CHINESE IMMIGRATION INTO THE UNITED STATES: AN ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION POLICIE

This dissertation focuses on the social control dimension of Chinese immigration. It is, essentially, a study of policy analysis which explores the forces governing Chinese immigration. Since major changes in immigration policies over the past one-and-a-quarter century have regulated the inflow of Chinese immigrants, policy analysis is addressed to the following questions: (1) Why were these policy changes in immigration made? (2) What was the impact of these policy changes with respect to Chinese immigration?;To answer the first question, research is organized around three tasks. The first task examines the three historical periods of Chinese immigration within the context of societal evolution in the United States and China. This historical overview relies on literature of Chinese immigration, and the economic history of the United States and China.;The second task analyses the arguments for policies of exclusion (the First Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the National Origins Quota Act of 1924) and the justifications for policies of recent immigration (the Repeal Act of 1943, the McCarran Act of 1952, and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965). The arguments for change are contained in documents of Congressional hearings held in 1876, 1924, 1943, 1951, and 1965.;The third task assesses the domestic conditions underlying the arguments for changes. Shifts in the supply and demand of labor are observed by analysing Census data on the changing patterns of occupations and trends of population distribution in the United States. Class struggle between capital and labor is also evaluated by reviewing the history of the labor movement in the United States and shifts in positions taken at Congressional hearings held in 1876, 1924, 1943, 1951, and 1965.;To answer the second question, patterns of Chinese immigration are examined. Data on Chinese immigration from the annual reports of the Commissioner of Immigration are collected and analysed to determine the impact of policy changes on Chinese immigration.;Findings of this study are summarized as follows: (1) Chinese immigration reflects a convergence of two societies at a very uneven pace of development; (2) Each of the major changes in immigration policies suited the interests of capitalist development; (3) Class interplay with race forged major changes in immigration policies; (4) Radical shifts in the class background of Chinese immigrants and the role of the family in the migration process marked the three periods of Chinese immigration.;Results of this study are inconclusive to explain the dynamics of immigration policy formation or to disclose all the effects of policy changes on Chinese immigration. However, findings do help to propose new research problems for further study in the area of minority status, the field of race/ethnic relations, the role of immigration in capitalist development, and the interplay between class and race in policy formation. Findings of this study also serve as useful guidelines in developing community organization strategies and recommending changes in social welfare policies.