Discrimination and Violence Against Chinese Americans
in the 19th Century 

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Purpose: These lessons help students gain a better understanding of the Asian American immigrant experience by teaching about Chinese American immigration to the United States in the 19th century.  Students will learn about the causes of Chinese immigration, the circumstances and discrimination that Chinese people faced in the United States, and how they resisted. 
 
Objective: Students will analyze anti-Chinese political cartoons and learn about the discrimination the Chinese faced by examining local, state, and federal laws and examples of anti-Chinese violence.  They will also learn about how Chinese people persevered and resisted.
 
California Social Studies Content Standard: 11.2.2 Describe the changing landscape, including the growth of cities linked by industry and trade, and the development of cities divided according to race, ethnicity, and class.
 
2017 History-Social Studies Framework: Who came to the United States at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century? Why did they come? What was their experience like when they arrived?
 
Suggested Class: 11th grade United States history
 
Suggested Time: 1-3 class days (each day=at least one hour of class time)
 
Procedure:
Day 1: Stereotypes and Political Cartoons
  • Start the lesson with a “do now” that will establish a class understanding of the definition of “stereotype” and help students begin to understand the problems and dangers of stereotypes.  Have each student write down what they think the definition of stereotype is and at least one way that stereotypes are harmful. 
  • Then, have students share out what they wrote (either in “think-pair-share” or in call on students in a whole class discussion). 
  • Make sure there is one established definition of stereotype that the whole class understands and writes down in their notes/on their do now.  
  • Teacher should prepare a short lecture on the push-pull factors that drew the Chinese to America in mid-1800s as well as the industries the Chinese were employed in.  It will provide context for the political cartoons the students will analyze next.
Note: It is important to include a brief explanation of the “queue” (male hairstyle during the Qing dynasty) as it will probably come up when analyzing the political cartoon.
  • Next, students will analyze political cartoons from the 19th century.  Have students think about what (if any) stereotypes it is reinforcing about Chinese people in America.  The teacher should model how to analyze one cartoon before dividing students in small groups to analyze another cartoon together.  Then each group will present their cartoon to the class.  The teacher should write out the stereotypes that each cartoon is portraying so students can review them again on Day 2.  
  • A worksheet to analyze the political cartoons is included under the “resources” section.

Resources/Materials:
  1. Briefly describe what is happening in the cartoon.
  2. Write down any words or slogans that appear in the cartoon.
  3. Identify any symbols in the cartoon and briefly what write down what each symbol might be representing.
  4. What is the artist’s message about the Chinese in America?
  5. What (if any) stereotypes about Chinese people are shown in the cartoon?
 
 
Day 2: Anti-Chinese discrimination
  • Start the class with a “do now” by putting up the list of stereotypes the class created from Day 1’s political cartoon activity.  Have each student come up with 1-2 situations/actions they think the Chinese faced in America because of those sentiments (either based on prior historical knowledge or possible scenarios based on the stereotypes).  Compile a list of the class’ answers and emphasis again to students the harmful effects of stereotypes.  
  • Introduce the “Pyramid of Hate” concept and how stereotypes can escalate into both individual and systemic acts of discrimination and violence.  (Important: stress to students that the Chinese did not face genocide in the United States.)  
  • Have students analyze a list of anti-Chinese laws passed at the local, state, and federal level in the 19th century and complete a worksheet (included in “resources” section).  
  • After students complete the worksheets individually, have a whole class discussion about the laws.  Students are given a chance to ask questions.  Then, the teacher reviews the questions on the worksheet and/or can extend the conversation with new questions.   
  • Some possible discussion questions:
    • What might have caused these laws to be passed? (chance to link back to lecture and political cartoons covered on Day 1)
    • Do laws have to explicitly target a group of people to be discriminatory?  If not- then how can people/governments determine if a law is discriminatory?
    • Where do these laws fit within the Pyramid of Hate?
    • Can you see any examples of Chinese people resisting the laws?

Resources/Materials:
  • More information about the “Pyramid of Hate” is available from Anti-Defamation League’s website. 
  • Lists of anti-Chinese laws from San Francisco and California can be found at:
    • Gumport , R. K., & Smith, M. M. (2006). Some State of California and City of San Francisco Anti-Chinese Legislation and Subsequent Action. The Chinese experience in 19th century America. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from http://teachingresources.atlas.illinois.edu/chinese_exp/index.html
    • UC Berkeley Hastings School of Law. (n.d.). San Francisco and California Pass Anti-Chinese Laws, 1858-1913 · SHEC: Resources for teachers. Social History for Every Classroom. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/870 
  • Analyzing anti-Chinese laws worksheet.
 
Students should use each law only one time and not repeat any laws in their answers.
  1. Identify and briefly explain a law that was aimed at limiting Chinese people’s political rights in the United States.
  2. Identify and briefly explain a law that was aimed at limiting Chinese people’s economic rights in the United States.
  3. Identify and briefly explain a law that was aimed at limiting Chinese people’s social rights in the United States. 
  4. Identify one law that explicitly targeted Chinese people.
  5. Identify one law that indirectly (i.e. does not name or include “Chinese” in the law) targeted Chinese people.
  6. What was the overall purpose and intention behind these laws?
  7. What happened to most of the laws listed?  What might that suggest about American society at the time?
 
Day 3: Violence against Chinese people and Chinese resistance
  • Start the class by briefly reviewing the “Pyramid of Hate” and what anti-Chinese discrimination looked like in the 19th century at each level.   
  • Transition to the “bias motivated violence” category and show clips from YouTube video: “Buried History: Retracing the Chinese Massacre of 1871” by the Chinese American Museum.  Give students a chance to do journaling to reflect on and process what they’ve just seen.  
  • Stress to students that though there was a significant discrimination and violence against Chinese people, there was also significant resistance and pushback from the Chinese community themselves.  Either using lecture or stations, introduce some examples of resistance including:
    • Legal challenges: Tape v. Hurley (1885), Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886), Chy Lung v. Freeman (1875), United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)
    • Paper sons and daughters
    • Survival and resilience: development of Chinatowns  
  • Links to resources on Chinese resistance is included under the “resources” section.
  • End the lessons with individual reflections by having students complete a 3-2-1 prompt.  (Link to Facing History for more information about how to do a 3-2-1 is included under the “resources” section.) 

Resources/Materials:  
  • YouTube video about 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre called “Buried History: Retracing the Chinese Massacre of 1871” by the Chinese American Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjZmMUZgwrQ
    • The entire video is about 36 minutes long.
    • If teachers are looking for a shortened version, suggested time stamps are:
      • 7:53-8:40 (tension and violence within the Chinese community)
      • 11:43-18:04 and 18:40-20:16 (the massacre, warning: graphic descriptions of violence)
      • 20:16-21:14 (those who helped the Chinese)
      • 27:13-28:15 (trial)
      • 29:00-30:14 (commemoration: the reading of the names)  
  • Facing History and Ourselves’s lesson on “3-2-1”: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/3-2-1 
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