Los Angeles has seen many different riots and racial conflicts throughout the ages. All of them have ended in death, tragedy, and destruction. The Chinese Massacre of 1871 is one such example that has left unbearable wounds on the Asian-American population of Los Angeles. On October 24, 1871, a mob of over 500 white men entered the Los Angeles Chinatown to attack, rob, and brutally murder the Chinese residents of the city. This racially motivated massacre left more than 80 Chinese residents dead. Of the 500 men who attacked and ransacked the city, only eight were ever convicted of manslaughter.
This event is important to study because it is an event rarely studied in Los Angeles history. I had never even heard of this massacre before doing research for this class. I chose this topic because I found it fascinating how only eight out of the 500 white men were convicted of the massacre. In my research I will be looking for particular events that triggered the great riot. I will also be looking for information on how this event affected the Chinese American and Asian-American population of Los Angeles in the future. My essay will focus on the effects of this massacre and the different lessons it teaches the Los Angeles community.
Picking this topic in which Chinese residents of the Los Angeles Chinatown got massacred by 500 white men will definitely open the eyes of our fellow classmates. Not many, including me, knew about this incident and I think you would be able to enlighten others by writing about the topic. Los Angeles's history is filled with racial tension as this incident reminds me of the 1940's when the Japanese were targeted due to race. However, I feel as if these incidents involving racial tension only brought the race targeted closer together.
ReplyDeleteYes, Dmitri, I also did not know about the Chinese Massacre before doing this assignment. The fact that many history curriculums around the country fail in discussing this significant moment of Los Angeles history further suggests the failure of Los Angeles in effectively promoting ethnic coexistence and racial harmony. An entire paragraph in my essay was devoted to discussing the reason behind the low “face time” of this particular racial conflict in comparison to other racial tensions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that racial tension assimilated the targeted races closer together. As minorities began to occupy different parts of the city, they began forming relationships that were nonexistent with other races.