Yickwo v. Hopkins: An Early Landmark Victory Against Racism

Chinese immigrants were once a clear target of white supremacy in America. In the 19th century, it was impossible for Chinese immigrants to assimilate into American society due the differences in appearance and culture. When I was studying supreme court cases about the Civil Rights Movement, the case of Yickwo v. Hopkins (1886) was introduced as a landmark victory that many Civil Rights case referred to this court decision. This articles I found online is interesting, it introduced how the Chinese went into the laundry business after the gold rush. Many Chinese originally refused to wash clothes because it should be women's job for laundry. However, the foreign miners' tax imposed to the Chinese forced them to change their career. Later, an anti-laundry legislation to the Chinese immigrants in California has forced them to appeal it to the court and finally overturn this legislation unanimously. This case might not change much about the situation of Chinese immigrants in America during 19th century, but at least the immigrants could still make a living in a place far from their homes.
Article: Yick Wo: How A Racist Laundry Law In Early San Francisco Helped Civil Rights