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Birth Date and Life as a kid
My name is Hai Du Chun. I was born on May 15, 1859, in Beijing, China. I grew up pretty average. My mom worked on the farm back home with grandma, while my dad worked in a factory with my grandpa. We made enough money to support ourselves. -
Why my family wanted to move to America
The main reason me and my family moved to America is because of life at home. Just a year ago, the factory my grandpa and my father work in got shutdown, so we were getting low on money. My grandpa and my father were planning to start working in the gold mine in California, as my mom and grandma would continue the farm life. -
What my family planned to gain Immigrant B
What my family planned to gain was some money. Because of the factory shutting down, the only money came from grandma and mom. That wasn't enough though. But, in America, dad and grandpa would get a job so we could get back on track. -
Historical Event #1 Angel Island Immigrant B
We had arrived to Angel Island, and it certainly wasn't the island of the angels alright. People were discriminated by race, color, class, and gender. We were middle class, so we got put in a decent position. Our race wasn't mostly preffered though, so they didn't like that. We weren't like he Japanese who were rarely denied. Angel Island also had a higher rejection rating than Ellis Island at 60% compared to 20%. We were fortunately able to pass though. -
Historical Event #2 Boss Tweed Immigrant B
One day a tall man came up to me. He said his name was Boss Tweed. He said that he'll give me some money and food as well as a job if I vote for him in the election. I told him to call me later. Once I got home I spoke about this to my parents. They said that I need to stay away from him because he is doing these illegal deals. He called the next day and I denied his offer. He kept calling, to the point where we had to change our number. We haven't heard of him since. -
Historical Event #3 Gold Mine Immigrant B
Dad and grandpa were making no more than they were at the factory at home. So, to make a little more money, I decided to join them. Work in the mine was hard. There was not much fresh air under the mine. There was not much gold either. My help didn’t make much money, but it still helped. -
Historical Event #4 Moving to Chicago Immigrant B
A couple of months later I heard about this job offer in the Midwest. It was a railroad company. They wanted people who would work on the quick building railroad for some good money. I decided to take the job. I would have to take my belongings and head for Chicago. I would also have to tell my parents about me moving away. I told my parents and they wished me the best of luck and hoped to see me in a couple of years and I was on my way. -
Historical Event #5 Railroad Immigrant B
I have arrived to my first day of work. There were about 1,000 men already there. Men were slamming nails into wood and metal. I got to work. Life working on the railroad wasn't easy. We would come in every day and pund nails into wood and steel. We did make decent progress though. Another month has passed again. We finished the railroad. We did some pretty good work. The job gave me good money and now I’m living in a house I paid for in Chicago. -
Why I wrote this autobiography
The reason why I wrote this autobiography is to show people what you can do once you come to America. I live a pretty successful life now. I would like to share my story with other people to inspire them to do great things.
