Why did the US Congress pass an exclusion act in 1882 barring Chinese immigrants?
1 Answer
There was a strong anti Chinese sentiment building in the mid 1800s. A variety of State legislation was not upheld. The Exclusion Act finally halted Chinese Immigration with few exceptions.
Explanation:
Upheaval in China and Gold rushes in North America first attracted Chinese immigrants. Large Labor projects like the Transcontinental Railway created a demand for more Chinese Laborers to save money.
A pool of cheap labor bothered many people. Large numbers of Chinese miners as Gold began to peter out bothered others. This caused the call to limit Chinese Immigration.
The Chinese were mostly young men so they often add to civic revenue without making demands on services. Many business men liked having a source of cheap labor. Many Chinese moved to Gold rushes in Canada and other Railway projects there until, Canada too began to limit Chinese immigration.
The United States Government was concerned that the Chinese Government would limit access to Chinese markets if Chinese Immigration to the U.S. was limited.
