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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Primary Analysis: Anti-Chinese Riots in the Gilded Age

Read this article.  Post your response to the following question, or comment on other's responses
How does the article both demonstrate the social tensions and racism of America in the late 19th century as well as the changing workplace and working experience in America at that time?

24 comments:

Robert Brito III said...

Racial tensions were high during these times. In the article, it stated how there were anti chinese clubs. White men acted against the chinese when they refused to go on strike for higher wages. chinese people were attacked and killed. Over 500 chinesemen were driven out of town and houses were burned down. the changing times of the workplace were people wanted more money, higher wages. chinese people were fine with working for whatever money, and that angered whites cause it took away from their oppurtunity to earn more. employers would hire and keep the chinese over the white workers.

Abby Lynch said...

The Chinese and whites used to work on the railroads together without any problems. Once the whites went on strike for higher wages and the Chinese wouldn't join was when all the issues started. They attacked and killed Chinese workers on two incidents and this made Racial tensions extremley high. During these times, employers hired whoever worked for the cheapest wages. This took away jobs from the whites which lead to them hating the Chinese even more.

Rebecca M said...

In the 1870's and 80's racisim was common towards the chinese people. At the begining both the white men and chinese men worked well together with really no problems that is until the chinese men declined the white men in joining a strike for highter wages. They were fine with the money they were earning and did not think that it was necessary to go on strike. This made the white men angry and they began to form mobs and attack the chinese men more incidents like this happened in different places as well, such as, Washington. The Chinese men were treated very poorly.

Zack Sirowich III said...

During this time racial tensions were high. The USA's homegrown people were losing jobs to frequent immigrants coming from places around the world mainly China. These people were getting upset because they'd get fired for people that haven't been in the country for more than a year and they've been there their whole lives. Since these people were getting mad this created social tensions. their were anti Chinese groups, that went out and hazed and even killed the Chinese because they felt they weren't welcome in their society. the passage shows what these groups did to these Chinese groups because of how upset they got over them taking their jobs.

Marissa Esposito said...

This article explains the social and racial tensions in America during the late 19th century. The Chinese who came from China came becuase they wanted to make money by working on the railroads. However, they were forced to have to work with the whites, which at the beginning wasn't a problem for them. Then, in the article it states that the whites wanted higher wages and they wanted the Chinese to ask with them for these higher wages. However, the Chinese didn't like this idea, and that is when the whites got aggravated. This infuriated the whites and caused them to retaliate on the Chinese by burning their houses and killing them. While this was happening, the workplace was changing becuase everyone wanted to work in order to make money. I agree with Abby in the sense that the employers would've rather hired people who worked for lower wages and so, the whites started loosing their jobs becuase they were being replaced. This caused more tension between the Chinese and the whites becuase they were in a competition for jobs and the whites wouldn't deal for the Chinese winning that competition.

Nick Kuzia said...

The Chinese came over to America for jobs. the wages that the owners were offering them were low, according to the whites that were working in that time, but the Chinese didnt mind it. This created anger towards the chinese because they were taking American jobs. This sparked the racial tension in the Gilded Age. Many Chinese men didnt have homes to pay for or children to take care of which is why they didnt have to work for higher wages, but the whites did so they needed that money. either way it was a lose-lose situation for the whites.

jake walkinshaw said...

During the late 19th century racial tensions were high because of the Chinese immigrants taking the jobs that once belonged to white Americans. The Whites were losing their jobs to the Chinese because the Chinese were willing to do the worst jobs, for very little money, way less than the wages that the Whites were looking for. Because of this, it was an easy choice for the employers to hire the Chinese workers because they could pay them very little money and they would work just as hard.

Giggles said...

Racial tensions in the 19th century were high because chinese men and women took the jobs of white men and women. the man who worked for the lowest wage was the one who would get hire and was often a chinese man. white men dint like that the chinese would not strike with them and as backlash the whites terrorized them by burning down their houses and killing them. the chinese were happy with their jobs and the money they were making and didn't want to jeopardise that by going on strike.

Nicole E said...

The article demonstrates increased social tensions as well as racism in the 19th century. This is because of the Chinese getting killed and/or attacked. This rage against the Chinese from white men shows how racism erupted during this time period. Also, the workplace changed as a result of the Chinese coming to America. This is due to the Chinese taking local jobs that were once the occupations of the white men.

C said...

Did the Chinese take jobs away from people, or did they simply do the jobs people didn't want to do and where work was available?

Rob Lazzaro said...

This article explains the racial tensions in the late 19th century because it talks about how some people went out of their way to give the Chinese trouble. Some people formed special anti Chinese clubs, these clubs were vicious and they held nothing back when it came to harassing the Chinese. All these problems started after the white men working on the railroad became angry that the Chinese wouldn’t strike with them for higher wages. The white man’s strike would have been more effective had the Chinese joined and the Chinese still refused. The Americans felt that the Chinese were robbing them of their jobs however they just worked without complaining. They came to America to work on the railroad and make good money and that is what they did. The work environment changed because the Americans and Chinese began to fight and no longer saw eye to eye on most issues. Their time of peace had ended and the Americans felt that the Chinese were taking over.

Owaiss L. said...

Racism has always existed and always will. From the time of the pharaohs, and their slaves, to now days where practically 3/4 of all jokes are racist jokes. In the late 19th century though, racism towards the Chinese was across all of America. This all began when Whites went on a strike because they believed they weren't being payed enough but when they told the Chinese to join them, the Chinese said no since they believed they were being payed good money. Such actions like this lead to the killing and harassment towards Chinese as well as because the Chinese were willing to work for lower wages (because they were mostly unskilled workers who only had to rely on machinery) and that was exactly what the Employers wanted and it was the whites, who wanted to work for higher wages, and the whites who began losing their jobs.Many Chinese men had no choice at this point except to flea for their lives.

kamila z said...

