Despite the name, the Chinese Exclusion Act isn't entirely about race. There's a lot going on here, from an economic, political, and even practical standpoint. It's a complex issue, motivated by many all-too-understandable human foibles.
But come on, it's the Chinese Exclusion Act. It's not all about race, but you'd have to have both eyes closed and be humming at top volume to think race had nothing to do with it. The Chinese were a source of cheap labor, and they came from a very different culture than was prevalent in the United States at the time.
In this modern era, we know people of Chinese descent as our neighbors, our family, and our friends. The people in 1882 didn't know them like that yet.
Questions About Race
- Did it matter that the race in question was the Chinese? Would this have happened to any other country of origin, had they been a source of cheap labor? Why or why not?
- Was the Chinese Exclusion Act only objectionable because it was specifically against the Chinese? Would it be okay if it legislated against all immigrants regardless of ethnicity? Why or why not?
- What role did race play in the legislation? Was it merely a convenient tool to identify the source of the economic woes, or was it the primary purpose behind the law?
- Assuming race is an unacceptable reason to exclude a class of immigrants, is there an acceptable criteria? If so, what are they? If not, why?
Chew on This
The Chinese Exclusion Act used race as a smokescreen to hide its true economic agenda, of keeping wages at an artificially high level.
The Chinese Exclusion Act was a racist law that hid behind economics as a way to persecute a specific population of immigrants.