The Chinese Boycott of 1905 was a large-scale boycott of American goods in Qing dynasty that began on 10 May 1905. The catalyst was the Gresham-Yang Treaty of 1894, which was an extension of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. An indirect cause was the years of violence against Chinese immigrants in the United States, most recently during the 1900âÂÂ1904 San Francisco plague. The boycott lasted for almost one year and garnered support from major Chinese organizations. It came to an end when the Qing government revoked its support for the boycott. Ultimately the boycott did not change any discriminatory laws in the US; however, the Chinatown raids eventually ceased. The boycott extended across to the Chinese diaspora in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Hawaii.
The Chinese were brought to the U.S. under a contract system to help with the construction of the pacific coast railroad. A treaty negotiated by the Secretary William H. Seward called The Burlingame Treaty of 1868 allowed unlimited freedom for the Chinese to immigrate to the United States. The treaty also prohibited the U.S. from meddling into China's internal affairs as well as granted American citizens privilege in China. By 1880 The U.S. modified the treaty to restrict the immigration of Chinese workers with the approval of China. Two years later in 1882 congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act that required Chinese immigrants residing in the United States to carry identification papers with them at all times. Extensions of the act include the 1888 Scott Act, 1892 Geary Act and, 1894 Gresham-Yang Treaty.
The 1894 Gresham-Yang Treaty automatically extended for 10 years after its expiration on December 7, 1904, unless further negotiation was made. It was the further negotiation in May 1905 at Beijing that sparked the boycott. Just before the boycott, US sent her new ambassador, William Woodville Rockhill, to Beijing.
Among other violent episodes against Chinese immigrants is the Boston Chinatown immigration raid of October 11, 1903. During the San Francisco plague of 1900âÂÂ1904 other episodes of racial discrimination against Chinese immigrants had taken place.
In 1905, four Chinese students were detained in Boston by immigration officials. This gave momentum to the boycott movement.
The boycott originated when the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of San Francisco called upon the people of China to pressure the United States into treating the Chinese immigrants in America better. Afterwards, telegrams were sent out by Tseng Shao-Ching, leader of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce to merchants to boycott American products; if the merchant refuse, the boycott committee would ensure that they follow their instructions.
Chinese immigrants were brought to the U.S. under a contract system to help with the construction of the Pacific Coast railroad. The Burlingame Treaty of 1868 was negotiated by Secretary William H. Seward allowed unlimited freedom for the Chinese to immigrate to the United States. A majority of Chinese migrated out of China to go to the United States suffered a huge amount of discrimination and prejudice compared to Chinese who have gone to other countries.
Several events lead up to the boycott of 1905. These events were regarded as attempts to expel the Chinese from America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The boycott drew support from many major Chinese organizations, including