Asian Race Riots

1. Asian Race Riots By: Justine, Jessica, Simanjit, Nicole and Courtney

2. History of Chinese in B.C • The Chinese first arrived in North America in the early 1850’s to search for gold in California and B.C. • There was a shortage of workers for the CPR so they hired Chinese labourers. • Between 1881-1885, 17,000 Chinese workers came to work on the railway, only earning $1.00 per day. • The Chinese weren’t given the same salary and opportunities as the White people. They suffered poor conditions, and had to provide their own food and lodging. This resulted in 600 Chinese workers dying during the construction of the railway.

3. The Riot • Between 1903-1907 hostility towards the immigrants increased due to the economic recession. • Social reformers began to link the Chinese with crime, immorality, and disease in Vancouver’s poorest neighbourhood. • On September 8th, 1907 , thousands of marchers protested their frustrations on the excess amount of Asian immigrants coming to Canada. • 10,000 people gathered outside the downtown City Hall, resulting in them burning down the coal-mining baron on Vancouver Island for “daring” to hire the Chinese. • The leaders gave speeches against the Chinese, which resulted in the protestors moving to Chinatown and Little Tokyo, to proceed in breaking windows and looting Asian businesses. • The Chinese did not fight back, but the Japanese did, resulting in both sides being hurt by the race riot.

4. An Asian business after the window smashing and looting.

5. The Aftermath • The immediate effect was the extreme feeling of racism between Asians and “white” people or “British” Canadians. • In the months following, neither the people of Vancouver or the government tried to stop racism or punish the haters. • Instead they limited immigration from Asia. • Since then, racism due to color or place of origin has been lessened due to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.