Immigrants and Immigration: The CHinese Exclusion Act
...ed from immigrants. When depression struck California, Californians were afraid the Chinese would take their jobs for lower wages. Californians complained to Congress and the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. The Chinese Exclusion Act was a law passed in 1882 that barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States for ten years. Few whites were responsible for the attacks on the Chinese. Mostly angry unemployed workers who were led by the “Knights of Labor” committed the crimes. The Knights of Labor was a union formed to solve strikes and depression problems. Many Chinese immigrants were beaten and tormented. The worst attack was in October 13, 1880. When 3,000 white men surrounded houses on Blake Street in downtown Denver, home to more than 400 Chinese immigrants at that time. Rioters broke in windows and doors of the homes yelling, “Kill the Chinese! Kill the damn Heathens! Burn them and their houses! Give them hell! Run them out! Shoot them, hang them, now!” The mob of men tore through the city for eight hours. One Chinese man was killed and others severely beaten. Finally police used water hoses to stop the mob and brought all the Chinese to the jail for safety. The Chinese were kept in the jail for three days concerned for their lives. The police did nothing to protect the Chinese property that wasn’t already damaged. Chinese property damaged was estimated to cost around $53,655.69. In 2004 most of these proble...