Chinese in Washington: The Legacy of the Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese in Washington: The Legacy of the Chinese Exclusion Act
Trish Nicola Hackett
Arcadia: 2026
Paperback: New
9781467147729
How the U.S. law targeting Chinese laborers impacted families for generations.
Near the end of the nineteenth century, after the railroads were completed and the gold mines exhausted, an economic downturn stirred up anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States. Capitalizing on this prejudice, the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to limit immigration and naturalization for people of Chinese descent. By 1892, Chinese were required to obtain certificates of residency or identity and carry them at all times. Those who did not could be deported or imprisoned. As the law became stricter, interrogations, affidavits, and Caucasian witnesses were required to prove Chinese people's right to remain in America. The act wouldn't be repealed until 1943.
From the National Archives at Seattle, certified genealogist emeritus Trish Hackett Nicola brings to life the case files of Chinese immigrants.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. History leading up to the exclusion acts
2. The Page Act of 1875
3. Anti-Chinese Riots in Washington Territory
Part I: Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - Renewals, Amendments, Repeal, and the aftermath
1.Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
2. Scott Act of 1888
3. Geary Act of 1892
4. Immigration Act of 1924
5. Repeal of the Act, 1943
6. War Bride Act of 1945, 1946
7. Chinese Confession Program 1956-1965
8. Immigration Act of 1965
Part II: Chinese born in the United States
1. Child of Native born
2. Spouse of Native born
Part III: Exclusion of Laborers
1. Laborers
Part IV: Merchants Exempt to the Act
1. Merchants
2. Child or spouse of merchant
Part V: Other Exemptions to the Act
1. Students
2. Travelers
3. Diplomats
4. Teachers
Part VI: Women - how they were affected
1. Loss of citizenship
Part VII: Chinese Communities in Washington State
1.Seattle
2. Olympia
3. Port Townsend
4. Spokane
5. Tacoma
6. Walla Walla
7. Yakima & Other communities
Part VIII: Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
1. 1909 A-Y-P Expo
Part IX: Other
1. World War II Veterans
2. Paper Sons, Paper Daughters
Biographical Note:
Certified genealogist emeritus Trish Hackett Nicola is a public historian and retired librarian. She has bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in library and information science. She has worked with the Chinese Exclusion Act files at the National Archives at Seattle as a volunteer since 2001.
Her blog at ChineseExclusionFiles.com contains more than 330 entries from the National Archives and information for family historians and researchers on how to use this resource.