After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1870s, Californians faced tough economic times. Most of the gold in California had already been mined. Many businesses closed, and few jobs were available. As frustration levels among Americans began to rise in California, the Chinese became targets for discrimination. Americans blamed the Chinese for the lack of jobs in California. Anti-Chinese sentiments spread throughout the state.

Think about the answers to the following questions. Discuss with your teammates, and write your responses in your journal.

Describe a time when someone treated you differently because of the way you looked. How did that experience make you feel?

to print these questions and record your answers.

Click the following links to learn about the anti-Chinese feelings in America.

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Dime Novels

Click the following links to view the political cartoons. Click view enlargement to see the larger picture.

Pacific Chivalry             view enlargement

Protecting White Labor     view enlargement

Burlingame Treaty

1. Pretend that you are one of the Chinese laborers in California, write an editorial letter to the Harper's Weekly, the magazine that published these cartoons. Express your feelings about the anti-Chinese cartoons. In your letter describe some of the hardships the Chinese laborers have faced living in the United States.

2. Draw your own political cartoon that expresses the opinion of the Chinese laborer. Write a short paragraph under your cartoon to explain the pictures and its message.