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Policies Affecting Chinese American
| 1820-1882 | FREE IMMIGRATION |
| 1882-1903 | DISCRIMINATORY RESTRICTIONS ON IMMIGRATION |
| 1904-1942 | ABSOLUTE EXCLUSION |
| 1943- | GRADUAL LIBERALIZATION |
| 1844 | Treaty of Kanagawa or Peace, Amnesty and Commerce-first Sino-American treaty; established formal relations with China; gave the United States unilateral rights |
| 1852 | 195 Chinese Contract Laborers land in Hawaii |
| 1854 | People v. Hall rules that Chinese cannot give testimony in court |
| 1858 | Yedo Treaty-Treaty of Commerce and Navigation
Treaty of Tientsin-Chinese government agreed to prohibit permanent emigration; reversed in 1959 |
| 1862 | An Act to Protect Free White Labor Against Competition with Chiese Coolie Labor and to Discourage the Immigration of the Chinese into the State of California, April 26, 1862 |
| 1868 | Burlingame-Seward Treaty-United States and China agreed to trade, travel, and residence rights for each other's citizens; still prohibited naturalization; additional articles to Sino-American treaty of 1858 |
| 1870 | California passes a law against the importation of Chinese, Japanese, and "Mongolian" women for the purpose of prostitution |
| 1875 | U.S. Congress passed first law (The Page Law) excluding certain categories of aliens (e.g., convicts and prostitutes); declared all earlier state laws regarding immigration unconstitutional |
| 1878 | In re Ah Yup rules Chinese ineligible for naturalized citizenship |
| 1880 | Sino-American treaty revised-Chinese government limited immigration of laborers in exchange for U.S. protection of those here [Back] |
PERIOD II:DISCRIMINATORY RESTRICTIONSON IMMIGRATION, 1882-1903
| 1882 | Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited immigration of Chinese contract laborers for ten years; subsequently renewed; prohibited naturalization |
| 1884 | Increased restrictions on Chinese here and those seeking reentry -wives barred; anti miscegenation laws |
| 1885 | Congress banned contract labor |
| 1886 | Supreme Court ruled in Yick Wo v. Hopkins that San Francisco city ordinance prohibiting Chinese from laundry business was illegal |
| 1887 | Rock Springs Massacre (1887)President Grover Cleveland asked congress to allocate $150,000 to indemnify the Chinese. Congress complied, but declared that its action should not be construed as a precedent for future compensation. |
| 1888 | Scott Act prohibited immigration of virtually all Chinese, including those who had gone back to China to visit |
| 1889 | Chinese exclusion case (Chae Chan Ping v. United States) - Supreme Court ruled that an entire race that the government deemed difficult to assimilate might be barred from entry regardless of prior treaty |
| 1892 | Geary Act extended exclusion of Chinese laborers another ten years and stripped most legal rights from Chinese immigrants; also required certificates of residence for Chinese in the United States |
| 1893 | Fong Yue Ting v. United States - Supreme Court declared Congress had the right to legislate expulsion through executive orders; Chinese community had raised money to bring this before the Court to test the Geary Act. |
| Congress amendedthe Geary Act to make it more difficult for Chinese businessmen to enter this country | |
| 1894 | Immigration officers authorized to ban the entry of certain aliens, including Chinese |
| Gresham-Yang Treaty-China accepted total prohibition of immigration to the United States in return for readmission of those back in China on a visit; did away win Scott Act of 1888 | |
| 1898 | Congress excluded Chinese laborers from Hawaii; excluded Chinese in Hawaii from coming to the United States |
| United States v. Wong Kim Art - Supreme Court rules person born in the United States of Chinese parents is of American nationality by birth | |
| 1889 | Open door declared-United States advocated equal treatment within territories and sphere of influence claimed by other powers in china |
| 1900 | Organic Act provided government for territory of Hawaii; Chinese required to apply for certificate of residence
United States v. Mrs. Cue Lim -Supreme Court ruled wives and children of treaty merchants were entitled to come to the United States [Back] |
PERIOD III:ABSOLUTE EXCLUSION, 1904-1942
| 1902 | Chinese exclusion extended for another 10 years |
| 1904 | All Chinese excluded from the United States, Washington, D.C., and all U.S. territories |
| 1910 | Angel Island open ; it served as a prison for hundreds of Chinese immigrants. |
| 1922 | Cable Act revoked American citizenship of any woman citizen marrying an alien ineligible for citizenship |
| 1923 | Chinese student immigration ended because of strict requirements for having the funds necessary to return to China |
| 1924 | Immigration Act (Johnson-Reed Act) restricted all Asians from coming into the United States |
| 1925 | Chang Chan et al. v. John D. Nagle - Supreme Court ruled Chinese wives of American citizens not entitled to enter the United States |
| 1925 | Cheung Sumchee v. Nagle -Supreme Court ruled 1924 Immigration Act did not apply to treaty merchants' wives or children |
| 1927 | Weedin v. Chin Bow -Supreme Court ruled persons born to American parents(s) who never resided in the United States are not of American nationality, thus not eligible for entry |
| 1928 | Lam Mow v. Nagle -Supreme Court ruled child born of Chinese parents on American vessels on high seas was not born in the United States, therefore not a citizen |
| 1931 | Cable Act amended -women who were United States citizens could retain citizenship after marriage to aliens ineligible for citizenship [Back] |
PERIOD IV:GRADUAL LIBERALIZATION, 1943-
| 1943 | Magnuson Actrepealed the exclusion of Chinese immigration; token 100 Chinese immigrants allowed to enter the United States annually, selected by U.S. government
Treaty abolished all unilateral rights of the United States in dealings with China |
| 1945 | War Brides Act-Admission to the United States for spouses and children of U.S. armed forces members, included 722 Chinese |
| 1946 | Wives and children of Chinese American citizens allowed to apply as nonquota immigrants |
| 1948 | Displaced person Act-15,000 Chinese enabled to change their status in the United States; expired in 1954
Supreme Court declared California ban on interracial marriage unconstitutional |
| 1950 | Second Displaced Persons Act further helped Chinese in the United States to change their status (due to communist takeover in China) |
| 1951 | Remittances to mainland China prohibited when People's Republic entered Korean War |
| 1952 | Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act) removed total ban of Chinese immigrants but upheld national origins quotas |
| 1953 | Refugee Relief Act-2000 places allotted to Chinese out of total 205, 000 people to be admitted; law expired in 1956 |
| 1957 | Refugee Escapee Act extended unused allotments of 1953 act, benefiting over 2000 Chinese |
| 1962 -1965 | Attorney General allowed 15,000 Chinese to enter as parolees due to refugee situation in Hong Kong |
| 1965 | Immigration and Naturalization Act eliminated national origins quotas; 20,000 people per country allowed in; priority to those with skills and family in United States
National Defense Education Act made grant money available for Chinese studies |
| 1968 | Bilingual Education Act |
| 1972 | President Richard M. Nixon traveled to China |
| 1974 | Supreme Court decided in Lau v. Nichols that San Francisco unified school district was denying non-English-speaking Chinese Americans a meaningful education; established legal basis for bilingual education |
| 1980 | US Refugee Act |
| 1981 | Taiwan and Mainland China each allowed 20,000 immigrants |
| 1986 | Immigration Reform and Control Acts-Amnesty declared for certain illegal aliens |
| 1990 | Immigration Act increased number of immigrants admitted because of skill level [Back] |
