The Immigration Of Chinese In NYC

Jobs, Poverty, crime , education

The increase of Chinese immigration in New York City started after the decreased of mining jobs in California. In that time, the Chinese came to the United States, principally to California, to work in gold mines but also in railroads constructions. The first intention was to make money and after return to their own country. Around the middle of nineteen century, a decrease in mining and railroads jobs provided the Chinese to move to New York City to find works as traders and sailors in diverse areas in New York City streets.

Everybody who came to New York City in that time came with one thing in mind: Make money. With the Chinese immigrants was not different. They started to get jobs on the garment industry and tobacco rolling. For the Chinese this kind of job was very easy to find, once they could work for a long period of the day and with a small salary. They worked in bad conditions, including tight, dark and filthy places. With the growing in numbers of Chinese immigrants in job market, the white population was outraged with the disposition that the Chinese had to work despite with all the conditions that they had. The white condemned the fewer jobs opportunities in market due the Chinese. As a result of the dissatisfaction of the white people in that time was the creation of the Exclusion Act against Chinese immigrants.

The racial segregation that the Chinese suffered in that time was one of the biggest reasons that the Chinatown was created. The suffered with the poverty. The conditions and salaries that they received was bad. With all these bad things, Jacob Ribs cited in his book “How the other side lives” that Chinatown was “a constant and terrible menace to society”.

In the beginning, the Chinatown was a place characterized with many illicit activities. The Opium Smoking was a normally action founded in this area. Another illicit activities in that time was Gambling. Which was the most common seen in the Chinatown streets in the late nineteenth century. Fan-Tan was the preferred by the Chinese. At least but not last, the prostitution was a big problem in Chinatown in late nineteenth century. The prostitution was the most complain against the Chinese.

In that time many Chinese felt frustrated, angry and depressed to adjust they life here in United States. With a bad and poor education, the Chinese felt many time misunderstood. In addition, they suffered with the discrimination. Finding ways to feel better and accepted as citizens, some Chinese find in some kinds of social groups. These social groups provided to them support and understanding. In this places they could find place that could provide and made they feel accepted. But, the bad part of these groups it is because, some of these groups are based on the belief that the only way for them to have respect and be accepted in American society is to accomplish those goals through "unconventional" methods, in this case, crime.