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Coolie Wikipedia

Coolie refers to unskilled laborers from Asia of the 1800s to early 1900s who were sent to the United States, Australia, New Zealand, North Africa and the West Indies. The term usually referred to China|Chinese, Indian, Japanese person|Japanese and Koreans|Korean laborers and was often used in a derogatory way. The word is derived from the Chinese term 苦力, ku li, literally meaning "suffering strength", describing the brutal physical labor they did. (N.B.: most standard sources give Hindi quli = 'hired servant' as the source.)

In the British Empire the term coolie referred to a form of indentured servitude with conditions resembling slavery. In India and Africa, Mahatma Gandhi led a campaign against such indentured laboring.

Image:Newly arrived coolies in Trinidad.jpg|thumb|360px|Newly arrived Indian coolies in Trinidad

Chinese coolies contributed to the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad (North America)|Transcontinental Railroad in the United States, but many of the Chinese laborers were not welcome to stay after its completion. California's Anti-Coolie Act of 1862 and Chinese Exclusion Act (United States)|Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 also contributed to the unfriendliness to Chinese laborers in the United States.

In India, the word coolie refers to porter (carrying)|porters who work at railway stations. In Trinidad and Tobago it is considered an offensive term on par with "nigger".

Last Modified:   2005-04-13