Since this blog is about Asians a great place to start is probably with a brief history of Asian immigration to the United States. The first major wave of immigration came in the late 1800s when many Chinese moved to the United States in the hopes of finding jobs. As a result of China’s defeat in the Opium War many Chinese were living in poor conditions and when word of gold being found in California reached China many jumped at the chance. However, they were met with hostility and anger from American workers who were losing jobs to the Chinese, who were often paid less for their labor. This resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which barred immigration from China and placed restrictions on the Chinese already living in the country. This was one of the first major acts against Asians.
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 document (source: www.ourdocuments.gov)
It wasn’t only the Chinese that suffered harsh immigration policies. In 1917 Congress designated Asia a “barred zone,” banning immigration from all Asian countries except Japan and the Philippines. These exceptions were mainly so that the U.S. could sustain a cheap source of labor, especially since the Philippines were a U.S. territory at the time. However, even Japan and the Philippines were no exception to the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 that restricted all immigration from Asia except in specific cases. It wasn’t until 1965 that these restrictive immigration policies were changed.
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