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Background Information
I am a twenty-five year old male. I currently have a beautiful wife and one lovely son. I was born in China and have lived there all my life. But now i feel that i need a change. I need something new, something exciting. Although i have heard some rumours about America having freedom. Which i wonder if it's true of not. Maybe i will find out someday! -
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Immigrant Journey
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Escaping Death
In my homeland there was flodding, war, and famine and i did not want my children to die. The living conditions were terrible and i was desperate to find a job to feed my family. I had no money to even buy a piece of bread to fill my stomach! As the head of the family i needed a way to protect my family and feed them. My neighbors were struggling too, their daughter just died two days ago -
Setting a goal for myself
I really needed to get out of China due to the government collapsing and crisis rising. I needed to bring my family to a safer place. All this causes peple to go crazy. Mad people all over the streets hollering and tearing things down. It was horrifing, Sometimes people didn't go to work. I prayed every night that something or someone could save me from this disaster. -
America here we come!
I workerd long and hard these two years just to get a chance to go to the land of freedom! Finally at last my hard work has paid off we have enough to board the ship with my family to America. I had heard that a lot of my friends had left to go to America and had already arrived. They even told me that there was freedom to do things that they desired! I am exciting to see how the land of freedom is like! Every night i can't sleep because this is too good to be true! -
America Here We Come Continued
Once one person goes to America then the whole community goes! -
Terrible Tenements
I was extremly poor when i arrived in America i brought nothing with me except my family and a pair of ragged clothes, so we could only find housing in slums. Plus it was close to my work place so it was easy. And believe me, it is not somewhere where humans can live! Diseases spreading, no running water, and no place to throw garbage away. It is too over corwded, my wife is already sick to the point where she cannot to anything. Poor attention from landlords cause us to suffer. -
Railroad Laborers
When i first arrived i heard that railroad comapnies needed more laborers so i went and got a job. Since they paid us i had to work long harsh hours on the most dangerous parts of the first transcontinental railraod. But that did matter i still work for my family. My friends tried to lure me into mining in 1870 but i refused.They heard that there was better treatment so they went into mining. That was probably more life threatenig than this! -
Discrimination against the Chinese
Although we the Chinese immigrants do the more dangerous work we get less pay than the other laborers! We are not treated fairly and sometimes the white workers pick fights on us! I hopefully won't get intp any fighting or shooting! i guess that due to the mass populations of the chinese now the white people hate us. But still us asian can't stand being hated on so if they pick on us we bite back! They also refuse to help us with simple things or even touch our hands! -
California Gold Rush
I was tempted to go to California for a chance to strike it rich. If only i could be rich! Many of my fellow workers went there before the gold rush ended. They told me to go with them but i declined. I figured i wouldn't strike it rich. But so many people were flying over there i thought that by the time i got there there was no more gold to find. Our boss was already angry that his workers were fleeing the railroad work to find gold so i wanted to make sure i didn't lose my job here! -
California Gold Rush Continued
Population grew rapily due to the gold rush. There was even steam boats that would take you to California! -
Chinese Exclusion Act In 1882
So many Chinese immigrants came to America escaping the war and famine, it was in 1882 when the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which shocked me. We've done so much for them on the railraods and yet they still do this to us?! Now the white workers hate us even more! We are often denied things and i heard that after the act was passed at least 5 Chinese immigrants were shot to death! Now my friends in China can't reached the land of freedom they've dreamed of! -
Long life in America
I had a lot of experiences in America, freedom ,and oppurtunities. I hope all immigrants had the amazing journey like i had. Some times were rough but look on the bright side. I survived discriminations from other workers and now i can say i lived, loved, and laughed in the land of prosperity.
