Henryk Sienkiewicz And Chinese Labor In California, 1880

3 Pages 772 Words

Henryk Sienkiewicz and Chinese Labor in California, 1880

Immigrating from Poland in 1876 “to establish a utopian community in Anaheim” (p164), Henryk Sienkiewicz observed and recorded many Chinese workers. In one of his documents, Henryk Sienkiewicz Appraises Chinese Labor in California, 1880, Sienkiewicz discusses how the Chinese contribute to capital and why their presence was so opposed by white workers. The author appears to be stating facts about the Chinese workers, explaining their pros and cons working in California, and discussing the attitudes of California residents in regards to their presence. Everything costs less because of their low cost of labor, yet is it the wealthy class that benefit from this low cost of labor and not the white working class?

Ever since the immigration of the Chinese workers, prices for everything became lower. The Chinese worked for lower rates, and in turn, the prices for the public became lower. The Chinese were in most every field of work in California. They worked in the fruit orchards, hop-gardens, factories, private homes, restaurants, railroads, and vineyards. The Chinese workers immigrated as single men, leaving family back home. Upon collecting their earnings while working for lower rates, these men save. Not often will they go out into society to spend what they have made, but rather keep what they have to take back with them to China. Based on observing this, the goal of the Chinese seems to be personal and not community based. They are working to better their own lives not the societies they are working in. This is where the argument begins. Because they work for lower income rates are they contributing to society when it comes to outcome? These single men are controlling many of the work-related fields in California and are often preferred versus the white worker who usually has a family, kids, and a wife. The white workers are often in greater labored posit...