Even if the formerly-deemed “unfit” people gained success, they would still be ostracized by eugenists in the Progressive Era, and would stay seen as “unfit.” In a quote on page 214, the economist Edward A. Ross asserted that though Chinese immigrants could not outwork Americans, they were able to “underlive” them. By saying that these immigrants could “underlive” Americans, Ross meant they would work more while accepting less of a wage, as immigrants were primarily hired as cheap unskilled laborers. In essence, Ross claimed that the “unfit” immigrant races were simply inclined to work for lower wages due to their race, but this did not make them a better worker than a person of a native race. At heart, Ross was insisting that under no circumstances
