There are 3.8 million Chinese Americans in America today according to the 2010 census. That census also showed that Chinese Americans have a higher median income than the average American and are called the “model minority.” It was not always that way. The first Chinese in America were sailors in 1784, but those that followed in the 1800s were the poorest of Chinese escaping famine and poverty. They came to America to earn money for families back home by building the railroad or searching for gold. They worked the hardest and longest for the least money so were accused of stealing jobs from “whites.” They came to survive, hoping for a better life. Their exchange with Americans was not good. They were the first immigrant group to have laws written to keep them out. Riots occurred rebelling against them. Many were killed. Many returned home. Over time, laws were changed. They kept their values of revering family, working hard, and getting an education. In return, they won awards and gave back in many ways through art, culture, politics, and science.