Research project: Anti-Chinese campaign 1880s
Along the West Coast hatred and violence directed at Chinese people peaked in the 1880s. The assignment is to research and write about the anti-Chinese movement. (1) You will read primary sources (historic newspapers) and record information in an excel database. Look for information about events but you should pay attention to the perspectives of various newspapers, their supportive or hostile coverage; (2) You will read a recommended secondary source (typically a book); (3) You will write a 8-10 page paper about your subject using information from both the secondary and primary sources
Research questions: Describe actions taken against Chinese people as recorded in several newspapers. Evaluate the attitudes and reasoning expressed in several newspapers. Were some newspapers more hostile than others?
Primary source research (newspapers):
1) Begin by downloading this research database-excel-1.xlsx Download research database-excel-1.xlsx
2) We are using ProQuest Historical Newspapers for newspaper searches. Below is the link to the pre-arranged databases of newspaper articles that you should use. It delivers articles from newspapers and magazines related to this topic.
a) you should see a page like this. If not, you may need to click the Library's login button top right and enter your UW-net ID
b) scroll the titles of articles, clicking on those that seem most relevant. Some will be mistaken entries triggered by the search terms. Others will be too short to be useful. Download copies of all articles that might be useful or interesting. It is more efficient to download them than to read them in ProQuest.
c) use "back to results" to return to the search results.
d) you can filter results using the menus on left side. Sorted by "oldest first" means the entries are in chronological order. "Relevance" is the other option. You can also open the Publication title menu and select articles from particular newspapers.
3) After downloading many articles, add at least 20 to your research database-excel-1.xlsx Download research database-excel-1.xlsx and write a short description of the event or issue described in each article. Feel free to add additional information in other columns. Your spreadsheet needs to include no less than 20 articles. You will submit the research database along with your paper.
4) Please DO NOT save or delete the ProQuest search. Others will not be able to use it.
Secondary source research (books):
5) Obtain and read one or more books. Several are listed below. Others can be identified in UW Library catalog http://www.lib.washington.edu/
EBook:
At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943. (Links to an external site.)
by Erika Lee
Ebook:
Closing the Gate Race, Politics, and the Chinese Exclusion Act
by Andrew Gyory