| There are very few studies on Chinese immigrants in the 1920s when nativism was prevalent in America. It is the purpose of this thesis to fill the gap by making a case study of Cleveland in 1925.; In 1925, Chinese, being commonly associated with tong vice, were subject to wholesale arrests in the East and in the Midwest of America. In Cleveland, both the Chinese and the American public reacted vigorously against the Cleveland police round-up of Chinese. Clevelanders showed enthusiastic support for the Chinese, hinting that American image of Chinese had started to change by 1925 although public officials still regarded Chinese as criminally prone. Chinese in Cleveland, instead of relying on their traditional associations, took independent actions to protest. Confronted with a racists measure, the Chinese were outspoken individuals rather than passive dwellers in their ghetto. The case study in Cleveland helps provide a better understanding of Chinese Americans in the 1920s. |
