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Timeline of Chinese Immigration and Exclusion

1842 China lost the First Opium War to Britain. The Qing Dynasty signed a treaty favorable to British trade interests and ceded Hong Kong
Island to the British Empire.

1848 Gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill, California; thousands of Chinese immigrants departed from Hong Kong to mine for gold in
California.

1850 California instituted the Foreign Miners’ tax, which targeted Chinese and Latino miners.

The Taiping Civil War began in China. 20-30 million died as a result, and millions more were displaced by its end in 1863.

1852 Approximately 17,000-25,000 Chinese in California.

In 1854 California Supreme Court ruled that Chinese did not have the right to testify against white citizens in People v. Hall.

1860 United States trade with China tripled from 1845 levels.

China lost the Second Opium War to France and Britain. The Qing Dynasty signed a treaty favorable to Western interests, including the
legalization of the opium trade.

1865 Central Pacific Railroad recruited workers directly from China.

1868 China and the U.S. signed the Burlingame Treaty. It guaranteed Chinese immigration to the U.S., protection of Chinese citizens, and
helped U.S. trade interests in China.

1869 First transcontinental railroad completed.

1871 A white mob tortured and hanged 17 to 20 Chinese in Los Angeles.

1873 Panic of 1873 led to major economic depression in the U.S. The effects of the depression were felt into the 1880s.

1877 A white mob rioted against the Chinese in San Francisco, killing several and extensively damaging Chinese-owned property.

1878 A U.S. federal court ruled in In re Ah Yup that Chinese were not eligible for citizenship.

1879 New California State Constitution forbade corporations and government offices in California from employing Chinese.

1880 Approximately 105,000 Chinese in America (less than 10% of California’s population); California passed an anti-miscegenation law
(Chinese and whites could not marry).

The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act restricted Chinese immigration (in one year, the number of new lawfully admitted Chinese immigrants
dropped from 40,000 to 23).

Read the timeline carefully. Write a hypothesis for why Chinese immigration was restricted in 1882.

It was based on employment. The Chinese immigrants were brought over to

assist with the railways, but they were not finished until 1869. They had to find
alternative employment, and the Americans thought that the Chinese were
stealing their livelihoods. Chinese immigration was also limited due to
xenophobia and anti-foreigner sentiment.
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Document A: Pioneer Laundry Workers Flyer (Modified)

The document below is an 1878 flier by the Pioneer Laundry Workers Assembly in Washington D.C. The group was part
of the Knights of Labor, an influential labor union in the United States at the time.

MEN FROM CHINA come here to do LAUNDRY WORK. The Chinese Empire contains 600,000,000 inhabitants.

The supply of these men is inexhaustible. Every [Chinese man] doing this work takes BREAD from the mouths of OUR
WOMEN. So many have come so late that to keep at work, they are obliged to cut prices. . . .

Will you oblige the AMERICAN LAUNDRIES to CUT THE WAGES OF THEIR PEOPLE by giving your patronage to the
CHINAMEN? We invite you to give a thorough investigation of the STEAM LAUNDRY BUSINESS of the country; in doing
so you will find that not only does it EMPLOY A VAST NUMBER OF WOMEN, but a great field of labor is opened to a
great number of mechanics of all kinds whose wages are poured back into the trade of the country.

If this undesirable element "THE CHINESE EMIGRANTS" are not stopped coming here, we have no alternative but
that we will have California and the Pacific Slope's experience, and the end will be that our jobs will be eliminated
UNLESS we live down to their animal life.

We say in conclusion that the CHINAMAN takes labor from our country without returning prosperity to our land the way
the labor of our labor does to our glorious country.

Our motto should be OUR COUNTRY, OUR PEOPLE, GOD, AND OUR NATIVE LAND.

Source: 1878 flier by the Pioneer Laundry Workers Assembly.

Vocabulary
inexhaustible: unlimited
Chinaman: a term for someone from China
oblige: force
that is now outdated and offensive
patronage: business
Pacific Slope: the American West

Who wrote the document?

The document was written by the Pioneer Laundry Workers Assembly.

Who did this organization represent?

The Knights of Labor, a powerful labor group in the United States at the time,
were represented by this entity.

Why might the members of this organization have held these views?

They are angry that Chinese immigrants are taking their livelihoods. They
believe that Chinese immigrants are undermining Americans' capacity to
support their spouses and children. Businesses are being compelled to reduce
American workers' pay.

What evidence does this document provide about why Chinese immigration was restricted in 1882?

