Wk2 "Lee" Notes on The Heathen Chinee on God's Free Soil

The influx of diverse populations, including Chinese immigrants, into California during the Gold Rush led to social and racial tensions.
San Francisco experienced rapid population growth between 1850 and 1870, becoming a diverse city with significant numbers of Chinese, African Americans, and European immigrants.
In the 1850s, San Francisco's population included over 3,000 Chinese and nearly 2,000 African Americans among its 57,000 residents.
By the end of the Civil War, the city's population had doubled to over 100,000, with a third of residents born in Ireland, Germany, China, or Italy.
Minstrel shows, like Billy Rice's "The Chinese Ball," reflected and often caricatured this diversity.

Edward Said's concept of Orientalism involves constructing the Orient as different and distant to define the West's sense of self, reinforcing power dynamics.
Early Chinese settlers in the U.S. were seen as exotic curiosities. However, the large-scale arrival of Chinese immigrants in California shifted this perception.
Oriental difference, initially based on distance, transformed into a sense of immediate threat due to the Chinese presence in America.

Peale's Museum in Philadelphia (1784) displayed Chinese curiosities, including items related to foot binding, reflecting American fascination with Chinese culture.
The East India Marine Society in Salem (1799) featured artifacts from the China trade and life-size clay models of Chinese figures, effectively putting Chinese people on display.
Nathan Dunn established the Chinese Museum in conjunction with Peale's Philadelphia Museum in 1838 to showcase Chinese culture and counter negative stereotypes.
The Chinese Museum featured dioramas (