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HIST 124 Final Exam

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HIST 124 Final Exam
Question 2
Americans of Asian descent, such as the Chinese, played a key role in California history,
especially from the period ranging from the Gilded Age to World War. The Gilded Age was an
era experienced in the United States in the late nineteenth century after the Civil War, from 1865
to 1900, characterized by rapid economic growth and immigration (VL What does the "Gilded
Age" mean? 00:23). Asian Americans were especially crucial in the construction of the
Transcontinental Railroad, which led to huge growth in California's economy as new industries
were created. In contrast, others boosted, such as the agricultural sector. The Chinese worked in
the farms, mining quarries, and in the construction industry. These were the industries that led to
California's economic growth; hence Asian Americans should be directly credited for the growth
since they did their work diligently despite being paid little. They displayed a work ethic that
was non-existent among the whites, and the Chinese were more productive than the whites
(California, p. 182).
However, despite their contributions, Asians were not easily accepted into the
mainstream California society and often faced discrimination. The Chinese were exposed to
nativism and discrimination, mostly stemming from religious, economic, and social factors. The
white Americans were afraid of the growing Asian influence in the country, with the Chinese
having been projected to have increased by 22,000 in 1876 alone (California, p. 202) and feared
for their works. The influx of the Chinese and Asians formerly railroad workers into the job
market in the 1870s coincided with an economic depression in the country. Some white
Americans viewed the Chinese as taking up job opportunities meant for them (VL The Impact of
Railroads on California History, 04:03), which brought about a lot of friction between the white

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Americans and the Chinese Americans. This led to the creation of anti-Chinese groups, which
advocated for the extermination of the Chinese, with one group driving out Chinese from their
settlement in Nevada County before destroying their cabins in December 1867 (California, p.
184). such was the resentment that Governor Newton Booth was elected into public office on an
anti-Chinese platform in 1871. Other laws were passed to curtail the immigration of Chinese into
the country, such as the Fifteen Passenger Bill and, most notably, the Chinese Exclusion Act of
1882.
The unruly white Americans calling for the Chinese to be rem...