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The Chinese immigrants journeyed to America in large masses beginning in the early 1800's. They came as laborers seeking new life and wealth. The young men had little or no money at all, so most immigrants had to ride in the cargo area of the boat on which they traveled. “Everybody was sick. I don’t ever want to remember anything about that old boat. One night I prayed that it would go down because the waves were washing over it. I was that sick, I didn’t care if it went down or not. And everybody else was the same way.” After landing in America, the only jobs they could obtain then were as miners working on abandoned claims. During the next few years, they were able to start businesses. The Americans already living in the United States did not welcome the immigrants gladly; this meant less jobs for them. Throughout the years of mass immigration, Chinatowns sprung up in various parts of the United States; the first being in San Francisco. These Chinatowns allowed the immigrants to associate with others like them, and also provided an exotic tourist area for the Americans. With both ethnicities in the Chinatowns, they slowly exchanged and incorporated their cultures. The immigrants used the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 to their advantage. Many of the citizenship records had been destroyed by fires caused by the massive earthquake, and immigrants could claim to be the children of a citizen of the United States. The officials had no method of knowing whether they were telling the truth, so the Chinese immigrants were allowed to pass through. The earthquake also gave opportunities for the immigrants to bring friends and family to America from their homeland. Another method used by the Chinese immigrants were the paper sons and daughters. The immigrants were given sheets of paper that contained the information about a resident of the United States. Already in America were previous immigrants who helped to get these sheets of papers for the new immigrants so they could experience America after traveling across the ocean. They studied these sheets intently; if they were able to tell the official everything about the person, they could not be denied to be the child of that citizen. Children of American citizens could not be kept out of the country. For several more decades, Congress continued to pass laws and acts that targeted the Chinese immigrants. After World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt realized the contributions to America that the Chinese had made. He supported the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Chinese Exclusion Act was finally repealed in 1943, although little effect took place soon after. |
 Chinatowns were small yet bustling with life. They were crowded and dirty, but very much like home to the immigrants. They formed social groups, and received news from China from the local grocers.
 This was used by an immigrants as a paper son or daughter. It contained all the vital information of a U.S. citizen, and would give all the answers to the official's questions. |
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