Battle of the Third Reich

Vol 6 Chapter 348: China Town (6)

"The Chinese Exclusion Act? What does this have to do with a black and black police officer?" Welbe's mouth twitched slightly, showing a disdainful sneer.

"Sir, do you know Manny's details?" Cray asked in surprise.

"I investigated a little bit before, after all, you made suggestions to me in person." Welbe lowered his head and continued to sort out the documents in his hand.

The facts are not as light as what is said in the words. A little investigation by Welbey actually used the power at the national level. The newly formed Republican allies worked very hard. Some of the confidential information came directly from the FBI.

"Speaking of the Chinese Exclusion Act..." Welbe picked up the glass from the cup holder.

"I want to hear your personal opinion."

"Is this another inspection? Sir." Cray glanced in the rear seat from the rearview mirror.

"Yes, if you think so..." Welbe drank the water in the glass and then put it back on the cup holder.

California officially joined the federal government in 1850. When the first census was conducted, there were two residents from China in Los Angeles’ records. They were employees of a merchant’s family and were the first recorded in California government documents. Chinese immigrants.

With the gold rush and the subsequent Pacific Railway project, a large number of Chinese entered the United States as labor immigrants.

The identity of the Chinese entering the United States is also polarized. In addition to occupying the majority of the poor bottom laborers, there are also some wealthy and powerful businessmen and squires.

Chinese sea-trading merchants generally lack a sense of security, because the Manchu government’s food is really ugly, so you say they are “Cunning Rabbit Three Caves” or “don’t put eggs in a basket”, anyway, they started very early Deploy overseas, transfer the huge assets accumulated in the sea trade, and open up the leaves in the local area to continue the family's blood. Facts have proved that this set is indeed very effective, and does not seem outdated until the 21st century.

In the early days of the coolie trade, the California government in the United States did not exclude Chinese laborers. They needed cheap labor and capital from outside. At that time, as long as they met the constitutional standards, any immigrants could apply to become US citizens.

China's coolie is cheap, hard work and hard work, and it has a strong learning ability. It only needs simple vocational training and can quickly take over some less complicated technical jobs. This is unmatched by other ethnic laborers, so soon Chinese It occupied almost 90% of the labor market in North America, especially California.

Chinese workers like to live in a community because of differences in language and life customs, where they retain their customs and etiquette in their country, and even give Chinese names to streets and alleys in the community.

The hardworking and frugal habits cultivated by poverty all the year round, they are never willing to spend an extra penny of money outside, but choose to store the money they earn and then hand it back to the country.

At that time, almost all the coolies left a whip behind their heads, not because they were so loyal to Daqing, but just to return to their hometown in the future, they would not be dragged out by the government as a chaotic party and cut off their heads.

During the construction of the Pacific Railway, Chinese laborers accounted for 95% of the total number of workers. The monthly salary of Chinese laborers was initially only 26 dollars. Although it rose to 35 dollars each month, it was still not as good as white workers. The salary is fifty yuan per month. Moreover, white workers are required to pay for food and drink. Chinese workers also need to pay for their own meals. Only because Chinese workers have their own eating habits, they are not used to eating food cooked by American cooks.

Road construction work is very dangerous and difficult. During the project, thousands of Chinese workers were killed due to various accidents. Therefore, future generations said that under the sleepers of the Pacific Railway, the body of a Chinese coolie was buried.

But for these coolies, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a fortune, because at the exchange rate at that time, they worked hard for one year in the farmland in their hometown, and their income was only a dozen dollars. (The exchange rate between silver and the U.S. dollar reached a maximum of 1.07 during the Qing dynasty. It was calculated by exchanging one U.S. dollar for one or two customs silvers. One or two customs silvers can be exchanged for a consistent amount, that is, one thousand copper coins. In fact, there were many Guangdong Farmers, even if they grow their own land, after deducting various harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, the monthly income balance is seven or eight hundred dollars, which is very good.)

After deducting food and other daily expenses, paying off the credit and membership fees of the clubhouse, if he still cleans himself and doesn’t bet or gamble, he can save about half of his salary every month, which is more than the family’s previous year’s work income.

If he had good luck and waited for two years to complete the agreement, he would probably be able to accumulate between three hundred and four hundred dollars in his pocket. Emperor Guangzong Yaozu lived a nourishing life with a small landlord. This is the reason why it is known that the risk of working in Jinshan is huge, and countless people have died, but the people of Guangdong and Guangdong are still rushing.

Most of the coolies did not intend to become permanent immigrants at all. They just regarded the United States as a place to get rich. After completing the agreement with the coolies, they returned to their hometown with the money they earned, and only a few people chose Stay and develop.

