Kennedi+Norris


 * What is your //general// belief about who or what is most responsible for causing the conflict?**

I believe that the Americans are the most responsible for causing the conflict. They were the ones who came up with and passed the law in 1882. The Chinese were not doing anything wrong. They just fled to America in serch of job opportunities and the Ameicans looked down upon them.

**What is the relevant background information (i.e. who, what, when, where)?**

The Chinese came here in serch of job opportunities. The jobs they came here for included mine digging, working on railroads, and canning salmon. It seemed like the Chinese were helping the Americans out alot. Over two thirds to the men who made ane built the Western Division railroad were Chinese. The white American workers viewed the Chinese as unfair competitors for jobs during the depression of the mid 1880's. The Chinese were also very low paid in their jobs. The Chinese exclusion act lasted from 1882 to 1943. 61 years.

**What were 3 factors that helped cause the conflict (politics, economics, geography, history)?**

One factor was racism. Americans had a hard time excepting other types of people and religions besides their own. Because of this, mobs of Americans would start fights with the Chinese which led to the Chinese Exclusion law. All the riots were trying to take Chinese away from their homes and family and started shipping them off to go live eleswhere. This caused all Chinese to lose their jobs. Another reason is because of all the mobs of Americans and the rallies trying to make the Chinese go away. The Americans literally pushing Chinese out the door was making the conflict ten times worse. Mostly all the citizens of Tacoma, WA attended a mass meeting about how the Chinese do not belong here and have to leave by November 1st, 1885. This left all of them homeless and jobless. Some had to live without family and food just because of how these people looked and what their religion was. The last factor that helped cause the conflict was jobs. Immigrants were despratly needed to work at the factories. Because of this, Chinese fled over to America to get jobs. Americans looked down upon the Chinese immingrants and didnt like how they looked or what their religion was or how they acted a certain way. This caused the mericans to start hating them and no longer wanting them in their country. Also, they were very low paid in their jobs.

**Explain why one factor is more important than the others.**

I think that racism was the factor that was more important than the others. If it wernt for the way the Chinese looked different and had different religion, I think there would be no problem. It would be very conveinient for the Americans just to ignore the differences because then the would just have so much more help at the factories.

**How could the conflict have been avoided?**

The conflict cold have been avoided if Americans ignored the differences of the chinese. If they just would have done that, then Chinese would have jobs and Americans would have more people helping them in the factories. Also, if the Americans hated them so much, then they could have just asked for more Americans to help in the factories rather than having the Chinese find out that they needed help and come to America to get jobs.


 * What sources of information have you used? **

Book- Lambert, Dale. __Washington: A State of Contrasts.__ East Wenacchee, WA: DMI, 2008

Website- " Chinese Exclusion Act." __Ourdocuments.__ 1989. National Archives. May 20, 2009. [].

Ecyclopedia online- Crowley, Walt. "Anti- Chinese Activism--Seattle." __History Link.__ Walt Crowley. May 02, 1999. historylink.org. May 2, 2009. [].