"Meat v. Rice" by Samuel Gompers, 1908
Scope and Contents
The bulk of the Asiatic Exclusion League records span the years 1906-1910 and consist of the minutes and proceedings of monthly meetings and the first convention of the League, which had the explicit goal of discriminating against Asian workers. The collection also contains the proceedings of the first two conventions of the Anti-Japanese Laundry League founded in 1908; the transcript of a debate at St. Ignatius College; and a detailed index to its contents. A pamphlet by Samuel Gompers on Asian workers entitled "Meat vs. Rice: American Manhood Against Asiatic Coolieism, Which Shall Survive?" contains the term “coolie,” which is considered to be a derogatory racial slur against Chinese workers referring to a form of debt slavery outlawed in California in 1879. In addition to these items, photocopies of selected articles on Asian exclusion from the Labor Clarion between 1904-1915 were added to the collection in 2006.
Content warning: This collection contains racist historical materials that resulted in the discrimination, murder, and incarceration of Asian immigrants in the United States.
Dates
- 1908
Availability
Collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.25 Cubic Feet (3 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Creator
- From the Collection: Asiatic Exclusion League (Organization)
Repository Details
Part of the Labor Archives and Research Center Repository
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722 USA
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu