Teaching Module: Chinese Workers in the U.S. and Exclusion
This module focuses on Chinese workers’ experiences in relation to the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. These materials could be added to U.S. survey courses, classes on immigration history and/or labor history. Below is a suggested approach to implement these materials across two class periods.
Homework
Ask students to read the following sections in New Frontiers: Westward Expansion and Industrial Growth, 1865-1877, Vol. 1, Chap. 13:
- Introduction
- The Spread of Immigration
- An American Labor Movement Emerges
- Workers Organize
- Racism Stalls the Labor Movement
Day 1 (In Class)
Lead students in an in-class primary source analysis activity with the five following primary sources:
- Eye on the East: Labor Calls for Ban on Chinese Immigration
- "To This We Dissented": The Rock Springs Riot
- "We Chinese Are Viewed Like Thieves and Enemies": Pun Chi Appeals to Congress to Protect the Rights of Chinese, ca. 1860
- "We Are Not the Degraded Race You Would Make Us": Norman Asing Challenges Chinese Immigration Restrictions
- “Narrow and Unjust”: Joseph McDonnell Argues for Acceptance of Chinese Immigrants
Context of the source: What type of document is the source? Which year was it published? Who wrote it? Why did they write it? Did they have a specific goal while writing? If so, what is it? Which audience was the document intended for?
Content of the source: What is the main point of the source? (It may be something different to the modern reader than it was in the time it was produced.) Is the source making an argument? What is the author’s tone?
Historical significance: Why is this source historically significant? What does this source tell us about Americans’ views of Chinese immigrants and the rights granted to them?
Homework
Ask students to closely read the following two “Closer Look” essays, including the accompanying documents, and prepare to answer the reflection questions in the following class:
- Chinese Exclusion and Racial Gatekeeping in the United States
- Chinese Restaurants During the Era of Exclusion
Day 2 (In Class)
Facilitate an in-class discussion among students responding to the reflection questions at the bottom of both of the “Closer Look” essays.