This document provides evidence why Chinese immigration was restricted in 1882 when the
say Nativism- "Our COUNTRY, OUR PEOPLE, GOD AND OUR NATIVE LAND"

"We say in conclusion that the CHINAMAN takes labor from our country without returning
prosperity to our land the way the labor of our labor does to our glorious country."

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Document B: New York Herald (Modified)
A financial crisis triggered a “panic” in 1873, and a six-year economic depression followed.

Effect of the Panic: Trade and Transportation Unusually Dull.

The express companies are suffering very materially from the crisis. . . .

The Southern steamers and the railroads that generally do a large business in carrying freight to the West are
experiencing the effects of the panic in a way that is proving quite unprofitable. . . .

The sales of houses have not been numerous enough of late to be worth talking about. . . .

There has been a large diminution in the business of importing. It results not less from the unwillingness on the part of
importers to form new contracts than from the decrease on the part of the consumer and the retailer. In other words, the
crisis seems to have taught a widespread lesson—a little economy and less extravagance. . . .

The country will lose from the depression of the retail trade many millions of dollars. When so many hundred thousand
people are thrown out of employment, and money becomes stringent, a drop in the overall economy will occur. . . .

The decline in cotton prices has been continuous. . . .

The grocery trade has suffered severely in consequence of the panic. . . .

Source: New York Herald, Tuesday, November 4, 1873.
Vocabulary
diminution: reduction retailer: seller of goods economy: tight budgeting stringent: scarce

How might the economic conditions described Doc B have influenced the opinion of the Pioneer Laundry
Workers in Doc A?

The economic catastrophe would exacerbate hostility toward Chinese laborers.

Does this document provide evidence about what led to the restriction of Chinese immigration in 1882? Why
or why not?

Yes, Doc B gives proof about the current state of the business. Because money is limited,
Americans will panic and be extremely frugal with their money and chances to obtain money
(jobs). The economy was struggling, and they believed that having Chinese immigrants in the
nation took away their employment and opportunities.
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Document C: Congressional Testimony of California Attorney General
(Excerpted)

The burden of our accusation against them is that they come in conflict with our labor interests; that
they can never assimilate with us; that they are a perpetual, unchanging, and unchangeable alien
element that can never become homogeneous; that their civilization is demoralizing and degrading
to our people; that they degrade and dishonor labor; that they can never become citizens; and that an
alien, degraded labor class, without desire of citizenship, without education, and without interest in
the country it inhabits, is an element both demoralizing and dangerous to the community within
which it exists

Source: Frank Pixley, former Attorney General of California, in testimony to the Joint Committee of
the two Houses of Congress on Chinese Immigration, October 21, 1876.
Vocabulary

assimilate: become like homogeneous: the same, alike

What is Pixley’s argument for ending Chinese immigration?

The Chinese will never be the same; they will never be like the Americans. They
are illegal immigrants who will never become residents of the United States.
They are also ignorant and have no desire to help this nation.

Where had Pixley been attorney general? How might this corroborate the information in the timeline?

He was the previous California Attorney General. This supports information in

the chronology because there was an economic downturn at the time. Also,
there were hate crimes against the Chinese in San Francisco in the following
year, and after that it was decided that the Chinese could not become
residents.

Where did Pixley give this testimony? What does this suggest about American voters’ opinions
about Chinese immigration?

Pixley testified before the Joint Committee of the Chambers of Congress on

Chinese Immigration. There was an entire commission devoted to Chinese
immigration. This implies that American people disliked Chinese immigration
and were opposed to them becoming citizens.

What evidence does this document provide about why Chinese immigration was restricted in 1882?

The proof provided by this document for why Chinese immigration was limited in
1882 was that the American people believed that the Chinese could never become
like them; they could never integrate with the American people. They also believed
that the Chinese were uneducated and uninterested in developing the nation. They
considered the Chinese to be foreigners who could not be residents.

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Document D: Wong Ar Chong’s Letter (Modified)

Wong Ar Chong was a Chinese American tea merchant in Boston. He wrote this letter to William Lloyd Garrison, a
prominent abolitionist, and social reformer. Garrison had publicly debated Senator James G. Blaine of Maine, arguing
against the senator’s support for banning Chinese immigration.

The able Senator from Maine says the Chinese must go. . . . I claim for my countrymen the right to come to this
country as long as other foreigners do. . . .

The Honorable Senator calls us heathens, but I should judge from the tone of his letter that he was somewhat lacking in
Christian charity. Let him look at the records of fire in Chicago and yellow fever in New Orleans, and he will find
Chinamen giving as much as any other people.

He says that Chinese people pay no taxes in this country, but I think if he looks into the matter he will find that they pay
as much taxes in California as any other foreigners. . . .

He says that Chinese people are not healthy, do not keep their places as clean as other people, that they smell badly,
etc. I could mention several other nationalities, each having its own particular smell. . . . If the Chinese are allowed to
come to this country and enjoy the same privileges as the people from any other foreign land, they will educate
themselves and conform to your laws and manners and become as good citizens as any other race. . . .

The Chinese must not be blamed because other men have no work. It is not their fault. If merchants carried on business
within their means, instead of failing and going through bankruptcy, then laboring men would have plenty of steady work.

Source: Letter from Wong Ar Chong to William Lloyd Garrison, February 28, 1879.

Vocabulary

heathens: derogatory word for people who aren’t Christian

Chinaman: a term for someone from China that is now outdated and offensive bankruptcy: financial
failure

Who wrote the document? How was the author’s perspective different from the authors of the other
documents?

This document was written by Wong Ar Chong. Wong Ar Chong was a

Boston-based Asian American tea dealer. Because he was the only Chinese
author, his viewpoint on the other papers differed from everyone else's.

Despite the differences in perspective, how does the author’s letter corroborate Document A? How does it
corroborate Document C?

Despite the differences in viewpoint, the author's letter backs up Document C

by concurring that they are not yet informed and have not yet complied with
their laws. He claims that if they are given the same rights as others, they will
teach themselves and conform to the rules, but he still claims that they are
neither educated nor assimilated.
What evidence does this document provide about why Chinese immigration was restricted in 1882?

This document offers proof that Chinese immigration was limited in 1882
because the Chinese were not educated or assimilated, and there were fewer
opportunities for American laboring males.

ON YOUR OWN - CITE EVIDENCE FROM TIMELINE & DOCUMENTS

Central Historical Question: Why was Chinese immigration restricted in 1882?

There are numerous causes why Chinese immigration was limited. Both of the papers
provided details on how events occurred. The first document, (Document A), was composed
by the pioneer laundry workers union in Washington, D.C., who held certain beliefs because
they believed the Chinese people would not do anything in return if they helped or
supported them. The Chinese would arrive and take employment and resources that others
could have. They believed in "our nation, our people, God, and our native territory". (A
document) Another example would be when Frank Pixley advocated for the end of Chinese
immigration, claiming that it undermines worker interests. He was so convinced of his point
of view that he testified in front of the House of Representatives in order to make a great
issue out of it. He also asserted that "they can never assimilate with us, that they are the
eternal, immutable, and unchangeable foreign element that can never become
homogeneous." (Document B) "The Southern steamers and railways that usually do a big
business in transporting freight to the West are feeling the effects of the panic in a manner
that is proving quite unproductive," according to (Document B). This demonstrates that they
are blaming the Chinese indirectly, rather than explicitly, and think that the country has
suffered as a result of the lack of commerce. Then, on behalf of the senator of Maine, Wong
Ar Chong penned a note to William Lloyd Garrison, who informed Wong that the Chinese
must leave because "China people are not healthy, do not keep their locations clean like
other people, smell bad, etc." (Draft Paper) Then, in 1879, the new California state constitution
prohibited companies and government agencies in California from hiring Chinese, and as a
result, roughly 105,000 Chinese in America were not permitted to marry whites after 1880.
Finally, in 1882, the Chinese exclusion act limited Chinese immigrants, reducing the
population from 40,000 to 23. (Timeline) I'm sure there are numerous other explanations and
opinions as to why Chinese immigration was restricted, but these are just a few of them.
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Watch the video What was the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act?
Write a summary about what you learned
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a remarkable piece of federal law that barred an
entire race of individuals from entering the United States, including Chinese-Americans. It
was the first and only time in American history that a specific group was marked out as
being unwanted. Saum Song Bo, a young Chinese immigrant and recent college graduate,
urged Americans to learn about Chinese discrimination because it represents how America
has evolved, how America saw itself at one time, and how it continues to see itself. The
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a discriminatory legislation that made it unlawful for
Chinese laborers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already in the country to
become citizens. It was viewed as a link in a sequence of legislation, racial disturbances, and
purges aimed at pushing the nation toward ethnic cleansing. The Chinese exclusion rule was
one of the first completely restrictive laws, and Chinese Americans associated it with the
founding concept of liberty, equality, and fairness for all. The 1882 law was about racial
purity and getting rid of individuals who were different, not about labor. It was an ethnic
exclusion legislation that barred Chinese residents from becoming citizens for 60 years. This
has shaped the debate about what it means to be an American to this day, and it is a
watershed point in comprehending how we came to be who we are today.

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