Message from victoriachan

[Anonymous]

The article brought up the fact that the dominant narrative about the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. is often focused on the western states, specifically California. Most people in California know about how Chinese people settled in San Francisco after going through Angel Island and had been motivated to come because of the California Gold Rush. As a result, it’s surprising to find out that there were Chinese people on the East Coast during the Civil War, let alone find out that Chinese people fought in the war. I had never even thought of it as a possibility. But after reading the article, I can see how the seafarers in the article potentially kidnapped or bought these children and brought them over to the East Coast.

However, it is saddening to find out that because there weren’t a large number of Chinese people fighting in the Civil War, many people disregard the figures. Moreover, they faced discrimination and xenophobia despite having fought in the Civil War. I am curious about the reasons for why they decided to fight in the war; or perhaps they were coerced into it. I imagine they did it because they viewed the U.S. as their home and should therefore be protected, but I would like some more concrete details to support this thought.