Impact of Immigration on the American West During the Mid- and Late-19th Century

As a student of culture in all its forms, the writing below was my response to the questions in blue that were given to me for a course on immigration at Metro.

Discuss the impact of immigration on the American West during the mid- and late-nineteenth century.  What groups of European and Asian migrants traveled to the region, and what motivated them to come?  What opportunities and obstacles did they discover upon their arrival?  How did their presence contribute to the decline of American Indian authority?  Describe using specific examples of both European and Asian immigrants the impact that they had, and continue to have, in the West.

Immigration in the mid- and late- nineteenth century helped to shape the American West and join it to the East. Groups coming from both Europe and Asia during this time had motives similar to the ones of previous groups. They ran into both opportunities and obstacles on their journey. The affects that they had on America can still be felt today. For the immigrants of this time period, even though there were opportunities and lasting changes, it was also a time where immigrants were persecuted against.

            Immigration from the West (Asia) helped to provide a work force to finish the colonization of the American West. The Chinese not only worked in the mines, but also worked on the “western leg of the Central Pacific Railroad” (Daniels, 243). The railroad could be seen as linking the west to the rest of civilization (seen as being the urbanized/industrialized east). Also during this time both the Chinese and the Japanese helped to provide the workers needed to build California’s agricultural system (Daniels, 253). Each of these groups and others had their own motivations for coming not only to the American west, but to America in general.

            Of the immigrants coming from Asia the two largest groups were the Chinese and the Japanese. The Chinese migration was not just Chinese/Cantonese from South China, but also people from countries around the Pearl River Delta (Daniels, 241). They came over from their home areas because of the close relation that had been built in their eyes of America to gold/gold rushes (Daniels, 239). “Like so many Europeans,” they came “with the intention of sojourning and returning with a nest egg” (Daniels, 239). The Chinese already had a history of migration to Southeast Asia and moving to America was another way for them to acquire the funds to use back home (Daniels, 240). Thus, the move to America was just another place where the Chinese could migrate to. This pattern of migration was much different than other groups from Asia were used to, such as the Japanese. Japan did not really have an emigrant tradition before this time period (Daniels, 250). The first people to leave were political refugees, but this changed quickly into movement under contracts for plantation work (Daniels, 250). Both of these Asian groups were similar to the French Canadians in that their movement was mostly economically motivated, but the French movement was along the rail roads (Daniels, 258). They also headed towards the mill towns in New England instead of the west coast (Daniels, 259). Because of where the French Canadians were coming from, it was an opportunity for them to use a mode of transportation that other immigrants had work hard to build. Each persons’ opportunities were still influenced by which group they were a part of.

            The Chinese found their first opportunity in mining and being laborers, with them moving into the railroad system as time progressed (Daniels, 243). Even though the Chinese did find work in agriculture, the Japanese had the best early opportunities here with them mostly starting in Hawaii and then moving east (Daniels, 250). Even when they were able to get to the mainland many were able to acquire farmland (Daniels, 253). Even with these opportunities that each of the groups had, the obstacles that they would be facing were getting bigger then what previous groups had experienced including formal legal actions.

           One obstacle that affected the Chinese was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which made them “the only ethnic group in the world that could not freely immigrate to the United States” (Daniels, 246). This was one of the most direct and harshest formal actions taken against any immigrant group. Anti-Asian sentiment did not just hit the Chinese, but it also affected the Japanese. Even though the Japanese did not suffer has much from formal action against them, Californians and Westerners still “lobbied vigorously” against them (Daniels, 254). The French Canadians’ struggle was more on the ground level with their religious freedoms being attacked, even from other immigrant groups like the Irish (Daniels, 261-262). Even with these experiences, these groups would leave lasting marks on the west.

            The greatest impact on the west came from the railroads. The railroads linked west to east and allowed more people to head west than ever before. The Chinese of this period will always be linked to the work that they did on the railroads even though they were also vital to Californian agriculture (Daniels, 243). Like the Chinese, the Japanese also made many agricultural contributions to California that would help it to become the producer that it still is today (Daniels, 254). California is still linked to agriculture like fruit (including the grapes that are made into wine). These examples were just a few ways that the west was opened and made strong.

            During the mid- and late-nineteenth century immigration helped open the west with the railroads and to build a strong agricultural center in California. Asian immigrants helped with making these changes and each group from Asia was driven in different ways to make the Journey. Not all immigrant groups had far to travel, like the French Canadians that also came during this period. Even though these groups did have access to opportunities, the obstacles they faced were much harsher in formal ways then what groups before them had experienced. Even with all of this, their influence on the west helped to build what it is today. These lasting changes still came from immigrants that had to deal with persecution that was formally supported by those in power.

Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A Story of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life, Second Edition (ISBN 9780060505776)