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lukescalone's review against another edition
3.0
This is undoubtedly a dated work, and not one that I found to be particular useful, but Saxton does have some good insights. The purpose of the book is to push back against labor historians that have argued that anti-Chinese attitudes (especially the campaign for Chinese exclusion) have their origins in competition between the Chinese and white Americans. These historians argue that the Chinese were paid only a fraction of wages granted to white workers, leading a wide array of industrial leaders--the construction of railroads, cigar making, and mining, for instance--to hire Chinese laborers instead of white people. For instance, white workers constructing railroads for Central Pacific were paid $0.75-$1.00. To save money, Central Pacific opted to hire Chinese workers and, in the process, saved $5.5M over the course of three years.
While there was some competition in the early days, Saxton argues, this hardly is the cause for anti-Chinese sentiment. Throughout the 1860s, failed trade unions often became anti-coolie clubs dedicated to political action against Chinese workers and these economic grievances transformed into racist screeds. However, instead of the immediate competition between Chinese and white workers, Saxton looks to attitudes held by white workers in Jacksonian America. Although the "Chinese Question" was primarily a Western problem, the thinking that went into answering it came out of the racial-segregationist policies developed back in the east and, especially, the southeast.
At least, this is what I think Saxton is arguing. He follows a more narrative line, making his argument a bit subtle. While this isn't the last say on the history of anti-Chinese discrimination, it does make for a decent starting point.
While there was some competition in the early days, Saxton argues, this hardly is the cause for anti-Chinese sentiment. Throughout the 1860s, failed trade unions often became anti-coolie clubs dedicated to political action against Chinese workers and these economic grievances transformed into racist screeds. However, instead of the immediate competition between Chinese and white workers, Saxton looks to attitudes held by white workers in Jacksonian America. Although the "Chinese Question" was primarily a Western problem, the thinking that went into answering it came out of the racial-segregationist policies developed back in the east and, especially, the southeast.
At least, this is what I think Saxton is arguing. He follows a more narrative line, making his argument a bit subtle. While this isn't the last say on the history of anti-Chinese discrimination, it does make for a decent starting point.
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