Chinese Discrimination
Discrimination against Chinese Immigrants
Chinese immigrants in California came at a time when Americans were imbued with strong ideas of manifest destiny, white supremacy, and westward expansion. From the very beginning, they were pushed to the margins because journalists and historians applied the term “sojourner” to them which claimed they were not “true” immigrants. In some mining districts, by-laws were passed that posed that only persons who intended to become US citizens could hold claims on mines which targeted Chinese miners because, at the time, the federal law saw the right of naturalization reserved to free white persons only. Other challenges they faced were similar to those of African Americans including fighting for the right to testify in court, the right to vote, and to earn a living without facing harassment. In the case People v. Hall (1854), the California Supreme Court barred Chinese people from being able to testify against white citizens in California’s courts. This case built upon Indigenous People and African Americans’ inability to testify against whites.