Questions for March 6 – On Gold Mountain

1. In your small groups, create a document with three columns, one of which lists experiences of white women in the U.S. west (based on On Gold Mountain and your previous knowledge) between 1848 and 1920, one that lists experiences of Chinese women in the same region and time period, and one that lists the experiences of white women who married into Chinese families or girls and women who were the interracial children of Chinese and white parents in the same era and region.  List challenges as well as opportunities.  Be specific.

2. What questions do you have about the experiences of Chinese women and men in areas of the Western U.S. not covered in On Gold Mountain?  Make a list of questions, then choose one to research in your small group.  Post your question, a tentative answer (or two) to it, and links to resources in the comments of this blog post.

 

Comments

  1. What was the experience of the Chinese minors.?

  2. Brady potter says:

    How were Chinese treated farther north of California?

    In places like Portland Oregon china towns were very prevalent and Oregon had the 2nd largest Chinese population in the country. http://boisestate.worldcat.org/title/sweet-cakes-long-journey-the-chinatowns-of-portland-oregon/oclc/53183356&referer=brief_results

  3. Rachel Van Note says:

    The Sees we’re a wealthy Chinese-American family. What was the more common experience of Chinese people here ?
    http://immigrants.harpweek.com/ChineseAmericans/1Introduction/BillWeiIntro.htm

    http://gallery.sjsu.edu/oldworld/asiangate/asian_exp_full.html

  4. Gaby Thomason says:

    Were Chinese immigrants treated differently the further north they went?
    http://www.zakkeith.com/articles,blogs,forums/anti-Chinese-persecution-in-the-USA-history-timeline.htm

  5. Darin McIntyre says:

    What was the experience of Chinese miners in Idaho?
    http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.boisestate.edu/stable/pdfplus/4519832.pdf?acceptTC=true
    The opportunities presented in the United States, the mines in Idaho included, were much contrasted to the traditionally oppressive and downtrodden China.

    http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.boisestate.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=46052117&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1331064594&clientId=8813
    The diet and nutrition afforded to Chinese miners was significantly better than what they could hope for in mainland China.

  6. Sarah McIsaac Phil says:

    What were the experiences of the average Chinese laborers after the railroad was completed? And how did they overcome these challenges? Bri will post a link.

  7. Briana Cornwall says:
  8. Martina ashman says:

    How do the cultural stereotypes applied to white women working in the sex industry compare to those applied to Asian women?

    Research sources,
    Wegars, Priscilla. Polly bemis, Chinese American pioneer. Backeddy books, 2003

    Historical Los angelese times, sept 7 1907 article

    Chicago journals vol 5, “free, endentured, enslaved: Chinese prostitutes in nineteenth century American”

  9. Why if the Chinese culture so tradition did he think it was okay to marry a white woman?

    Not just for convinence, more to it then just having to get married.
    Choice in marriage verse have the parents set up the match.

    http://acf.gov/healthymarriage/pdf/marriageamongasianamericans.pdf
    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/weekinreview/04toy.html
    http://www.asian-nation.org/interracial.shtml

  10. Courtney Gallant says:

    To what extent did Chinese immigrants influence the opium industry in the frontier-era west?

    Possible answers: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/opium_ind1898.htm

  11. What do Chinese identification buttons look like? How were they manufactured?

  12. Kristin Barrier says:

    Did the anti-Chinese movement in the West slow down the progress of the west versus the progress made in the east?

    Good sources:
    Library.thinkquest.org/20619/Chinese.html
    http://Www.answers.com/topic/Chinese-American

  13. Monica Church says:

    Explore prostitution of Chinese woman in China and the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
    Prostitution was thriving in China in 1900 – estimated 100,000 prostitutes worked in Shanghai alone (news.asianstudies.dk)
    – Outlawed under communism but becoming more visible today with an estimated 4 million prostitutes in China currently (YouTube)
    Chinese prostitutes came to the United States in the late nineteenth century… The problem became so rampant laws were created just to curb Chinese prostitute immigration…
    http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.boisestate.edu/stable/4099477?&Search=yes&searchText=Polygamy&searchText=china&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DPolygamy%2Bin%2Bchina%2B%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=3&ttl=1903&returnArticleService=showFullText

    Was foot binding a part of the Chinese American culture?
    Class in America
    http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.boisestate.edu/stable/25158476?&Search=yes&searchText=Foot&searchText=binding&searchText=Chinese&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DChinese%2BFoot%2Bbinding%26gw%3Djtx%26acc%3Don%26prq%3DFoot%2Bbinding%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=8&ttl=3388&returnArticleService=showFullText