In the 1850s, war and devastation in China led thousands of Chinese people to immigrate to other countries, hoping to make money to send back to their families. Chinese immigration to America began in the 19th century during the California Gold Rush and the building of the Central Pacific Railroad. Chinese immigrants who made their way to San Francisco went to the gold mines, which they nicknamed “Gold Mountains.” Many white miners were hostile toward them, leading to violence against the Chinese miners. The government taxed the Chinese miners unfairly and did not prosecute racist violence. To defend themselves, Chinese miners stayed together in large groups. The railroad, which connected the eastern and western US coasts, was constructed largely from the labor of Chinese immigrants. The work was dangerous because of the nature and conditions of the construction as well as the racial discrimination and violence. For protection, and because white Americans did not want to live alongside them, many Chinese immigrants gathered in Chinatowns in large cities; the largest Chinatown was in San Francisco.

Even after the completion of the railroad, Chinese Americans faced prejudice and discriminatory laws. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigration for 10 years.