Question

Why did the US Congress pass an exclusion act in 1882 barring Chinese immigrants? A. because Chinese immigrants would work for low wages, which labor leaders felt took jobs away from US citizens. B. because the Chinese immigrants refused to work for low wages, which labor leaders felt added jobs to the US economy. C. because the federal government had decided to ban all immigration to control the size of the US population. D. because the trend of Chinese immigrants to large urban cities harmed the industrialization of the US economy .

Answer 1

The U.S. Congress passed an Exclusion Act in 1882 barring Chinese immigrants A. because Chinese immigrants would work for low wages, which labor leaders felt took jobs away form U.S. citizens. The Chinese Exclusion Act imposed a 10-year moratorium for Chinese laborers because it endangered U.S. citizens. This was the first time an ethnic group was not allowed to enter the U.S.

Answer 2

The US Congress passed an Exclusion Act in 1882 barring Chinese immigrants because Chinese immigrants work for low wages, which labor leaders felt took jobs away from US citizens.

Further Explanation:

During the Gilded Age (late 19th century) America was expanding rapidly through industrialization. As this industrialization increased, the demand for workers to build the transcontinental railroad increased. In order to keep costs low, railroad companies hired workers willing to take low wages. Usually, these individuals were immigrants from other countries (especially China).

American workers responded negatively to these immigrants, as they were willing to work for less than them. This resulted in increased anti-immigrant sentiment around the US. This ideology became known as nativism. This concept focuses on putting the needs and wants of American born citizens first before the needs of immigrants. These nativists helped to create the 'Know Nothing Party' which focused on limiting the political rights of immigrants new to America.

Learn More:

Information about the Know Nothing Party- brainly.com/question/1722145

Key Details:

Topic: American History, Immigration

Grade Level: 9-12

Keywords: Chinese Exclusion Act, immigration, nativism