Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The impact of the exclusion laws went beyond restricting, marginalizing, and, ironically, activating the Chinese. Other scholars have argued that the exclusion should be blamed on top-down politics rather than a bottom-up movement, explaining that national politicians manipulated white workers to gain an electoral advantage. Still others have adopted a “national racism thesis” that focuses on endemic anti-Chinese racism in early American national culture. Enacted in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act, formally titled “An Act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese,” was one of the first laws limiting immigration into the United States. However, before the act was passed, there were limitations against the Chinese … “Throwing Down the Ladder by Which They Rose,” cartoon by Thomas Nast, Cartoon depicting U.S. Pres. Chinese Exclusion Act; Arthur, Chester A. In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, a law that would simultaneously halt Chinese immigration to the United States and bar this group from becoming citizens. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 In May 1882, Congress, responding to pressure from unions, passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. The first major act restricting immigration to the US Why was the The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) put into place There were economic fears, on the West Coast, native born Americans blamed Chinese workers for their unemployment and declining wages A treaty with Japan in 1894 had assured free immigration, ...read more, The Chinese diaspora, which began in the 1800s, was so vast that virtually every major city in the world—from New York to London, Montreal and Lima—boasts a neighborhood called “Chinatown.” Chinese immigration to the United States dates back to the middle of the 19th century, ...read more, The United States has long been considered a nation of immigrants. It signaled the shift from a previously open immigration policy in the United States to one in which the federal government exerted control over immigrants. Located at the mouth of Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, Ellis Island saw millions of newly arrived immigrants pass ...read more, President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862 granted Americans 160-acre plots of public land for the price a small filing fee. One such tool was the American judicial system. President Chester A. Arthur signed it into law on May 6, 1882. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-Exclusion-Act, Densho Encyclopedia - Chinese Exclusion Act, Yale Law School - Lillian Goldman Law Library - The Avalon Project - Chinese Exclusion Act; May 6, 1882, Chinese Exclusion Act - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). FORTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS. American experience with Chinese exclusion spurred later movements for immigration restriction against other "undesirable" groups such as Middle Easterners, Hindu and East Indians, and the Japanese with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924. The first major restriction on immigration to the United States. After the Act was passed, anti-Chinese violence increased. Chinese Exclusion Act; May 6, 1882 An Act to Execute Certain Treaty Stipulations Relating to Chinese Whereas, in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof: … Families were forced apart, and businesses were closed down. Meant to curb the influx of Chinese immigrants to the United States, particularly California, The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization. They were aided in their legal battles by Frederick Bee, a California entrepreneur and attorney who was one of the principal American advocates of the civil rights of Chinese immigrants and who represented many of them in court from 1882 to 1892. The infestation ruined up to one-half of the potato crop that year, and about three-quarters of ...read more, An ambiguous, controversial concept, Jacksonian Democracy in the strictest sense refers simply to the ascendancy of Andrew Jackson and the Democratic party after 1828. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In 1910 the Angel Island Immigration Station was established in San Francisco Bay. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. 3 Initially, they laboured in gold mines, where they showed a facility for finding gold. It lasted for 10 years and was extended for another 10 years by the 1892 Geary Act, which also required that people of Chinese origin carry identification certificates or face deportation. However, to truly understand this policy, you have to look further back in history. Meanwhile, Chinese-exclusion practices shaped immigration law during that time period. According to the U.S. national census in 1880, there were 105,465 Chinese in the United States, compared with 89,863 by 1900 and 61,639 by 1920. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. It was the first federal law that excluded immigration of a single group of people based on race. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which, per the terms of the Angell Treaty, suspended the immigration of Chinese laborers (skilled or unskilled) for a period of 10 years. In other words, the exclusion was the result of a grassroots anti-Chinese sentiment. Immigration patterns, immigration communities, and racial identities and categories were significantly affected. When President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, it restricted immigration from China into the United States for the next ten years. Many immigrants came to America seeking greater economic opportunity, while some, such as the Pilgrims in the early 1600s, arrived in ...read more, Ellis Island is a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. 