The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882; which barred practically allChinese from American shores for ten years; was the first federallaw that banned a group of immigrants solely on the basis of raceor nationality. By changing America's traditional policy of openimmigration; this landmark legislation set a precedent for futurerestrictions against Asian immigrants in the early 1900s andagainst Europeans in the 1920s. Tracing the origins of the Chinese Exclusion Act; AndrewGyory presents a bold new interpretation of American politicsduring Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. Rather than directlyconfront such divisive problems as class conflict; economicdepression; and rising unemployment; he contends; politicianssought a safe; nonideological solution to the nation's industrialcrisis--and latched onto Chinese exclusion. Ignoring workers'demands for an end simply to imported contract labor; theyclaimed instead that working people would be better off if therewere no Chinese immigrants. By playing the race card; Gyoryargues; national politicians--not California; not organizedlabor; and not a general racist atmosphere--provided the motiveforce behind the era's most racist legislation.
#1130630 in Books University of North Carolina Press 1991-12-14 1991-12-14Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.90 x 1.35 x 5.98l; 1.74 #File Name: 0807843512537 pages
Review
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Good Overview; Needed MoreBy Rebecca S DobrinskiIn The Economy of British America; John McCusker and Russell Menard analyzed the existing sources on the economic life in the British colonies in the Americas. This analysis included the areas of eastern Canada; the eastern coast of the United States; and a number of British colonies in the Caribbean (or West Indies). Both McCusker and Menard took the existing literature on the subject and not only answer some questions; but help to pose additional questions for future research.The authors began the book with a discussion of economic theories; specifically the Malthusian theory and the staples theory. The Malthusian theory explains that the economy was mostly affected by a rapid population growth with little structural change. The staples theory explains a surplus or growth of products for an export model for affecting the economy. McCusker and Menard went to great lengths to ensure the work did not favor one theory over the other. They were successful in their attempts. They showed that each theory could explain a variety of fluctuations in the economy. However; without extensive research into local trends; neither theory has the ability to tell the entire story.The authors tried to plot the course of development of colonial economics. They attempted to translate seventeenth and eighteenth century economics to the modern concept of a gross national product as well as extrapolating the annual rate of growth of the British mainland economy. This included comparing the population growth statistics of the North American and West Indian colonies and estimating the per capita growth of the economy. In Chapter 3; McCusker and Menard showed different variables for possible per capita growth rates. However; these statistics were conjecture; as little detail was known of the exact rates of growth for the era. This approach reinforced the argument for additional research.The authors continually reintroduced the economic theories discussed in the initial chapter and demonstrated how particular facets of the colonial economy fit into either theory. For example; in Chapter 4 the authors recognized how the staples theory could be applied to understanding the economy in light of trading between the colonies and the British mainland. They did well to explain the credits and debts systems and the strategies colonists used to ensure the settlement of their accounts and how that settlement was different in each of the colonial regions.Especially interesting was their approach to the urbanization and the differences between economic and demographic histories. Economic history; as McCusker and Menard describe; focuses on labor statistics. Yet; demographic history focuses on family statistics such as marriage; birth; and migration patterns. By examining both of these approaches; the authors were able to study some of the missing components to studying colonial economics. Specifically; they showed that “little effort has been made to measure the size of the colonial labor force.†(236) They described the needs of the plantation agricultural labor force and how it was a system that was well suited to slavery.The final section of the readings focused on the domestic economy of the colonies and the individual goods produced by colonial artisans. In addition to the agricultural products such as food; tobacco; and cotton; local artisans produced textiles; paper; construction materials; and the staples colonists needed to live their everyday lives. Eventually the colonies were able to produce the items imported from Britain and transform the colonial economy.0 of 5 people found the following review helpful. good overviewBy A. F. A. RijtThis is a good overview of this topic. However; it contains many details and presets them in a somewhat dry way. Therfore it is not easy to read.
