Chapter 15-1: Critical Thinking # 3

Which group of immigrants do you think faced the greatest challenges in the United States? Why?

Entering the United States as an immigrant, everyone had trouble and many of the same challenges. The group of immigrants that probably had the greatest challenges in the United States were the Chinese.

Chinese immigrants came to the West Coast in small groups while Europeans arrived in groups of millions. (p. 461) Most Chinese immigrants went to the United States in search of jobs and to find fortunes after the discovery of gold.

Because Chinese specifically went to the United States in search of jobs, people were afraid that they would work for less money, and therefore take over their jobs. With this fear, labor groups went straight to the government. Over time, the government passed an act against Chinese immigration. This act was called The Chinese Exclusion Act, in which Chinese immigrants were banned from entering the United States. This movement was put forth for all Chinese except students, teachers, merchants, tourists, and government officials. (p. 465)

As a result, the Chinese immigrants had the hardest time in the United States because people were strongly against Asian immigration. Of all the immigrants to enter the United States, the Chinese were the only ones to have an act made specifically for them and mainly only "Anti-Asian" groups were formed.