126. Under the continuing anti-Chinese pressure, Chinatowns were established in urban cities, where the Chinese could retreat into their own cultural and social colonies. Skilled and unskilled Chinese workers involved in the mining industry were prohibited from entering America for a decade. Various factors contributed to the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, such as the calming of the anti-Chinese sentiment of previous decades, the establishment of quota systems for immigrants of other nationalities who had rapidly increased in the United States, and the political consideration that the United States and China were allies in World War II. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Chinese Exclusion Act. Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Wayne State University. Thus, Chinese exclusion was not only an institution that produced and reinforced a system of racial hierarchy in immigration law, but it was also a process that both immigration officials and immigrants shaped and a realm of power dominance, struggle, and resistance. Although the Chinese composed only .002 percent of the nation's population, Congress passed the exclusion act to placate worker demands and assuage prevalent concerns about maintaining white "racial purity.". The Chinese Exclusion Act (formally Immigration Act of 1882) was a U.S. federal law that was the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. Following an 1852 crop failure in China, over 20,000 Chinese immigrants came through San Francisco’s customs house (up from 2,716 the previous year) looking for work. Chinese-Americans already in the country challenged the constitutionality of the discriminatory acts, but their efforts failed. Chinese communities underwent dramatic changes as well. This was a Congressional Act which was signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, which intended to ban the immigration of Chinese laborers to USA for the next ten years. Its summary is as follows: 1. Chinese Exclusion Act, formally Immigration Act of 1882, U.S. federal law that was the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. More loosely, it alludes to the entire range of democratic reforms that proceeded alongside the Jacksonians’ ...read more. Various factors contributed to the repeal, such as the quieted anti-Chinese sentiment, the establishment of quota systems for immigrants of other nationalities who had rapidly increased in the United States, and the political consideration that the United States and China were allies in World War II. Despite the disproportionate time and resources spent by U.S. immigration officials to control Chinese immigration, many Chinese migrated across the borders from Canada and Mexico or used fraudulent identities to enter the country. The excluded Chinese did not passively accept unfair treatment but rather used all types of tools to challenge or circumvent the laws. The passage of the act represented the outcome of years of racial hostility and anti-immigrant agitation by white Americans, set the precedent for later restrictions against immigration of other nationalities, and started a new era in which the United States changed from a country that welcomed almost all immigrants to a gatekeeping one. By then, the U.S. was embroiled in World War II and seeking to improve morale on the home front. As a result, they encountered hostility and were gradually forced to leave the field and move to urban areas such as San Francisco, where they were often confined to performing some of the dirtiest and hardest work. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Violence soon broke out between white miners and the new arrivals, much of it racially charged. The Chinese Exclusion Act bans the immigration of laborers for 10 years starting in August 1882, when the legislation goes into effect. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first law passed in the United States that excluded a people of a specific ethnicity from immigrating to the country. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first U.S. law to restrict the immigration of a specific ethnic group. The Chinese Exclusion Act (formally Immigration Act of 1882) was a U.S. federal law that was the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. Chinese immigrants were placed under a tremendous amount of government scrutiny and were often denied entry into the country on any possible grounds. Synopsis. Because of the severe restrictions on female immigrants and the pattern of young men migrating alone, a largely bachelor society emerged. 1882. Later measures placed a number of other restrictions on the Chinese, such as limiting their access to bail bonds and allowing entry to only those who were teachers, students, diplomats, and tourists. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Under the continuing anti-Chinese pressure, Chinatowns were established in urban cities where the Chinese could retreat into their own cultural and social colonies. By 1910 the enforcement of the exclusion laws had become centralized, systematic, and bureaucratic. Floods and drought contributed to an exodus of peasants from their farms, and many left the country to find work. This makes the act even more prohibitive than it might otherwise have been. The State Department. In 1902, the law was extended again. The Chinese Exclusion Act A Special Presentation of American Experience Examine the origin, history and impact of the 1882 law that made it illegal … The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a historic act of legislation that demonstrated how the federal government of the United States once openly condoned racial discrimination. