Cartoon B is an opinion from Thomas Nast about anti-Chinese sentiment that led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This cartoon was published in 1879 and references the rising force in California, and national politics Denis Kearney, "a real American."
Kearney worked to organise unions and fought for workers rights and for the removal of Chinese labor from the US. Much of what Kearney fought for helped the average working man eventually, for example the eight hour work day and the right to organise. Kearney felt that immigrant, especially Chinese immigrant, labor was detrimental to the American worker as they were willing to work for less and do jobs others did not want, Kearney's work helped eventually to pass SB 1070. Oops, check that, The Chinese Exclusion Act.
The signs on the wall that the Chinese man and the Indian are reading indicate that "foreigners are not wanted," a problem when looking too closely at Kearney who was born in Ireland and did not arrive in America until he was in his twenties. Pat Irish, esquire indeed. The wall mentions other immigrant groups who were persecuted before prospering, the Irish, the Dutch, the Germans.
The Indian who is reading the wall tells the Chinese man, "Pale face 'fraid you crowd him out, as he did me." This is a reference to the westward expansion of the United States that led to the defeat of the Native Americans and the establishment of the reservation system. Ironically, a key tool for the expansion of the United States were the railroads, built largely with Chinese labor.
The final comment in the cartoon is the African American sitting in the background with the legend "My Day is Coming" printed on the wall above him. This emphasises the racism that is endemic in the nation, anyone who is not white will have a turn on the exclusion and deportation ride.
"The Chinese Exclusion Act." Teaching American History in Maryland - Documents for the Classroom - Maryland State Archives. Accessed February 13, 2012. http://teachingamericanhistorymd.net/000001/000000/000136/html/t136.html.
"The Heathen Chinee : Words by Bret Harte ; Music by F.B." Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE. Accessed February 13, 2012. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/flipomatic/cic/brk5426.
"Item 003." Immigrant and Ethnic America at HarpWeek.com. Accessed February 13, 2012. http://immigrants.harpweek.com/ChineseAmericans/2KeyIssues/DenisKearneyCalifAnti.htm.
I enjoyed the way you brought today's issue into the discussion of this political cartoon because I think it's still very relevant. Nast exploits the hypocrisy of the ruling class, since they're basically saying that the only people with the rights to be in the country are "real Americans" (which, if such a thing existed, would probably be the Native American and not the Irish immigrants like Denis Kearney). However, today it would seem prudent to distinguish who is allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. legally. Some may argue that the law enforcement officers are only more American than the would-be immigrants because they arrived one generation before. Be that as it may, the U.S. border can no longer be open to anyone and everyone who wishes to live and work here as it was in the beginning of the 20th century. It is interesting to note that Nast addressed the immigration problem back in 1879, and it is still one of the most debated issues more than 130 years later.
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