“We Are Going!!!”: Understanding Nineteenth-Century Perspectives on Chinese Immigration Through Book Marginalia

Author: Celeste Hoo

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Bridget Whearty, Jeremy Dibbell

Easel: 47

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Since its beginning, Chinese immigration to America has been a contentious topic, marked by preventative laws like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. While such prejudice is historically evident, some works, such as Russell H. Conwell’s 1871 Why and How: Why the Chinese Emigrate, and the Means They Adopt for the Purpose of Reaching America, sought not entirely to judge, but also to understand. By exploring the inscription found in Binghamton University’s copy of this book—which marks this book as a Christmas gift—as well as by studying the people involved in its production and its marginalia, this project aims to uncover how Why and How was actually used by its readers, and compare this against Conwell’s own intentions. Ultimately, this research centers on how the study of ordinary people can provide nuance to what we currently believe to be historical sentiment, on top of (or contrary to) what existing evidence suggests.