Type: Exhibition section
Name: Lee Me Bo
Detail: Lee Me Bo, born in Hin Loo Village, China, worked at a grocery store. He came to the United States through Montreal after his brother Lee Yick paid 250 dollars to the firm Yee Wo Lung & Company to smuggle him into New York through the border town of Malone, since he did not have papers entitling him entry. Upon arrival, Lee worked in the store of Quong Yuen Shing in New York City for seven years, for a monthly salary of 30 dollars. Lee saved money in order to obtain interest in Quong Lee Yuen & Company, based on Lafayette Street in Newark. On February 15, 1908, Lee initiated the procedure to officially establish his status as a merchant, which would allow him to depart for China with the intent to reenter the United States. He was 35 years-old and married to Wong She, and had no children. As part of legal proceedings, Lee Me Bo had white witnesses Alethia M. Carter, Adolph Franz, Lizzie Ash, James Ash, John Yourth, and Mrs. Roubroy testify to his involvement in Quong Lee Yuen as a merchant.
Lee Me Bo had come before the immigration officials to obtain the necessary certification of his merchant status prior to departing the United States for China so that he would be eligible for reentry upon his return with minimal scrutiny and hassle. He was required to submit to an interrogation to prove his merchant status and to confirm that he was not undertaking any manual labor. The provision of the Chinese Exclusion Act that was being enforced in this case was the need for Lee Me Bo to acquire the appropriate certifications from the Immigration Service in order to be able to reenter the United States as a domiciled merchant when returning from China.
The United States restricted Chinese immigration through the Chinese Exclusion Act but Section 6 created an exemption for students, teachers, merchants, and travelers. Lee Me Bo was smuggled through Canada and created his life in New Jersey. He was able to prove he was a merchant and gain the right to reentry although he did not have resident papers. The white witnesses who testified on Lee’s behalf knew him through the Protestant Sunday School where he studied, and their religious affiliation gave them credibility as “respectable” members of the community. Although they could not verify positively his merchant status, they believed him to be a credible, assimilated Chinese man, who attended their school regularly.
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