Summary: The Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first step that the government of the United States took in an effort to keep the rights and economy of all citizens in all regions of the country safe at any cost. These acts were meant to be a safeguard for American citizens’ well-being and the West Coast’s economy by prohibiting Chinese immigrants from becoming full legal citizens of the United States. After World War One and all the destruction and chaos that was caused by the events before and after that time, the United States wanted to, at all costs, achieve peace within its borders. The United States wants a peaceful and fruitful way of life for all of its citizens. They wanted to get rid of anything or anyone that they saw as a threat to what they wanted to both achieve and maintain for the American society. One thing that they viewed as a major threat to the peace and rights of the
James D. Phelan said in reference to these people” The Chinese may be good laborers, but they are not good citizens. They may in small numbers benefit individual employers, but they breed the germs of a national disease, which spreads as they spread, and grows as they grow.“ While some seemed to believe that the issue was only because of small groups within California, a poll was taken of votes for and against Chinese immigration, and the results showed that it was not a concentrated issue but was instead an issue that California as a whole was dealing with. This vastly proved that the steps that the government later took in order to prevent a decline in the economy of that region of the country were warranted and