Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

E38597

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a landmark U.S. federal law that severely restricted Chinese immigration and naturalization, institutionalizing racial discrimination and setting a precedent for later exclusionary immigration policies.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal law
anti-Chinese legislation
immigration law
aimedTo curb Chinese labor competition
appliesToEthnicGroup Chinese
appliesToNationality Chinese nationals
containsProvision 10-year ban on immigration of Chinese laborers
exemptions for certain classes such as merchants, students, and diplomats
requirements for Chinese already in the U.S. to obtain certificates of residence
country United States
dateEnacted 1882-05-06
discriminatoryOnBasisOf national origin
race
enforcedBy United States Bureau of Immigration
United States Customs Service
extendedBy Geary Act
hasEffect barred Chinese immigrants from U.S. citizenship
institutionalized racial discrimination in U.S. immigration law
severely reduced Chinese immigration to the United States
historicalPeriod Gilded Age
jurisdiction United States federal government
languageOfWorkOrName English
legalStatus repealed
legislativeBody United States Congress
locationOfEnactment Washington, D.C.
mainSubject Chinese immigration to the United States
motivatedBy economic anxiety among white workers
racial prejudice against Chinese
opposedBy Chinese community organizations in the United States
some business interests relying on Chinese labor
partOf history of Chinese Americans
history of immigration to the United States
prohibited naturalization of Chinese immigrants
relatedTo Geary Act
Page Act of 1875
repealDate 1943-12-17
repealedBy Magnuson Act
restricted immigration of Chinese laborers
setPrecedentFor Immigration Act of 1917
Immigration Act of 1924
later exclusionary U.S. immigration policies
signedBy Chester A. Arthur
startTime 1882-05-06
supportedBy labor unions such as the Workingmen's Party of California
politicians advocating nativist policies
timePeriod Chinese Exclusion Era
topicOf civil rights and racial discrimination studies
scholarly works on U.S. immigration history

Referenced by (9)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Magnuson Act of 1943 ("Chinese Exclusion Act")
Magnuson Act of 1943 ("Chinese Exclusion laws")
repeals
Nativism in the United States
associatedWithPolicy
Page Act of 1875
followedBy
Chinese American cinema ("Chinese Exclusion Act")
historicalContext
Chinese Americans
historicalEventAssociated
Magnuson Act of 1943
predecessor
Pub.L. 82–414 ("Chinese Exclusion Acts")
repealed
China Men ("Chinese Exclusion Act")
subject

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