Overview
Thesis: In the late 1800s, many politicians and radicals took upon themselves the responsibility of excluding the Chinese. Through anti-Chinese propaganda, they eventually convinced Congress pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which denied the Chinese the right to immigrate into the United States.
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and the waning of the Gold Rush brought new challenges for the Chinese. Forced to do menial labor for barely any pay, the Chinese suddenly found themselves at the center of a racist campaign. The movement reached a peak on May 6, 1882, when President Chester Alan Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act into law. The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed in 1882 and renewed again in 1892 and 1902, became a precedent for future discriminatory laws.
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