U.S. History
Ch 21
Anti-Immigrant Sentiment at
the Turn of the Century:
Chinese Exclusion Act
As the number of immigrants entering the United States increased in the late 1800s and
early 1900s, anti-immigrant sentiments also increased. Nativists were native born Americans
who wanted to eliminate foreign influence in American society and were opposed to
immigration. Ironically many of those who discriminated against these new immigrants had
once been discriminated against themselves. When Irish immigrants arrived in the United States
in the late 1840s they faced lots of discrimination. It was common to see signs in Boston
storefronts and restaurants that read “Irish Not Welcome.” However, half a century later, Irish
Americans were amongst the many Americans who discriminated against the new group of
immigrants. For example in 1902 a group of Irish American police officers attacked a group of
Jewish mourners in New York City for having a mass funeral for a well-known rabbi in an Irish
neighborhood.
What could possibly explain why former
immigrants would discriminate against this
new group of immigrants?
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Economic Reasons for Discrimination…
Another reason that Americans acted out against the new immigrants was because of the
impact they had on worker’s strikes. Labor unions used workers strikes as a means of expressing
their unhappiness with low wages and poor working conditions. By refusing to work, unions
were sometimes successful in getting their employers to give into their demands. Factory
owners lost lots of money when their employees refused to work.
Most of the immigrants who arrived at the turn of the century did not speak English.
They were unfamiliar with labor unions and desperate for work and money. Factory owners
used these facts to their advantage and used immigrant labor as strike breakers. Corporations
would call in immigrant workers to fill the jobs abandoned by the labor union. Once the
factories were able to resume production, the striking labor union would have no effect. Labor
unions referred to the immigrant strike breakers as scabs.
The wave of immigration at the turn of the century provided factory owners with a large
supply of labor. Many Americans felt as though they might lose their jobs to the new
immigrants. During the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, companies encouraged
Chinese immigrants to move to the United States. Approximately ten thousand Chinese
immigrants helped to lay down the rails for the railroad companies (working for one to two
dollars a day). Upon the completion of the railroad these immigrants had to find a new way of
earning a living. There were no minimum wage laws in effect at this time. Employers were
allowed to pay their employees whatever amount they saw fit. This surplus of workers allowed
corporations to offer employment to those willing to take the lowest wage. This system created
competition and resentment amongst American laborers. Chinese immigrants in California
were blamed for the low wages paid to workers.
The Government Reacts…
As anti-immigrant feelings increased, people began to pressure the government to act.
In 1882 the government reacted to the pressure from Americans to restrict immigration. That
year, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first major restriction on immigration in
U.S. History. The Chinese Exclusion Act prevented Chinese immigrants from entering the
country for a period of ten years. It was not uncommon for Chinese immigrants to return to
China for a brief period of time. Any Chinese immigrant who left the United States when the
act went into effect was not allowed to return for ten years. As a result, the act ended up
leaving many Chinese families separated with some members living in China and others in the
United States. In 1892 the Chinese Exclusion Act was extended, banning Chinese immigration
indefinitely. The extension also banned immigrants from other Asian countries from moving
to the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act would not be repealed until 1943.
The Chinese Exclusion Act was only the first in a series of laws that placed restrictions on
immigration. In 1920, Congress put an immigration quota into effect. Immigration quotas
identified how many people could immigrant to the United States from different countries.
See some examples on the table below:
Country
Number of Immigrants allowed
Germany
England
Ireland
Italy
China
Palestine
The entire African continent
51,227
34,007
28,567
3,845
100
100
100
The debate over immigration in the United States is one that still takes place today….
Name:
Date:
Core:
U.S. History
Anti-Immigration Sentiment in the Early 1900s
Reflection Questions…
Directions: Use the Mental Warm-Up: Lady Liberty, America’s Official Greeter and the Anti-American Sentiment:
Chinese Exclusion Act handouts to answer the following questions.
Fact Check…
1.
Who were Nativists? _______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which of the following best explains the history of the Statue of Liberty?
a. The Statue of Liberty was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America’s
independence. President Grover Cleveland ordered American’s to build the statue.
b. The Statue of Liberty was built to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence. It was gift to the United States from Great Britain. It was their way
of saying “I’m sorry.”
c. The Statue of Liberty was carved out of a large mountain that was located in New York Harbor. It
took American’s over 45 years to complete the carving which commemorates the signing of the
Declaration of Independence.
d. The Statue of Liberty was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America’s
independence. It was given to the U.S. as a gift by France. It was not officially unveiled until 10
years after the anniversary of America’s independence.
3.
True or False. Immigrants coming to the United States did not experience any prejudice or
discrimination until the 1890s and 1900s.
I think that this statement is _______________________ ( true or false) because in the text it says: _______
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4. Why were immigrants often referred to as “sstrike breakers”? _______________________________________
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More on
the
Back!!
5.
What was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Reader Response… (ATITIC)
The first site that many immigrants encountered when entering the United States was the Statue of Liberty. A
poem, written by Emma Lazarus, is engraved at the base of the statue. It reads:
Cries she with silent lips:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
Do you think this poem illustrates how most immigrants were treated when they arrived in the United States in the
early 1900s? Use evidence from today’s reading to support your ideas.
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4
Exemplary




Insightful, well
organized, and fluent
Deep understanding
of text is
demonstrated
Specific references to
text are used to
support ideas
Text references are
well interpreted and
clearly connected to
response
3
Proficient




Thoughtful, organized,
and fluent
Clear understanding of
the text is
demonstrated
Relevant references to
text are used to
support ideas
Text references are
explained and
connected to response
2
Progressing




Organized and
somewhat fluent
Basic understanding
of text is displayed
At least one relevant
example from text is
used to support ideas
Text references are
somewhat connected
to response
1
Beginning




Disorganized or
confusing
Limited or no
understanding of text is
displayed
Limited or no examples
from text are used to
support ideas
Text reference seems
irrelevant to response