H istorians differ on who the first Americans were. There are many beliefs as to the direction from which they came. Indians met Columbus when he arrived on America's shores. Incas met the Spanish in the south. However, what race or races made up the Indians? Are they the real Americans because they were born here first? Then what is an American?
T he only race that we can say we know for sure when, why and how they arrived is the African.
T he country was still in its infancy when gold was discovered in California and the race westward began. The masses of immigrants heading west were all foreigners. If you read our history, you will see they constantly referred to the White man vs. the Indian. They did not say an American, Cornishman, Frenchman, German etc. has fought the Indians; everyone one out in the west fought the Indians. The civil war freed the Blackman to make one wrong right and then they all took on the Indian. After they massacred most of the Indians and realized they had them completely out numbered in this country they looked for another race to conquer. Meanwhile, each of the ethnic groups formed their own small villages within a village in the mining camps of Nevada. Italian's, Germans, Greeks, Serbian, and Japanese each formed their own enclave. Names were attached to these groups such as WOP for Italians. This name derived because many Italians came to this country and did not apply for citizenship. WOP stood for With Out Papers. Germans were called "Krauts", Servians "BoHunks" and Japanese "Japs." Although they all worked for the same mining company, each group had their own church, store and traditions. It was many years before the children born in America began marrying into the various ethnic groups and they became assimilated as "Americans."
I t seems that in the early years of the Nevada Territory the popular color was white. Anything else was considered a threat to the White Man, or American. The Blackman was still looked down at and if you were one eighth black, you were a mulatto. The Indian was still hated and then came the Chinese. Early historians seem to refer to two types of immigrants, the foreigner or Chinese. In 1862, an act concerning the crimes and punishments stated that no black person, or mulatto, or Indian, or Chinese should be permitted to give evidence against or for a white man and every person that was half Indian was deemed white.
W hy the Chinese? Did they pose more of a threat than the Blackman? Were they more dangerous than the Indian? They were quiet, peaceable, tractable, free from drunkenness, and were as industrious as the day is long. A disorderly Chinaman is rare, and a lazy one does not exist. Would not they make good Americans? The white man always complains of the need of work, but a Chinaman is always busy.
T he early years of Nevada posed a great strain on the Chinaman. In the beginning of the Comstock era the union was so strong they would not let a Chinaman work as a miner. There were thousands on the east coast and the white man brought him to Nevada. They made the Chinaman a house servant, a cook and let him wash their clothes. These were the jobs that a white man did not want, but the Chinese were good at it. When the Stage outfits and the freighters protested the construction of the Central Pacific railroad stopping the white laborers from working, the Chinese were brought here to work. Again, a job the white man did not want, but the Chinese made the best of it. It is not a wonder that they kept to themselves every place had a Chinatown. The fact that a Chinaman would work cheaper than a white man, who saved a lot of white men money, caused the Chinaman great pain. During the building of the railroad, the Chinaman was not treated well. Another job given to the Chinese was that of cutting wood.
D uring the Tybo war over the price of charcoal, which resulted in a price drop, the Chinese were brought in again to save money. Tybo, the town that was known to be allergic to Orientals, needed them but did not want them. The highest point of the racial contention was in May of 1876. The charcoal burners contracted to supply several million tons of fuel to the Two G Mining Company imported a large number of Chinese coolies to cut wood and fire the kilns. Tybo had a large staff of Central Europeans - Irish and Cornish mine and mill workers. They were beset already by racial difficulties. Was anybody an American? Angered by the import of Chinese labor the white workers of the district put their inter-racial disputes a side and united to protest against the Chinese. Fortified with liquor creating great courage the howling pack at midnight stormed the charcoal camp. With the cracking sounds of bullwhips, blasts from their pistols and the drunken curses they sent the terrified Orientals fleeing for their lives.
N ext morning found the charcoal contractors in pursuit of their
scattered work force, gathering them from individual hiding points and herding them like sheep back to work at the kilns. They were ordered to resume work and carry on their duties under the protection of loaded
Winchesters for the rest of the day. Nightfall brought about the same conclave of 200 miners bristling with guns and more cursing. However, with the armed guards patrolling the charcoal camp and its environs the idea of cleaning out the camp of the chinks lost some of its savor and the violence was resolved. Instead, the contractors were given twenty-four hours to get rid of the Chinamen.
B y the end of the grace period the Chinamen were still cutting wood and the guards were still guarding. Still another ultimatum was issued, this time the chinamen were to leave camp by nightfall or both they and their employers would be run out of camp.
B y this time, the white workers were so aroused that it seems
inevitable that there would be bloodshed eventually. The Chinese now fed up with the whole sordid affair offered to leave the district in exchange for stage fair to Eureka. With help of the Anti-Asiatic league providing stage fair the contractors were left to deal with their contracts in the best way they could. Although the whole ordeal was over this was just another happening the Chinese had to deal with.
I t seems that this country always has to have some one to pick on. Here after all of the hardships that a large number of races had to endure, what is an American? In the mid 1960's with all of the racial riots going on, what did we gain? If you were born here, you are an American. The way things are going now, in a century or two Americans may be ninety percent Spanish. Still if we are free, we are American's!
Resources;
Bancroft, pages 285, 160, 162, 172, 292
Roughing It, pages 128 thro 133
Thompson and West, page 438
Ghost of the Glory Trail, Pages 135, 136, 137
