The Chinese Exclusion Act is widely remembered as a symbol of racial discrimination in American history. But why did it become federal law in 1882? This article examines the economic transformation, labor competition, political mobilization, and diplomatic negotiations that ultimately led the United States to adopt the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Tag Archives: Chinese Americans in the American Story
Who Will Write America’s Next 250 Years?
From railroad camps to Chinatowns, from the Supreme Court to Silicon Valley, the place of Chinese Americans in American history has changed profoundly. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the question may no longer be whether Chinese Americans belong in the American story, but what kind of American story they will help write in the next 250 years.
