ASAMST 20A Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Shortage, Cockstock Incident, Coolie
23 May 2018
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Department
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“outh Asia Migatio Otoer 1
I. South Asian migration
• 1904-1920: 4th group of Asians
• 6400 bachelor men immigrated to keep numbers down
• Experienced a similar experience to the Koreans
• 18th-19th century: British traders became rulers
o Contract coolie labor went overseas to work in the colonies (1 million)
o 1858: Indian becomes a full British colony → increasing revenue taxes for
infrastructure and loss of land through dispossession
II. Punjab sending region
• British army: 20% were Punjabi
• Labor recruiters from Canada also used Punjabis to build railroads
III. Small immigration numbers
• Reasons:
o British subjects
o Indirect route to US
o Two times the distance from China or Japan
o US Asian exclusion movement at its high point (Anti-asian sentiments)
IV. Employment opportunities
• Railroad construction: lasted only a short period of time.
• Lumber Mill Pacific NW
o White labor hostilities arose
o Migrant agricultural work in California
• Goes suffeig lao shotages due to Chiese Elusio La ad Getlee’s Act:
always in desperate need.
V. West Coast: Need for farm labor, anti-Asian environment
• Labor shortage
• Intensive agriculture requirements:
o Pruning, irrigation, cultivation, planting, harvesting, pciking
• Seen as a threat to white laborers
VI. 1908 Asian Exclusion League: Dilemma in racial classification
• Western Aryans (Europeans)
o Lords by creation
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o Contributors to mankind through conquest, progress, and civilization
• Eastern Aryans (Asian Indians)
o Slaves by creation
o Degraders of mankind, enslaved, caste-ridden, and effeminate
o Competitors of white labor → defining a white supremacist ideology towards
Asians. Racial categories are socially defined by other groups.
VII. Asian Exclusion League
• Similar stereotypes against Chinese bachelor societies applied to Asian Indians
• Racial lumping also occurred
o Japanese and Korean Exclusion Leagues extended targets to include southern
Asians
o Vieed as the latest Yello Peil theat
VIII. Third Wave of Oriental Invasion
• Chiese: udelied hites, ut ould still survive harsh conditions; not Caucasians.
• Japanese: dangerous rivals to whites; not Caucasians, Koreans affected by Japan-US
relations.
• Asian Indians: more insidious because they were non-white Caucasians who could
degrade the white race.
IX. Exclusionist focus on West Coast
• Tremendous pressure on immigration offices due to the large amounts of Indians trying
to enter the US.
• Focus on ports of entry: 3,453 Asian Indians were denied entry from 1908-1920.
• Charges against Asian Indians: moral and physical reasons (ie: polygamy, arbitrary
physical exams).
X. Exclusionist Tactics
• Driving out of Indians by force:
o 1907 Bellingham, WA: false press reports, despite the actual realities
XI. Immigration Act of 1917
• Baed udesiale peoples, iluded all those living in the Asiatic Barred Zones
• Asian Indians were added to the list
• Asiatic Barred Zones:
o South Asia to Southeast Asian and Pacific Ocean
o Philippines and Guam were exempt (US zones)
o Whites were exempt from exclusion
• Geographic criterion, which were different from previous exclusions
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Punjab sending region: british army: 20% were punjabi, labor recruiters from canada also used punjabis to build railroads. Indirect route to us: two times the distance from china or japan, us asian exclusion movement at its high point (anti-asian sentiments) Intensive agriculture requirements: pruning, irrigation, cultivation, planting, harvesting, pciking, seen as a threat to white laborers. Racial categories are socially defined by other groups. Asian exclusion league: similar stereotypes against chinese bachelor societies applied to asian indians, racial lumping also occurred, japanese and korean exclusion leagues extended targets to include southern. Asians: vie(cid:449)ed as the latest (cid:862)yello(cid:449) pe(cid:396)il(cid:863) th(cid:396)eat. Third wave of oriental invasion: chi(cid:374)ese: (cid:862)u(cid:374)de(cid:396)li(cid:448)ed(cid:863) (cid:449)hites, (cid:271)ut (cid:272)ould still survive harsh conditions; not caucasians. Japanese: dangerous rivals to whites; not caucasians, koreans affected by japan-us relations: asian indians: more insidious because they were non-white caucasians who could degrade the white race. The argument that asian indians (cid:449)e(cid:396)e (cid:862)cau(cid:272)asia(cid:374)(cid:863) (cid:271)e(cid:272)a(cid:373)e (cid:374)ull a(cid:374)d void: supported by british.
