Historical Fictions Story: Olajuwan Ming Pei

Olajuwan Ming Pei

During the summer of 1890, a young woman named Olajuwan Ming Pei decided to leave her family in the clustered China and come to the 'land of opportunity', America, with her husband and son. She was an everyday worker in China along with her husband, making minimum wage and following somewhat ridiculous customs. Many of Ming's acquaintances had moved to America to find new work. The work in America would give a much pay compared to China's. Ming knew that America had jobs and America had religious freedom. During the 1890's land remained plentiful, and fairly cheap in America. Jobs were abundant, and labor was scarce and relatively dear . Knowing this Ming, her husband and daughter took off on an overpopulated boat and arrived at Angel Island in San Francisco.

At the Angel Island Immigration 'check in' the Asian Immigrants had to go through an enduring process of steps. First they, "had to be tested for diseases and physically fit, [then they] had to have documents from their country [and finally they] had to be mentally fit and be ready for life in the U.S" (Whitman par. 3). After Ming was done with this process her family and her settled near their port of entry, in a suburb of San Francisco. After a year of getting used to a new life, a new job and having a new society, Ming found out in 1892 that China had stopped immigration into its country. Ming liked her new life, but she was sad that the gate to go back was closed.

The biggest economic situation in the United States during the 1890's was the Panic of 1893. Like most major financial downturns, the depression of the 1890s was preceded by a series of shocks that undermined public moral and dramatically weakened the U.S. economy. This had direct impact on Ming and her family. Her average salary dropped from 8 dollars a month in a 90-hour work week to 6 dollars a month in a 85 hour work week. She also noticed that now the foreign races, including hers, were being treated with no respect in America. She ended up forming her own community of immigrants from Eastern Asia. She bonded well with the others and started to like life in America much more. The Panic of 1893 was caused primarily by president Benjamin Harrison and the Reading Railroad. The election of republican Harrison was highly corrupt with vast sums of money used to buy votes, especially in the swing states of Indiana and New York. Harrison failed to win a popular majority, but won an electoral victory. At the end of