Chinese Immigration Research Paper

Words: 776
Pages: 4

During the reconstruction era, many immigrants started to come to the United States in search of a better life. Many immigrants come from different backgrounds, such as China and Mexico. During the mid to late 1800s, there was a huge increase in Chinese laborers moving into the country. Many became successful in their own way, such as creating their own businesses and working for factories. As the number of Chinese immigrants increased, many Americans became quite intimidated and did everything in their power to prevent Chinese immigrants from taking their jobs. During the spring of 1882, the U.S. government passed an act that prohibited Chinese immigrants from entering the United States and becoming a legal U.S. citizen. The Chinese Exclusion …show more content…
After the U.S. passed the Chinese Act of 1882, many Chinese citizens fought against the flat-out lies of the Constitution. The Chinese Act of 1882 mentioned how Chinese immigrants weren’t allowed into the United States without a certificate proving that they were legal U.S. citizens. This caused much conflict for many Chinese immigrants because the act made it almost impossible to achieve this certificate. The man who decided to fight against this was Chae Chan Ping. He was a Chinese citizen who moved to San Francisco in 1875. Chae was refused to be let back into the States despite having a certificate showing that he was indeed an American citizen. Chae decided to fight against this as it was against the entire Act of 1882. According to the case files, the result of this case said “A writ was accordingly issued, and in obedience to it the body of the appellant was produced before the court. Upon the hearing which followed, the court, after finding the facts substantially as stated, held as conclusions of law that the appellant was not entitled to enter the United States and was not unlawfully restrained of his liberty, and ordered that he be remanded to the custody of the master of the steamship from which he had been taken under the writ” (Justia). This describes the hypocrisy that the American government holds. Not only did they pass an act prohibiting Chinese immigrants from moving in, but they also made sure …show more content…
Throughout history, many people around the world were never accepted for being who they were. They were stripped of their culture and had to reform themselves into the Christian American to fit in. Despite these changes, immigrants knew they’d never be able to achieve that goal. Going into a few decades ahead in U.S. history, America was introduced to a much harsher version of discrimination. No longer only affecting Chinese immigrants, but immigrants from all over Asia. During the early 1900s, America saw, The Immigration Act of 1924. It prohibited the entrance of Asian immigrants from coming into the United States despite not being considered ‘aliens’ before. It stated that “The 1924 Immigration Act also included a provision excluding from entry any alien who by race or nationality was ineligible for citizenship. Existing nationality laws dating from 1790 and 1870 excluded people of Asian lineage from naturalizing. As a result, the 1924 Act meant that even Asians not previously prevented from immigrating – the Japanese in particular – would no longer be admitted to the United States” (Office of The Historian). America, was known for its “Land of The Free” saying, but none of it really rang true. Many people moved to create better lives for themselves and their families, yet America prevented the basic human rights and citizenship of those born differently from them. Much