-
Period: to
Years in America
-
* Angel Island
The Taiping Rebellion and the hope for job opportunities in America have caused me to immigrate. I have just arrived in America, what a sight to see. Since Native born Americans don't want Chinese immigrants in America, the officers at Angel Island have questioned and inspected me very throughly and are trying to find questions I can't answer so they can deport me back to China. There is no turning back now I have to pass the requirements to become a citizen, for my family and I. -
* The affects of The Chinese Exclusion Act on my family and I
Since I passed all requirements I became an American citizen, and I have just recently found out that there was a discriminating act called the Chinese Exclusion Act put on Chinese immigrants. My family was originally going to come to America after I had settled in and made enough money here, but due to the Chinese Exclusion Act my family will have no way of becoming citizens. I am now miles from my family, and may not get to see my children grow up. -
Meeting someone who knows what I am going through
In the chinatown that I settled in after I became an American citizen, I met a chinese man in a similar situation as me, he came to America before his family, to start making money, and planned to have his family come after he had enough money, but the Chinese Exclusion Act stopped his family as well as mine from coming over to America. It's great to have met someone who knows what I am going through. -
My first job in America
Since there are jobs working on the railroad out in the west I traveled there, becasuse I need money for myself and my family back in China. I finally got a job; working on the railroad. I work for less money and in a more dangerous position than most of the other different races of immigrants. I had to take this job even though the conditions are horrible because I need money. -
* Hardships of working on the railroad
Due to the dangerous job I have as a railroad worker my arm got blown off by dynamite. since there is discrimination against chinese workers, I was assigned to place dynamite in one of the caves to make room for the railroad tracks, I didn't get away from the explosive fast enough so it blew off my arm. Very painful, medical fees will put me in bigger dept, I might not be able to return to work because of this. -
Money sent home
I had to go back to work even though my arm got blown off because I depended on the money. I finally earned enough money to settle in to America and now I can start to send part of my paycheck home. I sent money for the first time. I had to do this because they can't come to America because the Chinese Exclusion Act doesn't allow Chinese immigrants to become citizens and they dont have money in China. I miss my family and wish our plan had worked so they could have come to America.
