Anti-Coolie Act
Encyclopedia
In 1862 the California legislature passed An Act to Protect Free White Labor Against Competition with Chinese Coolie Labor, and [sic] to Discourage The Immigration of the Chinese into the State of California. The act, which would be referred to as the Anti-Coolie Act of 1862 in short, was passed by the California legislature in an attempt to appease rising anger among white laborers about salary competition created by the influx of Chinese immigrants at the height of the California gold rush
. The act sought to protect white laborers by imposing a monthly tax on Chinese immigrants seeking to do business in the state of California
.
,” was minimal and tolerated by many Americans who migrated to the West to explore the new frontier. However, the California gold rush not only led to a steep increase in the white American population but also in the Chinese through immigration to the West. In 1852, California experienced an influx of 20,026 Chinese immigrants as compared to 2,716 just the year before. The large of influx of immigrants were met with race riots as white miners became frustrated with the increased competition for business.
The intense emotions felt by a dense workforce, however, had more room to heat up, as they were exacerbated when America went through a recession
between 1853 and 1854. The 1853 recession, characterized by low growth in the United States economy, featured American businesses contracting by 18.4% as interest rates rose and railroad investments decreased. The decrease in railroad investments drastically slowed down investments in the Wild West of California. What’s more, commodity prices, including gold, dropped during that period. Thus, coupling the decrease in railroad investments with falling gold prices, the very source of the West’s boom was strongly hurt and this served to worsen conditions in the West. The atmosphere would then become increasingly hostile, as segregation
tools in the region were created, beginning with the creation of “coolie clubs.”
to encourage the passage of the Anti-Coolie Act, it was indeed passed. Ratified by California’s state legislature on April 26, 1862, the act was an attempt to increase the scope of their authority by levying a $2.50 tax on anyone of Chinese origin who applied for licenses “to work in the mines, or to prosecute some kind of business….” Since Chinese workers subsisted on wages of $3 to $4 a month, the tax was a significant burden to shoulder. Yet, with the Chinese population still steadily increasing, reaching 107,000 in 1890, the act marked only the beginning of direct segregation against the Chinese. What would follow from the 1862 Anti-Coolie Act would be several anti-Chinese acts that served to discriminate against them. Eight years later, the U.S. government passed the Naturalization Act of 1870
, which restricted naturalization to whites and blacks. Twelve years after that, the United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which more directly restricted Chinese immigration and naturalization.
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. The act sought to protect white laborers by imposing a monthly tax on Chinese immigrants seeking to do business in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Initial frustration with Chinese labor
Prior to the California gold rush of the 1850s, the Chinese population in the West, described at the time with the derogatory term “coolieCoolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
,” was minimal and tolerated by many Americans who migrated to the West to explore the new frontier. However, the California gold rush not only led to a steep increase in the white American population but also in the Chinese through immigration to the West. In 1852, California experienced an influx of 20,026 Chinese immigrants as compared to 2,716 just the year before. The large of influx of immigrants were met with race riots as white miners became frustrated with the increased competition for business.
The intense emotions felt by a dense workforce, however, had more room to heat up, as they were exacerbated when America went through a recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
between 1853 and 1854. The 1853 recession, characterized by low growth in the United States economy, featured American businesses contracting by 18.4% as interest rates rose and railroad investments decreased. The decrease in railroad investments drastically slowed down investments in the Wild West of California. What’s more, commodity prices, including gold, dropped during that period. Thus, coupling the decrease in railroad investments with falling gold prices, the very source of the West’s boom was strongly hurt and this served to worsen conditions in the West. The atmosphere would then become increasingly hostile, as segregation
Segregation
Segregation or segregate refers to setting apart or separating things or people and may refer to:* Particle segregation* Segregation in materials* Magnetic-activated cell sorting* Segregate * Mendel's law of segregation...
tools in the region were created, beginning with the creation of “coolie clubs.”
Coolie clubs
In the wake of the 1853 recession, many Californians who owned the rights to the land on which the gold was mined were looking for cheap labor to maximize profits. Chinese immigrants, coming to America as a result of poor opportunities in their homeland, accepted lower wages and became the preferred option of labor for many of the landowners. Domestic miners responded with the creation of “anticoolie” clubs that sought to create clear divisions between white workers and Chinese workers. The clubs almost served like white unions that represented the interests of the white miners in the West, and they expanded in prominence as manufacturing jobs moved to the West and Chinese workers continued to play the role of cheap labor. In 1857, just a few years prior to the passage of the Anti-Coolie Act in California, Chinese workers were accepting wages between one and two dollars less than their white counterparts.Anti-Coolie Act of 1862
The California legislature’s formal attack on Chinese immigrants began in 1852 with the passage of a foreign miners’ tax that imposed a three-dollar monthly tax on foreign miners in the state. In 1855, the California legislature followed up the passage of that act with An Act to Discourage the Immigration to this State of Persons Who Cannot Become Citizens Thereof. However, after more pressure came from white miners, who teamed up with sympathizers in the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to encourage the passage of the Anti-Coolie Act, it was indeed passed. Ratified by California’s state legislature on April 26, 1862, the act was an attempt to increase the scope of their authority by levying a $2.50 tax on anyone of Chinese origin who applied for licenses “to work in the mines, or to prosecute some kind of business….” Since Chinese workers subsisted on wages of $3 to $4 a month, the tax was a significant burden to shoulder. Yet, with the Chinese population still steadily increasing, reaching 107,000 in 1890, the act marked only the beginning of direct segregation against the Chinese. What would follow from the 1862 Anti-Coolie Act would be several anti-Chinese acts that served to discriminate against them. Eight years later, the U.S. government passed the Naturalization Act of 1870
Naturalization Act of 1870
The Naturalization Act of 1870 was a law passed by the United States Congress concerning immigration and immigrants. It was created to deal with two immigration issues:...
, which restricted naturalization to whites and blacks. Twelve years after that, the United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which more directly restricted Chinese immigration and naturalization.
External links
- The Full Text of the Act