At first, the US government's attitude towards Chinese labor was fairly fair, but local officials inevitably carried racist superior thinking. Before 1873, the Chinese's political status in the United States was basically the same as the Indians. At that time, Chinese, Indians and blacks were not allowed to testify in any white case.

This is true of highly educated legal workers. It is entirely conceivable how the rural people in the western United States would view the Chinese.

From the perspective of American racists at the time, these small yellow-skinned people could not be integrated into American society or become a member of the American family. They would only use the low wages to steal the white American rice bowls The wealth belonging to the white Americans brought back the gods they didn't know at which corner of the country.

The attack on the Chinese actually started in 1860. At that time, the California Gold Rush was over. A large number of white people who came to California from all over the country stayed in the local area. Many people invested all their property for gold mining, and even owed one. Butt loan sharks can be said to be gambling on net worth.

The exhaustion of gold mines made a large number of gold prospectors unemployed, and California's economy also stagnate. At that time, California's industrial and commercial construction was very weak and could not provide enough jobs. So those white workers who were alone, began to point the finger at those who have jobs. Dry Chinese.

When the two ethnic groups have no conflicts of interest, they can get along peacefully, but once there is a conflict of interests, the weaker party will certainly initiate a resistance. On the issue of employment, white laborers are on the weak side, because unless they are willing to accept the same wages as the Chinese, no capitalist will be stupid enough to hire them.

So an anti-China storm began to brew in white society. In order to cater to and attract white voters, California politicians have also begun further political action.

Initially, California enacted the "Foreign Miners Income Tax Law", which imposes additional taxes on all foreign miners who open mines. As a result, most Chinese miners cannot continue to work and can only open laundry shops and restaurants in San Francisco Chinatown to make a living.

In 1877, the first anti-China riot broke out in San Francisco. Four hundred California railroad workers who were furious because of the railway company's salary cuts tried to burn the entire Chinatown because they thought it was the low salary of Chinese workers. , Leading to this situation.

Finally, the 30 San Francisco Mounted Police in Chinatown at that time and the "Pickle Pickle Brigade" spontaneously composed of 5,000 San Francisco citizens stepped forward to protect the Chinese community.

But this was only the beginning of a series of disasters. In the 1980s, the US federal government and the California government issued a series of orders against the Chinese. The Fisheries Law prohibits Chinese people from participating in any fishing activities. The subsequent Qingmei Treaty of Beijing restricts the number of Chinese people visiting the United States and the number of years of residence in each year, and the Civil Procedure Law of each state specifically stipulates that Chinese people shall not marry white people. Subsequently, after further interpretation, the legality of marriage between all Chinese and whites was abolished.

California abolished this law in 1948, but the remaining states in the United States implemented it until 1967, and it was finally terminated by the Supreme Court of the United States as unconstitutional. Therefore, in some novels of the Republic of China, the Chinese married a white wife in the United States or fell in love with a white woman.

The situation developed to 1882. The infamous "Exclusion Act" was introduced under the joint promotion of Democratic and Republican politicians.

It is called infamous because it is a bill that targets a single nation and is full of racial discrimination. The content of the bill is not complicated, it boils down to a sentence that prevents Chinese people from immigrating to the United States.

The bill forbids Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. territory in any way from any border. After the signing of the bill, the ship that transports coolies to the United States will be severely punished from the owner to the captain. Even Chinese crew members on foreign commercial ships may not board at U.S. ports shore.

In addition, after the bill comes into effect, any Chinese living in the United States may not be naturalized, and once they leave the United States, they are also prohibited from re-entering.

In addition, Chinese who have obtained legal identity documents issued by the Manchu government, including students, teachers, businessmen, and government officials, may be allowed to enter the United States, but must carry the documents with them so that the U.S. police can conduct random inspections anytime, anywhere.

The Chinese who had previously lived in the United States must obtain a guarantee from two U.S. citizens in order to obtain a legally resident identity card, otherwise they would be deemed to have entered the country illegally and be expelled. This type of ID was initially issued only to Chinese, and then gradually expanded to all foreign immigrants, and eventually developed into a famous green card.

The non-naturalization of Chinese means that all Chinese who came to the United States after 1882, except those who were naturalized very early and immigrant children born in the United States, must not become US citizens.

Moreover, according to the laws of the United States at that time, the property rights of foreign immigrants in the United States were not protected, and Chinese people were prohibited from working in government departments and companies, and they were not allowed to purchase land and start businesses in the United States. At the same time, urban government agencies prohibited the issuance of new business license.

Therefore, in those novels of the Republic of China, a Chinese student or businessman who opened a factory in the United States to buy an oil well and dig an oil well to make a stock fortune was completely wishful thinking, because in the era when the Chinese Exclusion Act came into effect, there is simply no Chinese in the United States. Opportunity to get ahead.

PS: Thank you for your support.

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