Laws and Political Policies That Affected Chinese Immigrants to the US From 1860-1890

Immigrants to the United States in the mid to late 1800s were at the bottom of the social ladder. Immigrants faced numerous hardships, all of which were caused by their social class. The needs of immigrants were ignored by the US Government. Immigrants who were accused of committing crimes were not given fair trials. Eventually, Irish immigrants gained political power. However, they used that power to keep other immigrant groups from advancing in society. The US Government would go on to pass laws to prevent immigrants from advancing in society. The ethnic group that suffered the worst at the hands of the US government were the Chinese.
On May 6, 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. The act allowed Chinese who were living in the United States before the act was passed could apply for permanent residency and were free to come and go as they pleased. This was the first time in American history when the government banned a specific race from immigrating to the United States. The United States is a country founded by immigrants. To ban a group of people from entering a "free nation" was unconstitutional. The Chinese Exclusion Act was originally meant to last for ten years; however it would not be repealed until 1942.