Essay I - Global Perspective

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Anthropology

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Oct 30, 2023

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CorreaDaisson 1 Essay 1: Global Perspective Ana Correa Daisson AMH 2020 Professor Charles Jones October 1, 2023

CorreaDaisson 2 With the influx of immigrants in the latter decades of the 19th century (period covering 1800- 1899), American society changed in fundamental ways. Discuss these changes with regard to any three of the following: economically, socially, culturally, demographically, and politically. The latter decades of the 19th century, spanning from 1800 to 1899, marked a pivotal period in American history characterized by a significant influx of immigrants. This transformative era witnessed the United States undergo fundamental changes across various facets of society. In this discussion, we will explore and analyze the profound impacts of immigration during this time, with a particular focus on its economic, cultural, and political dimensions. These changes not only redefined the nation's identity but also set the stage for the complex and dynamic society that continues to shape America today. By examining the effects of immigration, we gain valuable insights into how this historical phenomenon has played a important role in shaping the course of American history and society. Nearly 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States in the late 19 th century, fleeing rising taxes, crop failure, famine, and job shortages, as well as looking for freedom and/or running from religious and political persecution 1 . The European immigrants arrived in the United States through the East Coast, while the Asians arrived in the West Coast. Most immigrants established themselves close to the port of entry, but some preferred to explore the interior of the country and establish themselves there. As soon as they were settled, the immigrants would start looking for jobs. Because the employers knew of their necessity of getting a job, they took advantage of that and would pay the immigrants less than the other workers. The immigrants 1 The Library of Congress, “Immigration to the United States 1851-1900"

CorreaDaisson 3 were frequently discriminated and stereotyped. However, their different culture, economic, and political background contributed to the formation of the United States that we know today. According to Susan Carter, immigrants were a very important source of labor in the middle of the 19 th century; They were responsible for transporting goods, unloading ships, and building canals and roads 2 . The American industrial revolution began in the 1870s and it was a period in which there was a mechanization of manufacturing and agriculture, and new forms of transportation were created. As a result, there was an increase in the number of jobs available. As the process of industrialization started to spread in the United States, the immigrant labor was high in demand since they were willing to work for less money than natives; Even though working in the factories was harsh and the salary was low, it was still higher than at the farms. Most factories were located close to the cities, which caused more people to leave the rural areas and migrate to the urban areas, leading to urbanization. With the creation of the steam engine, the time it took to manufacture products decreased significantly, meaning that it was possible to produce faster. Since the production of goods was more efficient, the price of the products decreased. With the increase of the urban population and, consequently, increase of people looking for jobs, there was a decrease in salary, due to its high demand, with lead industries to produce at a lower cost and, at the same time, increase their production, with resulted in an economy of scales; The economies of scale was only possible due to all the immigrants that were a part of the industrialization. The more effective a production was, the more profit there was. The profit was usually invested in new technology, which caused production to be even more efficient, leading to higher wages. A lot of the Chinese immigrants worked at the transcontinental railroad for poor wages and were subjected to exposed racial economic exploitation 3 . During the 2 Hirschmand and Mogford, “Immigration and the American Industrial Revolution” 3 Voss, “Chinese Railroad workers in nineteenth century"

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CorreaDaisson 4 construction of the railroad, the workers contributed to the local economy as they would eat, sleep, take care of themselves in wherever city/state they were working. After immigrating, most immigrants would find a way of keeping their cultural traditions and, at the same time, embrace some of the American culture. With the discovery of gold in California, in 1854, the number of Chinese immigrants increased more than 26000%. In San Francisco, the first Chinatown in the United States was founded, in the mid 19 th century. It was an area with shops that would sell, mostly, goods imported from China. Although the main intention of Chinatown was to have a place where all Chinese people could fell at home, the shops attracted a lot of Americans, that wanted to eat Chinese food and/or buy Chinese objects. The Chinese didn’t really trust the white people, so they would try to hide their culture from the, which ended up having the opposite effect. Because they were so mysterious, the whites were even more curious about their culture 4 . In Chinatown, the Chinese would follow their culture, like holidays and traditions, while also obeying to American laws. However, not all immigrants managed to find other people from their country. Andreas Ueland, a Norwegian immigrant, struggled with getting a job due to his lack of English proficiency. He states that he wishes he could find other farmers of the same nationality as him in order to make him feel at home and welcome 5 . His struggle to find someone similar to him, led to social marginalization; This marginalization occurred to all the immigrants that did not assimilate to the American culture. Although Ueland had a successful ending, (he managed to pass the Bar exam and become a layer in the United States) he wishes we would have simply stayed in Norway with his friends and family and continued working as a farmer. Even though immigrants suffered when trying to fit in into America’s culture, they also contributed to that culture. Nowadays, this can be seen through 4 Chen, “San Francisco’s Chinatown” 5 Ueland, “Recollections of an immigrant”

