Compare And Contrast Native American And Chinese Immigration

The experiences of Native American compared to immigrants from China in the late 19th century were similar in many ways. The Gold Rush of 1850 started the trend of immigration into the United States from China. The Chinese came to America with the hope of every other immigrant: the search of a new life and opportunity. However, like the Native Americans, the Chinese were ostracized and stigmatized by American (particularly the ones of European descent). One example is the Chinese Exclusion Act, a law in 1882 that prohibited immigration of Chinese laborer. This next to the law relating to Jim Crow, can easily be interpreted as one of most blatantly racist laws that the government has enforced. Americans felt the Chinese were inferior to them in a cultural sense. …show more content…
And similar to the Chinese, the Native Americans also had to deal with laws that did not act in their favor. The Dawes Act in 1887 forced the Indians to act in the sense of individuals rather than a shared tribal. Indians and Chinese also had to deal with the fact of being stigmatized for because of their distinct physical looks. The Indians had darker skin, with black hair and shared with the Chinese: almond shaped eyes contrasting the Europeans who were known for blonde hair and blue eyes. Both races had to also deal with derogatory terms; the Chinese were referred to as Oriental while Native Americans were called Indians. Documenting their experience as well as heroic figures in their community (ex. Crazy Horse) was popular among these communities and helped instilled