Chinatown, my Chinatown - Public domain American sheet music

The Songs of America collection allows you to explore American history as documented in the work of some of our country's greatest composers, poets, scholars, and performers. From popular and traditional songs to poetic art songs and sacred music, the relationship of songs to historical events from the nation's founding to the present is highlighted through more than 80,000 online items. The user can listen to digitized recordings, watch performances of artists interpreting and commenting on American songs, and view sheet music, manuscripts, and historic copyright submissions online. The site also includes biographies, essays, and curated content, interactive maps, a timeline, and teaching resources offering context and expert analysis of the source material. Look at the ways in which sheet music covers art documents historical themes. Read essays discussing the histories of musical styles. Watch videos pairing sound recordings with period illustrations. All this and more await you as the Library of Congress celebrates The Songs of America. "Know the songs of a country and you will know its history for the true feeling of a people speaks through what they sing." – Preface to The Songs of Henry Clay Work (1884) From the Library of Congress website

In the 19th century, a majority of Chinese immigrants were single men who worked for a while and returned home. At first, they were attracted to North America by the gold rush in California. A relatively large group of Chinese immigrated to the United States between the start of the California gold rush in 1849 and 1882, before federal law stopped their immigration. After the gold rush, Chinese immigrants worked as agricultural laborers, on railroad construction crews throughout the West, and in low-paying industrial jobs. Soon, many opened their own businesses such as restaurants, laundries, and other personal service concerns. With the onset of hard economic times in the 1870s, European immigrants and Americans began to compete for the jobs traditionally reserved for the Chinese. Such competition was accompanied by anti-Chinese sentiment, riots, and pressure, especially in California, for the exclusion of Chinese immigrants from the United States. The result was the Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by Congress in 1882. This Act virtually ended Chinese immigration for nearly a century.