or in areas such as mining, land development, and irrigation. A crucial American accomplishment that was achieved primarily with the help of Chinese immigrants, was the Transcontinental Railroad. However, this acceptance did not last long for the Chinese immigrants. Even as they continued to contribute to the country’s progress, American attitude towards the Chinese began to grow more strained. Fear, ignorance, and post-Civil War depression combined to create a secluded atmosphere and eventually, a hostile home.As the Chinese population in America increased, many of these immigrants came together to form primarily poor Chinatowns in virtually every major U.S. city. These became targets for anti-immigration protests and riots that often resulted in violence. There was an increasing belief that immigrants were occupying too many jobs within the city. Pressure upon these immigrants became so fierce that some chose to leave the country altogether, and just like that, their American dream had been shattered.For those that remained, things only worsened, as America grew intolerant of the overwhelming number of immigrants. Americans accused the Chinese of almost everything possible.“The Chinese are aliens, born in a foreign land, speak a foreign tongue, owe allegiance to a foreign government, are idolaters in religion, have a different civilization from ours, do not and will not assimilate with our people, come only to get money, and return; and they are inimical to our laws, evade them whenever and wherever possible. They bring with them their filth and frightful and their nameless diseases and contagions. They bring no families as a general rule, but numbers of their countrywomen are brought for purposes of prostitution. They enhance the cost of government, and increase the burdens of taxation, while they contribute practically nothing in the way of taxes.”-James Harvey Slater, 1882In 1882, the United States governm...
