▁exp uls ions ▁and ▁other ▁violent ▁actions ▁were ▁directed ▁at ▁the ▁Chinese - American ▁community ▁of ▁California ▁during ▁the ▁mid ▁and ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁The ▁attacks ▁on ▁Chinese ▁were ▁often ▁spark ed ▁by ▁labor ▁disput es . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 8 8 0 s ▁alone , ▁Chinese ▁communities ▁were ▁attacked ▁in ▁ 3 4 ▁towns ▁in ▁California , ▁often ▁resulting ▁in ▁the ▁local ▁Ch in at own ▁being ▁completed ▁lo oted ▁and ▁burn ed . ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁G row th ▁of ▁California ▁California ▁was ▁an nex ed ▁by ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁from ▁Mexico ▁after ▁the ▁Mexican - American ▁war ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 8 . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time ▁the ▁California ▁Gold ▁R ush ▁brought ▁hundreds ▁of ▁thousands ▁sett lers ▁from ▁the ▁Eastern ▁U . S . ▁in ▁search ▁gold , ▁allowing ▁California ▁to ▁become ▁a ▁state ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 0 . ▁The ▁United ▁States ▁saw ▁its ▁first ▁major ▁wave ▁of ▁Chinese ▁imm igr ants ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁gold ▁r ush . ▁Most ▁of ▁these ▁imm igr ants ▁entered ▁the ▁country ▁through ▁the ▁San ▁Francisco ▁port ▁and ▁by ▁ 1 8 6 0 ▁Chinese ▁imm igr ants ▁had ▁settled ▁in ▁all ▁but ▁ 5 ▁of ▁California ' s ▁count ies . ▁ ▁Labor ▁issues ▁The ▁Chinese ▁quickly ▁took ▁up ▁work ▁in ▁many ▁indust ries ▁after ▁arriv ing ▁in ▁California . ▁The ▁Chinese ▁faced ▁ra cial ▁disc rim ination ▁from ▁white ▁workers ▁who ▁perce ived ▁them ▁as ▁being ▁more ▁willing ▁to ▁work ▁for