Asian Immigrants at Gold Fields and Railway Construction in Nineteenth Century: Racism and Struggle for Rights
Asian immigrants at gold fields and railway construction in nineteenth century: racism and struggle for rights
PRINCY JAIN
The economic development history of nineteenth century was extensively affected by the colonialism and the process of capital accumulation and surplus extraction. It involved large out migration of the Asians to various parts of the world to form a pool of workforce at the commercial crop plantations, mines, or construction works, mostly, railroad or canal construction. Various labor migration statistics for nineteenth century tell that most important destinations of Asians’ migration were Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, natal, Guyana, Canada, Australia, Uganda and many more. This paper concentrates on migration to Canada, Australia and Uganda for work on gold mines and railway construction, and the racial oppression inflicted upon Asian migrants there.
The first section goes into the details of Chinese immigration to Canada and the role of state legislature and labor organizations in the exploitation inflicted on the immigrants. The next section takes up the case of Australian development that was similar to that of Canada to evaluate the differences in the treatment of immigrants of different race or nationality. Later details of Indian migration to Uganda are precisely compiled to bring out the racial hierarchy existing in the world till date.
ASIAN MIGRATION TO CANADA
The history of Chinese Immigration to Canada began with the first recorded visit by Chinese people to North America in 1788. Some 30-40 men were employed as shipwrights British Columbia, to build the first European-type vessel in the Pacific Northwest, named the North West America. Large-scale immigration of Chinese began seventy years later with the advent of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858. During the gold rush, settlements of Chinese grew in Victoria and Vancouver. In the 1880s, Chinese labor was contracted to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In British Columbia, the CPR
PRINCY JAIN
The economic development history of nineteenth century was extensively affected by the colonialism and the process of capital accumulation and surplus extraction. It involved large out migration of the Asians to various parts of the world to form a pool of workforce at the commercial crop plantations, mines, or construction works, mostly, railroad or canal construction. Various labor migration statistics for nineteenth century tell that most important destinations of Asians’ migration were Malaysia, Mauritius, Fiji, natal, Guyana, Canada, Australia, Uganda and many more. This paper concentrates on migration to Canada, Australia and Uganda for work on gold mines and railway construction, and the racial oppression inflicted upon Asian migrants there.
The first section goes into the details of Chinese immigration to Canada and the role of state legislature and labor organizations in the exploitation inflicted on the immigrants. The next section takes up the case of Australian development that was similar to that of Canada to evaluate the differences in the treatment of immigrants of different race or nationality. Later details of Indian migration to Uganda are precisely compiled to bring out the racial hierarchy existing in the world till date.
ASIAN MIGRATION TO CANADA
The history of Chinese Immigration to Canada began with the first recorded visit by Chinese people to North America in 1788. Some 30-40 men were employed as shipwrights British Columbia, to build the first European-type vessel in the Pacific Northwest, named the North West America. Large-scale immigration of Chinese began seventy years later with the advent of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858. During the gold rush, settlements of Chinese grew in Victoria and Vancouver. In the 1880s, Chinese labor was contracted to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In British Columbia, the CPR
References: 1. The Robust Navvy: The Railway Construction Worker in Northern New South Wales, 1854-1894, Denis Rowe, Australian Society for the Study of Labour History. 2. The Construction Workers ' Strike on the Canadian Pacific Railway, 1879, David J. Hall, Canadian Committee on Labour History and Athabasca University Press. 3. Aristocracies of Labor: Craft Unionism, Immigration, and Working-Class Households in WestOakland, California, Mark Walker, Society for Historical Archaeology. 4. RACE, CRIME AND SOCIAL POLICY: THE CHINESE IN OREGON, 1871 – 1885, Charles A. Tracy, Social Justice. 5. The Chinese Struggle for Civil Rights in Nineteenth Century America: The First Phase, 1850-1870, Charles J. McClain, Jr., California Law Review. 6. The Economic Plight of the Afghans in Australia, 1860—2000, NAHID A. KABIR, Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad 7. The Workingmen 's Protective Association, Victoria, B.C., 1878: Racism, Intersectionality and Status Politics, Rennie Warburton, Canadian Committee on Labour History and Athabasca University Press. 8. Uganda railway, O 'Callaghan, F. L., The University of Manchester, The John Rylands University Library. 9. Indians in Uganda, H.S.Morris. 10. http://www.goldrushcolony.com/