Titlepage from Some Reasons for Chinese Exclusion, a pamphlet produced by the American Federation of Labor, 1901; courtesy the Bancroft Library, U.C. Berkeley

The Chinese Exclusion Act

The most significant anti-immigration law passed in the United States was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country.

The law stemmed from conflicts between Chinese and white laborers in San Francisco, many of whom were immigrants from Ireland or other European countries. During a long and difficult economic recession, white laborers feared losing jobs to their lower-paid Chinese counterparts. In response, they established political organizations such as the Workingmen's Party of California to organize against the Chinese.

Encouraged by the racist attitudes of the day, politicians took up the cause of the white workers. All but a few Chinese were stopped from entering the U.S. and were denied citizenship. Even those who had lived and worked in the country for decades were not allowed to become citizens. The Chinese Exclusion Act was not repealed until 1943.