The Wasp — 1878 — page 297: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The masthead cartoon depicts a wasp attacking a Chinese figure, illustrating the magazine's xenophobic slogan. The featured editorial argues that Chinese laborers should be expelled from California, claiming they depress wages and undermine working-class employment. The text presents anti-Chinese arguments common to 1870s California labor politics: Chinese workers are portrayed as inherently inferior competitors who threaten "American" jobs and living standards. The piece advocates expulsion as economic necessity rather than acknowledging systemic racism. This reflects the actual "Chinese Exclusion" movement that culminated in the 1882 federal Chinese Exclusion Act—the first U.S. law explicitly banning immigration by national origin. The Wasp was a prominent vehicle for this nativist, working-class political agitation in San Francisco.