onoran miners were renowned for their abilities to produce despite the harsh conditions in the California mines."Sonorans found the best pay dirt, recognized the gold first, and dug up the biggest nuggets" (Standart 6). In 1850 the Foreign Miners Tax law was passed. The law levied a $20 a month tax on foreign miners. Foreigners as wellas American miners were against the bill but protested to no avail. This led to 500 Sonorans leaving their work fortheir homeland or to other areas to mine. The migration effectively stopped in 1851. By 1856 the migration was over. Some Sonorans went back to Mexico, whileothers settled in Los Angeles and other big cities. After the migration of Sonoran miners, there was little to noimmigration to the United States by Mexicans for about 20 years. The First Phase of Mexican Immigration To the United States- The First Laborers The first phase of Mexican immigration lasted from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. "Between 1877 and 1910, it isestimated that the population of Mexico increased by six million. Mexican haceinda size increased on average from12,000 to 20,000 acres, some as large as 250,000 acres" (Miller 28). This led to less and less land for rural farmerswho owned 7.7 percent of the total Mexican land, but made the vast majority of the population. In 1910 it was estimatedthat a Mexican farm workers purchasing power was one fourteenth that of an American Farm worker of the same class. The use of Mexicans on American farms began in the late 1880's when the sugar beet industry was introduced toCalifornia. "Mexicans were used because, American laborers refused to accept such backbreaking work" (Miller 28).The Dingley Tariff Act of 1897 stimulated immigration to the United States. This act allowed the sugar beet industry tobecome very profitable through the use of inexpensive Mexican labor. Mexican immigration to the U.S. was also stimulated by the Mexican revolution of 1909-1910. People trying to fle...
