Chinese Exclusion Act

Rising anti-Chinese and similar xenophobic sentiments, fueled by a belief that the Chinese immigrants were stealing Americans’ jobs, led to President Arthur's passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882¹. As the name suggests, the act's purpose was to establish a 10-year ban on prospective Chinese immigrants and make US citizenship inaccessible for Chinese people who had already immigrated. After the act’s expiration in 1892, it was extended after its 10-year period through the Geary Act.

Over the years, a decrease in American citizens’ stigma of Chinese people and a change in the political landscape after World War II led to the abrogation of the Chinese Exclusion/Geary Act in 1943. However, there were still heavy restrictions on the number of Chinese immigrants allowed each year, which were slowly diminished through the passing of other immigration acts.

Significance

The passing and abolishment of the Chinese Exclusion Act were significant for American society and immigration policy because it was the first major law in US history to completely bar a specific nationality from immigration into the country. It also helped to increase xenophobic attitudes against Chinese and other Asian people. The abolishment of the act and subsequent acts of similar nature marked a turning point in how the US dealt with immigration and showed how the country was shifting to a more equitable system.