longer had any complaints to make. This time of peace could not last long. As the gold ran out, these ambitious miners couldn't stay happy. They were frustrated, as they could not find the gold for which they had made their long journey. As the gold dried up and feelings grew bitter, the scourge of racism began to emerge. People started blaming others. The majority of the miners were Americans, and as the majority race, they raised a powerful racist cry. They declared that California was for Americans and while this cry was in line with California's bid for statehood, racism against the Chinese reached its peak. The Chinese were very different from Americans and therefore were the easiest targets of racism. The Chinese dress and appearance were very different from Western miners. They were described by William Perkins as being "mostly dressed in national costume: knee-length petticoats, large jackets lined with sheepskin or dogskin and quilted, and enormous bamboo basket hats split”. They could not have been more different from European, Latin American or American miners. The Chinese therefore became the main victims of the laws.