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chester A. Arthur. The National Archives at Seattle has 50,000 case files from the Chinese Exclusion Act from Chinese who entered the U.S. through the ports of Seattle, Sumas, Port Townsend, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, B.C. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. The basic exclusion law prohibited Chinese labourers—defined as “both skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining”—from entering the United States. The act was renewed in 1892 and later made permanent in 1902. 58) created a ten-year Moratorium on the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States. Americans in the West persisted in their stereotyping of the Chinese as degraded, exotic, dangerous, and competitors for jobs and wages. Signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur in 1882, it was a response to a nativist backlash against Chinese immigration in the American West Coast. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed while President Chester Arthur was in office. Chinese Exclusion Act Passed by Congress in May of 1882 and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur, the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration into the United States for 10 years and barred Chinese that were already in the country from becoming citizens. Chester A. Arthur offering a bill excluding Chinese immigration to the “Western vote,” cover of. Omissions? Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the expira- Immigration of tion of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the Chinese laborers expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of to States the suspendedUnited The very definition of what it meant to be an American became more exclusionary. Despite having come from a country without a litigious tradition, Chinese immigrants learned quickly to use courts as a venue to fight for their rights and won many cases in which ordinances aimed against the Chinese were declared unconstitutional by either the state or federal courts. 3. Sen. John F. Miller of California, a proponent of the Chinese Exclusion Act, argued that the Chinese workers were “machine-like…of obtuse nerve, but little affected by heat or cold, wiry, sinewy, with muscles of iron.” Partly in response to that stereotype, organized labour in the West made restricting the influx of Chinese into the United States one of its goals. Building on the 1875 Page Act, which banned Chinese women from immigrating to the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law implemented to prevent all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating. Proposed by Stephen A. Douglas–Abraham Lincoln’s opponent in the influential Lincoln-Douglas ...read more, The Gentlemen’s Agreement between the United States and Japan in 1907-1908 represented an effort by President Theodore Roosevelt to calm growing tension between the two countries over the immigration of Japanese workers. Passed by U.S. Congress in 1882 and signed into law by President chester a. arthur, the Chinese Exclusion Act (22 Stat. Updates? It was the culmination of several decades' worth of agitation on the part of white workers in the United States, as well as violence directed against Chinese workers. Some Chinese simply evaded the laws altogether by immigrating illegally. Chinese-Americans already in the country challenged the constitutionality of the discriminatory acts, but their efforts failed. It was extended in 1892 for another ten years by the Geary Act and then made permanent in 1902. April 04, 1882. The two-part cartoon from the July-December 1882 issue of The Wasp reflects how some citizens saw the situation. https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/chinese-exclusion-act-1882. Non-laborers needed a certificate from the Chinese government regarding their qualifications. Her contributions to SAGE Publications's. The Chinese Exclusion Act was approved on May 6, 1882. Corrections? The first recorded Chinese immigration into San Francisco was in 1848, but it began in earnest in 1852 when 18,000 arrived in a town with a then population of fewer than 37,000. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. from 1882 to 1943. The Act represents the first law ever passed by Congress that denied entry to the United States on the basis of race or ethnicity. Upon arrival there a Chinese immigrant could be detained for weeks to years before being granted or denied entry. Chinese communities in the United States underwent dramatic change because of the Chinese Exclusion Act. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was signed into law on May 6, 1882. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a very important law and had significant effects on American society and demographics. The Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese laborers, both unskilled and skilled. The passage of the act represented the outcome of years of racial hostility and anti-immigrant agitation by white Americans. Criteria were gradually set regarding which people—in terms of their ethnicity, gender, and class—could be admitted. Chinese Immigrants And The Gold Rush. They significantly decreased the number of Chinese immigrants into the United States and forbade those who left to return. Chinese immigrants and their American-born families remained ineligible for citizenship until 1943 with the passage of the Magnuson Act.

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