Biography Of A Chinaman By Lee Chew Analysis

The United States has been thoroughly altered by a single key factor, immigration. Over the history of the United States, immigration laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Mexican Repatriation program, have been put into effect, contributing to our ever-changing society. The Chinese Exclusion Act was signed by President Chester A. Arthur in 1882, which effectively banned Chinese laborers from entering the United States for 10 years. It was instituted seeing as many Americans held the fear of losing their jobs to Chinese laborers, due to the fact that their quality of work was much greater. The Mexican Repatriation was essentially caused by the Great Depression, which began in 1929, aiming to forcibly remove countless Mexican individuals

Additionally, both acts target specific immigrant groups instead of a broader range. On May 6, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, a law which entirely banned Chinese laborers immigration to the United States for 10 years. In an article entitled, “The Biography of a Chinaman,” written by Lee Chew, the author explains that Americans desired the removal of the Chinese due to the fear that they would obtain jobs that could have gone to Americans. “No one would hire an Irishman, German, Englishman or Italian when he could get a Chinese, because our countrymen are so much more honest, industrious, steady, sober and painstaking. Chinese were persecuted not for their vices [sins], but for their virtues [good qualities]” (Source G). The article illustrates that as long as Chinese laborers were removed, employers would have no choice but to hire Americans, leaving them with increased job

As a result, Mexicans were blamed for taking the jobs of unemployed white Americans” (Source A). This quote portrays the belief that if there were fewer Mexicans in the United States, there would be more job opportunities for Americans as a result. The evidence about the Chinese Exclusion Act and Mexican Repatriation demonstrates that during both of these acts, Americans encompassed the similar belief that one specific group was accounting for their joblessness. This is demonstrated as in the Chinese Exclusion Act, they outlawed one specific group, the Chinese, while the Mexican Repatriation targeted Mexican individuals. The similarities between the Chinese Exclusion Act and Mexican Repatriation are important because they show how even in different time periods, differing by almost 50 years, Americans follow the common theme of blaming other ethnic groups for their lack of employment. The Chinese Exclusion Act and Mexican Repatriation had key distinctions, for instance, the Mexican Repatriation Act aimed at both United States citizens as well as immigrants, mainly of Mexican descent, while in contrast, the Chinese Immigration Act affected only immigrants of Chinese