History of Chinese Immigration into Arizona Territory: a Frontier Culture in the American West

Abstract

This thesis is a social history of Chinese immigration into Arizona Territory, specifically Yavapai County from 1860-1911. During this period Chinese immigration to the region peaked and then quickly declined for various reasons. This thesis rejects the usual notion that racism was responsible for the dramatic out-migration of Chinese from Arizona after 1900. The welcome influx of Chinese immigrants to the county transformed the regional culture. The focus of this thesis is not on the traditional discussion of racial inequalities and racism as the arbiter of social class. In the capital of Yavapai County, Prescott's Chinatown was a hub of activity for Chinese and non-Chinese alike. There was a constant cultural exchange between ethnic groups. This inter-ethnic sharing occurred between non-Chinese residents and Chinese residents in spite of attempted interference from the Federal government. The non-Chinese residents of Yavapai County and Prescott Arizona, through their continual encouragement and support of the Chinese residents, flouted the prevailing conventions of anti-Chinese racism. Chinese residents owned land and businesses, fought, gambled, sued and were sued, and fully participated in the cultural, social, and legal activities of the region before and after the Exclusionary Acts of the 1880s.