CorreaDaisson 5 food, for example. There is a big European influence in what Americans eat like pasta, burritos, pizza. The Americans embraced some food from other countries and gave it their special touch, Mac and Cheese being an example. Immigrants also contributed to the sports culture, bringing soccer to the United States for example. The concept of immigrants being deemed inferior and consequently facing social rejection due to their diverse cultural and social backgrounds was initially established by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in 1891 6 . He expressed the view that immigration was introducing individuals who were challenging to assimilate and did not forecast well for the United States' cultural standards. During this era, leadership was reluctant to regard seeing immigrants as equals, a feeling that is still present in contemporary immigration debates. Despite ongoing debates across different time periods, the notion of that immigrates have to forget about their culture and learn the American culture continues to hold significant nationalist importance in the United States. While challenges related to assimilation and social marginalization persist in today's society, it is undeniable that the influx of immigrants had a profound impact on fostering social and cultural diversity in America, laying the groundwork for the diverse society we witness today. At first , immigration was not regulated, meaning any person who wished was freely to enter and exit the United States. However, that changed after Americans felt threatened by immigrants who were competing for the same jobs; This fear would be portraited as hatred. Although the Chinese immigrants contributed to America’s culture, the Chinese were discriminated. In 1868 the Burlingame Treaty was the first that dealt with immigration from one specific country: The treaty resulted from a good-will mission by Anson Burlingame, who had served as U.S. minister to China from 1861-1867. It recognized among other things the right of voluntary emigration and 6 Abramitzky, “What history tells us about assimilation of immigrants”

CorreaDaisson 6 the guarantee of mutual privileges on the part of the Chinese and Americans, with the exception of naturalization, which was reserved. 7 The treaty was responsible for a large influx of Chinese immigrants, which caused American labor groups to be against the treaty. In 1880, the United States amended the treaty and started having the right to limit, suspend, and regulate the residence or coming of Chinese, but not prohibit it. As a way of making Chinese life more difficult and try to decrease their immigration to the United States, the state of California imposed a monthly three-dollar tax on foreign miners, in which the employer itself was responsible for paying. In 1858, California issued a law that restricted Chinese from entering the state. In 1860, Chinese children were prohibited from going to public schools in California; These are just two examples of way that Americans, especially those from California, found to make Chinese lives more difficult and try to stop them from immigrating to the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was responsible for suspending the immigration of Chinese laborers; That only applied to new immigrants. Chinese that were already in the United States were free to leave and return as long as they had a return certificate that had to be obtained before their departure. This was the first time that the United States prohibited people form a certain country to enter the country. The only ones that were excused from the Exclusion were officials, students, teachers, visitors, and merchants. Chinese were prohibited from entering the country for twenty years. Despite the significant contribution of Chinese laborers to the construction of the transcontinental railroad and their substantial role in supporting the nation's economic growth, they found themselves subjected to racial discrimination and exclusion from the country. This exclusion was largely a response to public pressure, caused by prejudice rather than evidence-based considerations, and it was primarily aimed at satisfying demands from workers. Variations of such exclusionary legislation persisted 7 Chen, “San Francisco’s Chinatown” 57.

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CorreaDaisson 7 until 1943 when the United States needed the support from China. Eventually, these restrictions were withdrawn in efforts to enhance diplomatic relations. After analyzing the economic, cultural and political consequences of the increase of the influx of immigrants at the end of the 19th century, it can be concluded that there was a profound transformation upon American society, leaving an indelible mark across economic, cultural, and political dimensions. Economically, immigrant labor fueled industrialization and economic growth, shaping the nation into an economic powerhouse. Culturally, this period saw the rich tapestry of American culture expand as diverse traditions blended into a unique mosaic. Politically, the challenges posed by immigration led to the evolution of immigration policies, marking a shifting landscape of restrictions and opportunities. Ultimately, this period of mass immigration laid the foundation for the pluralistic and dynamic society that America is today, illustrating how immigration has been and continues to be an integral part of the nation's identity and progress. This should be taken into consideration when the United States finds itself in the position of having to deal with immigrants that wish to come to America, and remember that past immigrants contributed a lot to this country. Bibliography: 1. The Library of Congress. “Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900 | Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress,” n.d.

CorreaDaisson 8 https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source- timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/ . 2. Hirschman, C., & Mogford, E. (2009). Immigration and the American industrial revolution from 1880 to 1920. Social science research , 38 (4), 897–920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2009.04.001 3. Voss, Barbara L. 2018 “The Archaeology of Precarious Lives: Chinese Railroad Workers in Nineteenth-Century North America.” Current Anthropology. Stanford: Department of Anthropology of Stanford University 4. “San Francisco’s Chinatown: A Socio-Economic and Cultural History, 1850-1882 - ProQuest,” n.d. https://www.proquest.com/docview/303970295?fromopenview=true&pq- origsite=gscholar&parentSessionId=acM%2BDr9kAGx2Jb %2BuPTTg4WC5fWUJ11UjhAH9ercJfgw%3D . 5. Ueland, Andreas. 1929. “Recollections of an immigrant.” New York: Balch & Company 6. Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). “What History Tells Us about Assimilation of Immigrants,” April 12, 2017. https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/what- history-tells-us-about-assimilation-immigrants . 7. Chen, Joyce. “The Impact of Skill-Based Immigration Restrictions: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.” Journal of Human Capital 9, no. 3 (September 1, 2015): 298– 328.