1882 – 1943

Beginning in 1882, a series of laws were passed, closing the door on Chinese laborers from immigrating into the United States. Before the Chinese Exclusion Act, anti-Chinese movements were heightening in response to economic depression and belief that Chinese laborers were stealing jobs from non-Chinese workers, as well as degrading the moral and cultural standard of American society. Although such anti-Chinese sentiments originated in California, they ultimately reached Washington, D.C.

The Chinese Exclusion Act remained in effect until 1943. However, even then there was still a pattern of the Chinese quota and assigned racial, not national, quotas to all Asian immigrants. It was not until 1965 when the act was fully abolished.