Last Name 1 First Name: Weiben Wang Instructional Affiliation: US Business and Economic History US Business and Economic History Last Name 2 Introduction In the US, the currently enjoyed economic status dates back years and decades ago. Probably, the most contributing personnel ceased to exist a long time ago. With numerous economic periods and occurrences happening in the country, the US built its current status from multiple factors. One of the most common contributing factors includes the response that the country made towards the great depression and also the cold war. While these just constitute a small proportion of the total contributing factors to the success of the economy, various other aspects include the role played by multiple people from diverse backgrounds1. Such people include Asians, African-Americans and also but not limited to, the Chinese. Each of these parties lives with specific economic history in the United States. This paper addresses a brief history of the US economy and later on, that of the Chinese and their evolution to their current status. A brief history of US economy As mentioned, the US history comes from the enormous contributions made by people in the past. Considering the rise of the US as a top economic power in the pre and colonial periods, the people who migrated to the county made significant contributions towards the different pieces of infrastructure among other critical items. For instance, the Chinese people who emigrated to the country before 1900 contributed to the development of essential infrastructure in the country. In the pre-colonial era, the primary contributing factor to the growth of the US economy focused on subsistence farming and few industries. However, in the late 19th century, 1 Peri, G. (2012). The effect of immigration on productivity: Evidence from US states. Review of Economics and Statistics, 94(1), 348-358. Last Name 3 more developments rose such as the use of steam power in factories and also the development of rails which eroded the significance of canals. More developments came about which placed the country at an advantage over the others across the globe. In the 21st century, the country enjoys a good economic position where it ranks among the top across the world. The Chinese economic background The oncoming of the Chinese people in the US brought about considerable contributions in the various industrial fields. The Chinese people migrated to the country when it needed massive amounts of labor supply to work in the multiple areas. During the gold rush, a lot of Chinese people migrated to the united states to look for better places to dwell in and also in search of employment2. At that time, the US needed a lot of workers to work on the various projects such as the Transcontinental Pacific Railroad among other fields. Even after the completion of the project in the year 1869, more Chinese migrated to the US where most of them resided in California. The rest of them distributed themselves across the west and mostly, New England. However, because only men immigrated in large numbers with the hope of returning home to start new lives, the Chinese males who based themselves in the US faced numerous challenges. First, only Chinese men could migrate to the US which reduced the total number of females to marry. Since issues such as interracial marriages never worked, most of the Chinese men resulted became bachelors which resulted in a reduced birth rate. At that rate, the Chinese population in the US faced a dull future. Major milestones 2 Hooper, K., & Batalova, J. (2015). Chinese immigrants locate in the United States. Migration Policy Institute, 28. Last Name 4 While most Chinese people migrated to the US in the 1800`s in search for better employment, a number of them never returned home and based their families within the country. Most of the Chinese people worked in the California gold mines, but after the US imposed heavy taxes to the non-citizens and harsh rules that did not favor them, they left the workplaces to look for better working conditions. Around 1860, the Chinese population made its way to the Nevada areas where they got recruited as laborers in the Transcontinental Railroad3. Through the working and construction of the railroad by both the natives and a large proportion of the Chinese people, the economy of the country rose at a significant percentage. For instance, the railroad acted as a good starting point for the respective populations to transport their goods from one end to the other with ease. Additionally, the successful completion of the transcontinental railroad acted as a revolution in the field of transport. The older wagons got replaced with more advanced and faster trains which revolutionized the transport sector in the US. Other than the Chinese working in the construction of the transcontinental railroad, the also engaged themselves in other primary economic activities although they operated under limited freedom due to the harsh racial discrimination and rules passed by the government. After the completion of the railroad in the year 1869, many Chinese people remained active and sought employment in the other fields. Some of the commonly referred fields included in the manufacturing, farming and also clothing industries. However, with the increased hatred from the natives and the government, more violence, discrimination and even murder cases against the Chinese rose which drove many off these industries. In the end, most of the Chinese people adopted and decided to engage in their business enterprises leading to self- 3 Brown, J. L. (2012). Uniting the States: The First Transcontinental Railroad. Civil Engineering Magazine Archive, 82(7), 40-42. Last Name 5 entrepreneurship and eventually, employment. Many Chinese merchants struggled for long to establish their businesses but could not thrive well in the other areas where the most significant population constituted the whites. As a result, the creation of Chinese settlements came to life. while considering that most Chinese people remained experienced and active in the various fields, the most remarkable contribution that they made include the fostering and improving the agricultural sector. During the construction of the railroad, most parts of California lacked enough labor to work on the available large farming areas. As such, the residents could not meet the existing demand for foodstuffs and also fruits in the other parts of the country. The Chinese people worked on the railroad until its completion in 18694. After the completion of the construction of the railroad, most Chinese people went to look for more areas of employment. While most of them could not manage to start their business enterprises due to the existing harsh laws in the country, some of them went to work in restaurants, homes and also in the various industries. However, a large number of them worked on the different farms. Due to their expertise in food farming and the existing conducive climatic conditions, they made huge impacts on the manner in which the country produced these items such as fruits. Through the exploration of new fertile farming lands, the Chinese people made it easy for the state to increase its food production capabilities which helped in substantially boosting the underlying economy. To this day, the efforts made by the Chinese in the agriculture sector remains one of the most fundamental and essential aspects of the US economy. The efforts acted as a huge stepping stone for the rise of the US economy to its current status. 