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There's History in every Story | |
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The California Gold Rush (1848 onward) saw a massive influx of migrants, especially from the Eastern United States. Among the non-European groups who arrived at the same period were Chinese, Mexicans and Chileans. These last were principally miners: they figured prominently in the newspapers of the period, often being reported as aggressors and even murderers. Inter-group competition, fuelled by US nationalist sentiment, led to restrictive legislation, expulsions and occasional lynchings. This collection of original newspaper reports provides a sampling of events and attitudes from those early years.
(1) Trouble brewing in the goldfields, 1849-1850
(2) Riot and trial, San Francisco, July 1849
(3) Expulsion and taxation, 1849-1851
For further information, see "Chilenos in California", by Carlos López: there is an introductory excerpt online here.