Chinese Exclusion Act Of 1882 Analysis

Adriana Nunez
Ms. Chin
U.S History, Period 3
30 October 2015
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Modern society is determined by the past, knowing the past makes it easier to understand the present, and learning from previous mistakes shall determine future actions. The American gold rush of 1849 produced increased employment opportunities in the Western United States but coincided with a period of poverty in China. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first piece of legislation act excluding a certain ethnic group from immigrating to the U.S. Instead of focusing on controlling the riots in California directed against Chinese immigrants, Congress decided it would be easier to ban any more Chinese from entering the U.S territory. The encounter
The Americans blamed the Chinese for the unemployment and deepening depression. “In reality the Chinese were blamed for an economic crisis caused enthusiastic expansion by the railroads, over which Chinese immigrants had no control or responsibility”. It was easy for the Americans to blame anyone but themselves and not take responsibility for their own faults and errors. They preferred to use the Chinese as a scapegoat for their problems in order to hide the reality that they don't like the Chinese for being different. “Moreover, they drain the national wealth by saving up all of their earnings to take back to China rather than circulating them back into the U.S. economy”. The U.S used this absurd idea that not only were they working for low wages and the money wasn't being kept or used within the United States but being spent and used for their own benefits outside of the country. They believed that the money should be kept within the U.S but knew the Chinese would fail to do so. “Job competition between these two groups became fierce, particularly after the Panic of 1873 triggered a long economic depression”. It was cheaper for the government to hire Chinese immigrants because they were willing to work for a little amount of money. Businesses were saving money which benefited the owners. At the same time, the Chinese were mostly
The European Americans acted out of fear and just found multiple excuses to use against the Chinese immigrants. They went to the point where they created propaganda against Chinese to have the Americans turn their backs on them. They were afraid to admit that they were xenophobic because they would seem weak. The law caused a major impact in immigration then and still today. “A multitude of arguments were offered both for and against the repeal of the legislation just as many arguments were made for the passage of it. The debates over the decision to pass this controversial piece of legislation in 1882 were much more intense and thorough than the debates to repeal the act in