This cartoon by famous cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), which he created in 1882, represents two men, called "Fritz" and "Pat," seated at a table and discussing what "color," that is, what race, should be tabooed next, as the caption below them reads, once that the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 had prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States. A passage from that federal law appears on the wall behind them.
Fritz, to the right, is a German man. He is holding a mug of German beer and smoking from a traditionally German pipe. Pat, to the left, is an Irish man. He is wearing the typical Irish top hat and vest. They casually reflect upon their future, but, despite their relaxed attitude, they know they might face the same fate as the Chinese laborers, given that both are immigrants. Furthermore, Pat's apparently haughty attitude seems to reveal a veiled concern, since Irish had been traditionally considered inferior to Caucasians and Irish Americans had had to overcome many prejudices.
It is, therefore, possible to conclude by saying that this cartoon suggests that American attitudes toward immigration in the late 1800s were, in part, negative and discriminatory, based on the belief that the white race was superior.
