The Chinese Exclusion Act: Bad International Reputation

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THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT
Introduction
The Chinese exclusion was an Act in the United State, which barred the Chinese from immigrating to the country in search of employment or labor opportunities. This act was devised to discriminate against the Chinese on all aspects of immigration or citizenship into the country. It was signed by President Arthur in 1882. At the time, there was increased anti-Chinese sentiments in the country. This raised fear and concerns which resulted in the Exclusion Act implementation in the country. The law suggested the stoppage of the importation of Chinese and Japanese laborers into the country later in 1875. The laborers were termed as “coolie,” a term used to degrade them to a level less than that of a slave. It merely implied that they were mere laborers with nothing else to offer. The Chinese Exclusion Act had negative impacts on both the Chinese people, China, and the United States as well. The Chinese exclusion had the more detrimental impact on the country and the relationship of the two nations in the long run. This has impacted on the negative relations that the two regions have today.
Bad International Reputation
The U.S. legal history received a ripple effect from the Exclusion Act. Coupled with the Garry Acts which forced more restrictions on the Chinese and the immigration process, the Exclusion Act affected the relationship between the two countries. In 1902, the ban on the Chinese immigration was made permanent. The Congress fought to restrict the travel of the Chinese who went abroad. Prerequisites such as owning property worth over $1000 and having an American wife were imposed to guarantee the return of the citizen in case they flew out of the country. The regulations and restrictions imposed only supported the freedom of the wealthy Chinese. Considering at the time that most of the Chinese citizens in the United States were laborers and hence occupied the lower socioeconomic class, this greatly hampered their chances of coming back.[The Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. "THE CHINESE BILL." American Periodicals (1882): 363. Document.]
The United States gained a bad international reputation as a result of this Act. The discriminative nature by race and wealth in turn affected the mutual relationship between the U.S. and China. There was increased hostility between them, some even playing out in public. The same treatment was attempted on the Japanese people as well. It was still more oppressive on the Chinese than the Japanese. The Japanese were also denied the chance to become fully fledged American citizens due to their culture and race. It certainly became evident that the U.S. was waging something of an anti-Asian campaign against the two nations. In some way, this contributed to the Second World War, as the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.[The Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. "THE CHINESE BILL." American Periodicals (1882): 363. Document.]
Violation of US Constitution
The Chinese Exclusion was the first ever law that bared immigration into the United States. Despite the low population of the Chinese in the country, the Congress went ahead and barred their immigration an...