Radical tension was high during these times. This was because the Chinese came looking for jobs, and this meant they had to work with the whites. The problem didn't start until the whites went on strike. The Chinese didn't want to be a part of the strike. The whites then started to attack and kill the Chinese.The employers would also hire the people that worked for the least amount of money so the Chinese took the whites jobs.

caittrzaski said...

During this time there was high racial tensions between the white workers and the Chinese. This became obvious after the Chinese were killed by the white men for not going on strike for higher wages because the white men knew their employers would choose the Chinese over them because they worked for little to nothing. White men losing their jobs to the much hated Chinese caused tension between the two races because the white men saw themselves as better people and workers because they were white and saw the Chinese as dirt and they were going to be the last people to take the white man's jobs they worked hard for.

Damian Litwa said...

During the late 19th century the Chinese had came into America in search of better jobs. Many worked on railroads with whites. There was no tension or racism, but when the whites wanted higher wages and the Chinese didn't then it got tense. Working for lower wages, the Chinese were able to kick out the whites who wanted higher pay. This angered the whites which caused tensions to start and racism such as burning houses down or even killing the Chinese. I agree with Abby that people would hire Chinese people because they worked for lower wages, but the whites wouldn't stand for it creating competition for work. This is what changed the workplace, many people working for lower wages got the job which shows the corruptness of the Gilded Age.

Makayla O'Hara said...

The article demonstrates both the social tensions and racism of America and the changing workplace and working experience in America in the late 19th century. The Chinese worked with white miners and all was well. But when the white wanted higher wages and the Chinese refused to join in with them on stike, problems occurred. The white went on a huge riot and killed, wounded, and burned Chinese men. The whites did not like the Chinese's denial one bit and they had a huge massacre. The whites wanted more money and they weren't going to obtain this money without the Chinese being on the same page as them. The whites had strong social tensions against the Chinese and were also racist. They attacked all Chinese men even if they were not involved. The workplace and working experience changed after these riots, too.

haley hicks said...

During this period peopled ethnic backgrounds were still a touchy place, racism was still very big and your race determined a lot of things for you in your life during this period. The main workers on the railroads were white Irish men and the Chinese, the Irish eventually went on strike and stood up for their rights but the Chinese were not able to follow this led to a lot of tension, as stated in this article there were anti Chinese clubs. The biggest thing that played into this was all of them getting the jobs this made nothing better for them. so instead of being hated as a individual they were hated as a whole within the race. The white men felt threatened by the Chinese because they were okay with the low wages. So over all the tension between races in the gilded ages was caused mainly over labor and wages.

Brian said...

The article shows that one of the main reasons that there was racism and tension against the Chinese was their refusal to strike like other Americans. They would have no problem working in tough conditions for low pay, which was hated by the whites. Even women joined in on the anti-Chinese movement, as it stated in one of the articles that they were carrying loaded shotguns. There were anti-Chinese meeting places as well as pushes for anti-Chinese legislature.

Katie P said...

When Chinese miners refused to strike with their white counterparts for higher wages at Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory in 1885, 150 white miners attacked, killing 28 and wounding 15 innocent Chinese workers. Their houses were looted and set on fire. 500 Chinamen were driven out of town. This incident demonstrates the immense social tension and racism in late 19th century America. The reason for the riot was solely due to the fact that the workers who refused to strike were Chinese. Had they been white, there probably wouldn't have been such attacks.

The article also demonstrates the changing workplace in America. Massive industrialization attracted many to the cities for jobs. This move to the city was coupled with worker unrest and strikes for higher wages, and better working conditions.

Claudia Majkner said...

The racial tensions were very high during this time period, especially against Chinese immigrants. For example, when the Chinese refused to join a strike for higher wages, a mob of 150 white men attacked them. Along with this, anti-Chinese clubs arose all over the country, encouraging discrimination against the Chinese. Some changes in the workplace included a demand for higher wages. The Chinese were fine working for agreed wages, like on the railroads, but that angered white men since it kept them from the economic gain they wanted, which resulted in social tension between the social classes.

Claudia Valenti said...

The article shows clearly the social tensions between the Chinese and white men at the time that the massacre occurred, and it is very obvious that there had been a high level of racism even before the attacks. However, the social tension at the time of the massacre had not quite been there before: as explained by the Chinese survivors to the Chinese consul, some of them had been working in Rock Springs for up to fifteen years with no riot or protest at their presence like the massacre in that time. This is proof that the Chinese men only became the scapegoat for the whites, not the cause of their frustration. As the wages were changed without warning and the foreigners who would take less pay flooded in, the American working experience became unbalanced, unfair, and uncertain. The changing workplace was the catalyst for social tensions, as proved by this article.

KC Backus said...

Although most places disliked the Chinese, they were still an important part of building the rail roads. However when the Chinese refused to work for higher wages this angered the whites because at the time whoever worked for the cheapest wages got the job. This took away many jobs from white Americans which made them grow to hate the Chinese

Laura said...

This article demontrates racial tensions because the chinee would work for lower wages while the white men went on strike for a better workplace. The social tension came with the racism because there was such a division.

Kristina96 said...

This article mainly focuses on the racial and social tensions in the 19th century. Chinese workers worked with others such as the Irish. The Chinese started being hated because they refused to go on strike for higher wages. They were attacked and killed by whites. They were also driven out of their homes and their homes were burned to ashes. People even formed anti-Chinese clubs. Chinese workers worked for low-pay. They made about 40 cents a day and the workers lived with eachother. Other workers would get mad because they work and still can't make enough money to support their families. One of the main goals of the immigrants coming to work on the railroads was to make money and return to their homeland. Everyone competed for jobs therefore causing social tensions.