4 Chang, G. H. (2012). China and the Pursuit of America's Destiny: Nineteenth-Century Imagining and Why Immigration Restriction Took So Long. Journal of Asian American Studies, 15(2), 145-169. Last Name 6 Other than the Chinese people working in the various farms among other areas of interest, the other commonly occupied workplace included the fishery industry. The Chinese people founded the current fishery economy in California. Because Chinese came as experienced laborers and experts in the various fields such as farming, construction, and fisheries despite the notion held against them painting them as weak and fragile, they made considerable contributions in the different areas of work. For instance, in the years 1850 and 1880s, the Chinese people made it possible to explore the vast Californian coastline up to Mexico regarding fishing. The Chinese people created small boats that they used to traverse the ocean in search of fish. The most common fish caught by the Chinese include shark, cod and also but not limited to soles. The kind of fish and seaweed captured by the Chinese fishermen formed a staple food of their cuisine. Other than fishing just for food, the Chinese fisherman started businesses where they sold their products to the other markets distributed across the other areas such as Hawaii and also Asia. In addition to the Chinese working in the various industries and areas such as fishing and farming, a significant proportion of them worked in other places such as in restaurants. After the gold rush, a large number of the Chinese people made way to work as domestic house helps and also started their laundry businesses. Additionally, these Chinese merchants began other activities such as shops, imported products stores, and even food joints among others. As a result, the Chinese people started rising as a wealthy class of merchants. However, those that worked in the various other industries as employees faced numerous challenges such as low wages, especially during the economic crisis. However, considering the financial status of the Chinese people back in their country, they did not see recent to the low wages and instead they continued working even under unfavorable conditions. Other areas where the Chinese population Last Name 7 that migrated to the United States worked in include the mercury mines and also in the consumer products industries such as in the textile factories. However, the Chinese people could not join trade unions like their counters; the whites rendered them as inferiors to their masters. The Chinese economic status in the US today Today the Chinese people in the US enjoy similar rights and benefits as the natives. Hence, this led to the rise of a wealthy class of Chinese entrepreneurs who started their businesses and companies. These Chinese enterprises contribute primarily to the country`s GDP. Other than the fact that the US comprises of numerous different races of people, it dates its rail development from the contributions made by the Chinese population in the 1860s. Additionally, the Chinese dominated both the farming and fishing industries where they initiated the country`s ability to produce and make money out of such activities. Conclusion Each group of people contributed a significant proportion to the development of the US economy. Even the British made huge impacts on the industries in the US. However, the Chinese people contributed largely to revolutionizing the way that the country produced crops among other areas. The experienced Chinese population worked in the railroads which transformed the American transport system. Additionally, the Chinese people also worked as laborers in the various farming fields which opened up an opportunity to make positive impacts on the way that the natives cultivated crops. After working in the multiple areas, the Chinese people made it easy for the country to realize its hidden potential in farming and also in the fishing industries. However, the primary limiting factor to unleashing the full potential of the Chinese revolved around the existing harsh rules and also increased violence. In most cases, the natives murdered Last Name 8 the Chinese people with the support of the previously enacted and upheld notion by the supreme court preventing any form of resentment or prosecution of a white man by a Chinese. With the increase in such issues, the Chinese people often sought diverse areas of employment which presented little harsh treatments. However, even with these kinds of treatments, the Chinese people found it easy to exploit the existing resources in the US to make economic benefits out of them. It then follows that the Chinese people in the US faced a lot of problems in developing their economy. However, their migration came from the need to improve their respective country`s economic status by working abroad in the US. They faced numerous challenges until when the harsh rules got scrapped and paved the way for the rise of a wealthy class of Chinese merchants today. Bibliography Brown, J. L. (2012). Uniting the States: The First Transcontinental Railroad. Civil Engineering Magazine Archive, 82(7), 40-42. Chang, G. H. (2012). China and the Pursuit of America's Destiny: Nineteenth-Century Imagining and Why Immigration Restriction Took So Long. Journal of Asian American Studies, 15(2), 145-169. Hooper, K., & Batalova, J. (2015). Chinese immigrants in the United States. Migration Policy Institute, 28. Peri, G. (2012). The effect of immigration on productivity: Evidence from US states. Review of Economics and Statistics, 94(1), 348-358.
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