Module 3: Chinese American Community Formation: The First Generation
How have Chinese Americans shaped different parts of American history?
In this module, we will explore how the first generations of Chinese immigrants made their living and formed communities in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. This module focuses on Chinese communities in California and the West because they tended to cluster there.
After the Central Pacific Railroad was completed in 1869, 10,000 Chinese railroad workers no longer had jobs. Some returned to China, others found railroad work outside of California, and the remaining found jobs in agriculture or manufacturing. In 1870, there were 63,000 Chinese people in the US, with roughly 75 percent living in rural areas, where such jobs were abundant.
How did early Chinese immigrants form American communities and maintain their connections to family back in China?
Why did Chinatowns first emerge around the US?
What jobs did early Chinese immigrants take up and how did it affect how they were perceived in the US?
