A Personal History of Chinese Immigration
On the way to a field trip at the Smithsonian with my grandfather, we passed through his childhood neighborhood in Washington, D.C. At first he pointed out where he grew up, and where his family laundry business was located, as well as other various monuments important to his past. But then, as if I was watching a memoir of my family’s history, he began to tell me about my family’s personal involvement with Chinese immigration to the United States. Starting with my great great great grandfather, Li Hung-Chang, and then moving down the family tree to my great great grandfather, Kee Chin, and then my great grandmother, Emma Chin, many of my ancestors have made an important impact in the lives of fellow Chinese Americans. In their own way, each of these family members held an important role in the shaping of the government and certain policies as well as bettering or helping the daily lives of Chinese and Chinese-Americans.
Starting in the 1790’s, laws and acts were passed and implemented to prevent Asians from immigrating and creating new lives in the United States of America. In particular, the Chinese have faced severe changes in immigration laws. The first U.S. nationality act passed in 1790, “granted naturalized citizenship to free white persons”(Wu & Song, XXV) meaning that “it allowed an individual to apply for citizenship if they were a free white person, being of good character, and living in the United States for two years” (Englund). In 1848, there were surges of Chinese coming over to complete the transcontinental railroad (Wu & Song, XXV). The surges were due to the California Gold Rush of 1848-1855. At first, Chinese immigrants were accepted by the American public, government officials, and employers because they were “wealthy, successful merchants, along with skilled artisans, fishermen, and hotel and restaurant owners. The Chinese immigrants were also renowned for their hard work and...