Chinese Immigrants
Chinese Immigration to California
The Chinese population in California was only around 800 at the beginning of 1850, but an influx of over 20,000 landed in 1852. Between 1852 and 1888, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, over 300,000 Chinese entered the country. Chinese immigrants first started in California mainly as merchants and artisans for trading, but they eventually dispersed into the different mining counties as miners. However, they were not allowed to have a claim and in response to that they would instead go to mines abandoned by whites. There were so many Chinese immigrants, that white miners saw them as threats to their culture, labor competition, and as racial inferiors. Many also believed that a system of contract labor was bringing these large groups of Chinese folks to California. This is known as the coolie system.
Coolie System in the Gold Rush
A “coolie” is a term used to describe indentured workers. In the context of the California gold rush, Chinese people were the subjects of these contracts. In these contracts, details of the means of travel including the vessel name and intended destination are provided. Also included are all the parties involved in the contract, the length of the contract, and the pay rate. It is believed that many Chinese immigrants in California were brought there as cheap labor for gold mining. Oftentimes, the working conditions in the mines were harsh, and their living conditions were not much better. During the California Gold Rush, coolie contracts were used to exploit Chinese immigrants.