Angel Island Li Ang Wong Summary

Angel Island was a stop that eastern immigrants had to go through to be questioned and held before becoming an American. Li Keng Wong tells her story of how her and her family entered the United States coming from a small village in China. Many of these immigrants faced racial problems because others didn’t know anything about these new comers. Toy and her class interview the author to learn about the history of these Asian Americans.
It all begins when Wong’s father arrives in the U.S in 1912 to support his family back in China. Looking for any job her father could get, he became an herbal store assistant. 14 years later during one of his visits back home Li Keng was born in China. Noticing how poor his village was by rice crops, he decided
During this meeting, the author explains how Chinese felt alone because the government blocked off Chinatown to four blocks. She also explains the Chinese Exclusion Act by saying how lucky her father was to bring them to the US. The state only authorized a certain number of immigrants because of the fear of jobs being taken and work for lower wages.
The Nast Cartoons support the Chinese Americans rights by picturing Lady Columbia protecting an immigrant from a crowd of angry Americans. In the background of the two illustrated is a wall with signs pasted on it saying vile things about these foreigners. On the bottom, Columbia says “Hands off Gentlemen! America means Fair Play for All Men.” In this time communities were being tormented and even riots would obstruct because people didn’t know much about these citizens.
In conclusion, the eastern immigration influenced the perspective that U.S. citizens had on foreigners. The China town community had to face racial discrimination and unfair job opportunities. The story that Li Keng told about how she and her family faced made me realize how strong a person must be to overcome these obstacles to achieve their American