During the mid-1850s, a large number of Chinese traversed the Pacific Ocean to the United States for one reason: an apparent guarantee of gold deposits in the mountains of balmy California. Although the guarantee of gold allured the Chinese to California in huge numbers, they were already somewhat acquainted with the West Coast prior to the Gold Rush. Around 1600, they knew enough about the state’s territory to draw a coastal map. History proposes early Chinese pioneers may have traveled to North America many years before Columbus actually made it there. Early Chinese miners were basically the first people to explore Gold Country and tell of the exciting possibility of great wealth to their home towns. Later in the 1800s, conditions in China
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Chinese-American children were denied admission at schools where there were white children, they had to attend separately segregated schools. Some such laws included requiring Chinese-Americans to cut off their braids of hair, or creating a tax that caused many Chinese-American businesses to go bankrupt. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by the government, which was intended to prevent any future Chinese immigration from that point on, but did allow specific professions such as teachers, merchants, and students to immigrate into the United States. Those who were admitted had to endure an extremely thorough screening procedure to validate that they met all requirements for admission, including extreme health checkups. Chinese people from different professions, financial standings, and trades were not permitted to enter the United States until 1943, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was withdrawn. Angel Island Processing Center in San Francisco Bay was the primary admittance gate for Chinese immigrants arriving in the United States in the early 1900s. The Chinese could be held for many weeks to months on Angel Island, as authorities handled their immigration papers and questioned them about their reasons for wanting to immigrate to the United States. Many Chinese immigrants lied and said that they were either tradesmen or joining their American citizen families in order to get through immigration
Chinese-American children were denied admission at schools where there were white children, they had to attend separately segregated schools. Some such laws included requiring Chinese-Americans to cut off their braids of hair, or creating a tax that caused many Chinese-American businesses to go bankrupt. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by the government, which was intended to prevent any future Chinese immigration from that point on, but did allow specific professions such as teachers, merchants, and students to immigrate into the United States. Those who were admitted had to endure an extremely thorough screening procedure to validate that they met all requirements for admission, including extreme health checkups. Chinese people from different professions, financial standings, and trades were not permitted to enter the United States until 1943, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was withdrawn. Angel Island Processing Center in San Francisco Bay was the primary admittance gate for Chinese immigrants arriving in the United States in the early 1900s. The Chinese could be held for many weeks to months on Angel Island, as authorities handled their immigration papers and questioned them about their reasons for wanting to immigrate to the United States. Many Chinese immigrants lied and said that they were either tradesmen or joining their American citizen families in order to get through immigration