Monday, March 10, 2014

2 US Events

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882


Chinese came to America looking to strike it rich with hopes of being to send money back to their poor families, or of returning to China after a few years with newly acquired wealth. Another reason is America served as a symbol of something higher than monetary prosperity. It represented the hope of freedom from intolerance based upon one's particular views. However, the most important reason for Chinese immigration was economic hardship due to the growing British dominance over China after Britain defeated China in the Opium War of 1839-1842. So, these are three reasons why the Chinese people came to the US.

America's response to the immigrants resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 in which too may Chinese were hoping to look for a better life in America.

Connection: I feel this correlates well with the continents as far as The British wanting to interrupt the Congo and other parts of Africa to get better trading goods. In relation to the Chinese coming to America to look for better quality of life
 

Assassinations of 1881

Czar Alexander II, the ruler of Russia since 1855, is killed in the streets of St. Petersburg by a bomb thrown by a member of the revolutionary "People's Will" group. The People's Will, organized in 1879, employed terrorism and assassination in their attempt to overthrow Russia's czarist autocracy. They murdered officials and made several attempts on the czar's life before finally assassinating him on March 13, 1881.

As czar, Alexander did much to liberalize and modernize Russia, including the abolishment of serfdom in 1861. However, when his authority was challenged, he turned repressive, and he vehemently opposed movements for political reform. Ironically, on the very day he was killed, he signed a proclamation--the so-called Loris-Melikov constitution--that would have created two legislative commissions made up of indirectly elected representatives.


Less than four months after his inauguration, President Garfield arrived at the Washington railroad depot on July 2, 1881, to catch a train for a summer's retreat on the New Jersey seashore. As Garfield made his way through the station, Charles Guiteau raced from the shadows and fired two shots point blank into the president. One grazed Garfield's arm; the other lodged in his abdomen. Exclaiming, "My God, what is this?" the president collapsed to the floor remaining fully conscious, but in a great deal of pain. Soon after doctors began to attempt taking the bullet out, but this resulted into a gaping hole which further led to infection, as well as arising temperature, resulting his death


 

 

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