Chinese immigration to the began during the 1848-1855 California Gold Rush (Baer, James). At first they were treated with tolerance, but afterwards, they settled in their own enclaves, such as Chinatown in San Francisco. The problem came because the Chinese were willing to work for low pay. In the 1860’s the were recruited to work and ultimately made up a bulk of the workers on the western half of the railroad. The Central Pacific Railroad prized Chinese immigrants for their building skills and willingness to take on dangerous jobs (“Chinese Exclusion Act”). Californians thought of Chinese laborers as “coolies” — that is cheap labor brought into the America to undercut wages for American workers (Baer, James). Unions accused industrialists for preferring the Chinese to work in order to keep wages low. In 1870’s, the Workingmen’s Party of California, which is a labor organization, ran with the slogan, “The Chinese must go!,” specifically targeting the Chinese immigrants (“Chinese Exclusion Act”).

Anti-Chinese sentiments have been growing so much in America that in the 1880 presidential election, both the Democrats and Republicans adopted anti-Chinese plants in their political platforms (Daniels, Roger 13). That year, James Garfield was elected the Republican President and right away, Congress responded.

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

The law, called the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,  was signed by President President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882 prohibited the immigration of Chinese nationals and excluded them from citizenship for a period of 10 years (“Chinese Exclusion Act”). The law continued to expand.

The Scott Act of 1888 prohibited the entry of Chinese laborers and denied reentry to those who traveled abroad, even if they had reentry visas (Baer, James).

The Geary Act, signed in 1892, extended the exclusion of Chinese immigrants for another 10 years. It also required all Chinese people to register and provide proof of their eligibility to remain in the United States (Baer, James).

The Act was renewed in 1902 and was made permanent in 1904. It would not be until December 17, 1943 until the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed and Chinese nationals already in the country to become naturalized citizens. By then, the threat of competition by Chinese labor was no longer an issue (Baer, James).

Why did Americans feel threatened? 

Before the Great Depression happened, the United States suffered a series of panics and/or depressions in the late 19th century. It is generally agreed that the panics occurred in 1857, 1869, 1873, and 1893 (“The U.S. Economy: Historical Overview”). During this time, the Chinese immigrants were finding their place in American society and they found it in forming communities and accepting low wages. Americans used the Chinese as a scapegoat for the fact that they could not higher-waged jobs. In reality the late 1800’s was known for the growth in big corporations (“The U.S. Economy: Historical Overview”). Clearly, big corporations did not care about ethical practices, and the Americans suffered from that because they could not get jobs and were competing against immigrants who were taking in low waged jobs.