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First Opium War

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First Opium War
So why did people immigrate from China? Well, in 1839 the first Opium War began. Many Chinese citizens were trading and consuming opium in March 1839 when the emperor's representative, Lin Zexu, seized the British opium stash and cut off their port and food supply and held people hostage. He wouldn't repent until he got the opium he wanted. England declared war with China because they could make money growing opium and because the opposing country would be easy to control with many people on drugs. Because of the war, many Chinese sought peace and immigrated to the United States. … In 1848, gold was discovered in Coloma, California, and people from all over the world flocked to the spot, including the Chinese. They got jobs as laborers hoping

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