Chinese Discrimination In American History

Chinese Exclusion Act was a law that passed by Congress on May 6 of 1882, that halted the immigration of the Chinese laborers for a span of 10 years and denied neutralization to the existing Chinese in the United States. Following an economic crisis in the late 19th century that left many without jobs and slowed down the expansion of the Western States, many Chinese immigrants laborers were blamed for the falling of wages and lack of employment opportunities. The Chinese laborer faced violence, social isolation, and discriminatory laws that was included in the passage of the exclusion act. Although the act had little effect on the U.S’s economy beyond the Chinese community, it set a lasting effect for immigration policy, it was the first U.S law the refusal to admit members of a specific ethnic group or nationality. Since Chinese immigration was helping the U.S’s economy bloom. Why the sudden stop of only one ethnic group coming to the U.S? What social, economic, and political caused the Chinese Exclusion Act?

Chinese immigrants had a harder time to assimilate into the United States because of the history of racial discrimination. In my research, I used both primary data such as comic and labor announcement, and secondary data such as journal article, to prove my argument.

“Chinese Immigrant Lee Chew Denounces Prejudice in America, 1882” A Comprehensive view of Discrimination in Nineteenth Century America In “Chinese Immigrant Lee Cew Denounces Prejudice in America, 1882”, we read the account of Chinese immigrant Lee Chew who, writing in 1882, finds himself discontented with the treatment he endures as an

Millions of immigrants over the previous centuries have shaped the United States of America into what it is today. America is known as a “melting pot”, a multicultural country that welcomes and is home to an array of every ethnic and cultural background imaginable. We are a place of opportunity, offering homes and jobs and new economic gains to anyone who should want it. However, America was not always such a “come one, come all” kind of country. The large numbers of immigrants that came during the nineteenth century angered many of the American natives and lead to them to blame the lack of jobs and low wages on the immigrants, especially the Asian communities. This resentment lead to the discrimination and legal exclusion of immigrants,

One of the first significant pieces of federal legislation aimed at restricting immigration was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese laborers from coming to America. Californians had agitated for the new law, blaming the Chinese, who were willing to work for less, for a decline in wages.The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. Those on the West Coast were especially prone to attribute declining wages and economic ills on the despised Chinese workers. 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.”

Many immigrants came into the United States during the nineteenth century; some of them being Chinese. They came here through Angel Island to find better lives than in China, but it did not work out that way for most. These people faced much discrimination in this new country,

The influences that contributed to the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 was nativism and racial prejudice against Chinese immigrants. Chinese immigrants came to the United States during the time of the building of the transcontinental railroad that was completed in 1869. The two tracks met at Promontory, Utah, and was

After the increased suppression of international slave trade during the mid nineteenth century, Chinese immigrants were frowned upon in America due to the fact that they were depicted as a threat to the U.S economy. As a result, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed and banished a vast majority of Chinese people in America. Based on the documents provided, it can be concluded that the Chinese Exclusion Act, despite being morally incorrect, was an inefficient ordinance that caused an abundance of controversy in America. Based on document A, during this time frame, there was a great amount of racist feelings towards the Chinese. This is shown in a play called “The Chinese Must Go” by Henry Grimm, which depicts the Chinese in a negative

In 1965, the last legal barrier to Chinese immigrants fell with the signing of a new law that ended immigration quotas based on race. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the story of the Chinese in America was primarily a legal drama, played out on the nation’s borders and in courts. After the new immigration law went into effect, it became a personal story told by one individual and by one family at a time.

Despite their hard work, the Chinese still encountered discrimination for generations after the completion of the railroad. California laws restricted them from being admitted as witnesses in court, voting, and becoming naturalized citizens. Chinese schoolchildren were also exposed to segregation. On May 6, 1882, the federal government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act forbid new Chinese workers from entering the U.S, and prevented Chinese immigrants who were already in the U.S from becoming citizens. This law remained in effect until

Migrating to America in search of new opportunities, sadly, the Chinese were referred to as Chinks and coolies. Throughout history, Americans have been in debt to immigrant groups, like the Chinese, who were the only ones willing to do the most dangerous and underpaid work. Yet, Americans have been the most hostile towards the Chinese—the only racial group ever to face an Exclusion Act. During the 19th century, 80,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States during the Gold Rush, but they found no gold—only nativists who did not want them there. So, instead of mining, many Chinese settled for odd jobs and labored on the Transcontinental Railroad, a previously unparalleled project to connect the American West Coast with the American

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, was the first significant law that restricted immigration into the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act was signed in by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882. This new law was only supposed to be in effect for ten years but instead was

Throughout American history, the Chinese were never talked about in great detail despite their impact. The first generation of Chinese that came to the U.S after the California Gold faced finding their identity in a new country. They defined themselves in american culture with the establishment of Chinatown and the

For decades, Chinese people in America have faced discrimination and hostility. The Chinese was initially brought over by the cheap labor of building railroads and the Gold Rush in California. But in the 1870s, the competition for jobs and depression led to racism and hatred for them. Almost every Chinese person have been segregated in Chinatowns. Eventually, the Chinese Exclusion Act ended Chinese immigration. However, it all changed during World War II when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The United States and China became allies and declared war on Japan. So the Chinese in America got an opportunity to expand their economic and social influence. Furthermore, Americans changed their point of view about the Chinese Americans due to the alliance

    Around the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act, there was the California Gold Rush of 1849, the American Civil War (1861-1865), and The Treaty of Tianjin (1858)/The Burlingame Treaty (1868). One of the first events that compelled Chinese immigrants to travel to the United States was the gold rush: “Chinese immigrants arrived on U.S. shores between the California gold rush in 1849 and 1882…” (Chineseimmigrationact). Also, the treaty of Burlingame, “… ultimately reinforced U.S. trade interests with China under the principle of the most-favored-nation concept, and it ensured a steady flow of low-cost Chinese immigrant labor for U.S. firms” (U.S. Department of State).  The Treaty of Burlingame, which was an extension of the Treaty of