1. Chinese Immigrants In 1851, a racist from NC named Hinton Helper left his home state to get away from what he referred to as the “diversity of color” in America’s more settled regions. He traveled to California and was shocked to find Chinese people living there—so much so that he wondered out loud if the “copper” of the Pacific would cause as much discord and dissension as the “ebony” had on the Atlantic. Between 1850 and 1882 the Chinese pop in the U.S. soared from 7,520 to 300,000. Chinese comprised 8.6 percent of California’s total pop and an impressive 25% of its wage earners.

2. Chinese Immigrants By 1870, 26% of California’s Chinese population lived in San Francisco and represented 46% of the labor force in SF four key industries; boot and shoe making, woolen cloth, cigar and tobacco manufacture, and sewing. By 1880, Chinese comprised 52% boot and shoe. 44% brick makers, 85% cigar makers, 33% of woolen mill operators.

4. Chinese Immigrants Like the Irish and the Italians, Chinese faced what one scholar has referred to as a “Negroization.” the NYT ran editorials arguing that free blacks and Chinese posed a direct threat to American republicanism, not to mention a mongrolization of the “race”

5. Chinese Exclusion In calling for Chinese exclusion, one San Francisco paper referred to them as morally inferior heathen savages who were overly lustful and sensual. Chinese women were condemned as a depraved class, which was attributed in large part to their physical appearance. Critics thought they looked like Africans. Chinese men were portrayed as a sexual threat to white women. Chinese also compared to Indians and referred to as the “new barbarians.”

8. Chinese Exclusion In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which made it unlawful for Chinese laborers to enter the country and declared Chinese already living in the United States ineligible for U.S. citizenship. (10 yrs) Renewed in 1892 (10 yrs) Made permanent in 1902 Remained in effect until 1943

9. End of “New” Immigration Immigration declined significantly after 1914 World War I “New” Immigration ended almost completely in 1924 Congress passed the National Origins Act or Immigration Restriction Act Limited number of entrants to 2% of 1890 census