As Chinese Exclusion Act Turns 135, Experts Point To Parallels Today

May 7, 2017

NPR reports on the 135th anniversary of the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act.

Experts point to the parallels between the political climate of the exclusion era and today: a close and contentious presidential election that stirred anti-immigrant sentiment; the growing economic anxiety of white Americans; and policies that would drastically shape the country’s immigration laws.

Yesterday, a group of Asian American activists held a rally in San Francisco to acknowledge the anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act and to “learn from our past and prevent it from repeating,” according to Cynthia Choi, who works with Chinese For Affirmative Action, one of the groups organizing the event.

“This is important for the Chinese American and broader Asian American community, to stand up against the new targets to this new form of exclusion, for us to say it was wrong 135 years ago and it’s wrong today,” Choi said. “We’re in a unique period where… accurate information is not as easily attained, so there are a number of people who are on the fence, who are confused about the policies, who — more dangerously — feel as though this doesn’t affect them.”

The 1876 presidential race between Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden was a major turning point in the country’s stance on immigration. Leading up to the election, the race was so close and electoral votes were so coveted, it brought California’s ongoing fight to push out Chinese immigrants to the national stage. Many Californians worried that Chinese laborers would take their jobs, and that they were sexually lecherous threats to society.

A Statue for Our Harbor was published in 1881. It expressed the fear of Chinese immigrants, which led to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act 135 years ago. George Frederick Keller/Historical Society of Pennsylvania

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