The Evolution Of Chinese Laborer Policy Of The U.S. Government (1868-1894)

The U.S. Government's policy towards Chinese laborers went through an evolution from freedom, restriction to restriction and prohibition during only 26 years of 1868-1894. Reviewing the historical evolution of U.S. government policy towards Chinese laborers in this period and analyzing the reasons of the changes are the questions that my dissertation wants to answer.The preface discusses the study object of this dissertation, the study status and the significance of the study.The main body of this dissertation consists of five parts.The first part shows an outline of the Chinese laborers entering America before 1868 and their contributions to the development of the Western United States. After 1853, more and more Chinese laborers went to America because of the "pull" of U.S. and the "push"' of China. Chinese laborers in America worked hard and devoted themselves to various fields of Western United States, such as mining industry, railway construction, farming, laundering, fishing and manufacturing industry.The second part discusses the Burlingame Treaty and the policy of the Chinese laborers entering America freely. Articles 5 and 6 of the Burlingame Treaty were about Chinese laborers, which marked the forming of the policy of the Chinese laborers entering America freely.The third part discusses the Angell Treaty and the U.S. government's policy of restricting the entering of Chinese laborers. The Chinese laborers became the target of the exclusivists and racialists. The waves of anti-Chinese grew rapidly and spread from west America to the whole country gradually. The Burlingame Treaty soon became the object which was attacked by the anti-Chinese forces. The diplomatic corps led by James B. Angell visited China under such circumstance and signed the Angell Treaty. The Angell Treaty amended the provisions about the Chinese laborers entering the U.S. freely. It permitted the United States to suspend the entering of Chinese laborers, while recognizing the right to stay and the rights to come and go of those already there. The Angell Treaty provided legal basis for America to work out Chinese exclusion acts, marking the beginning of U.S. government's policy of restricting the entering of Chinese laborers.The fourth part discusses Chinese exclusion acts of U.S., the Sino-America Labor Treaties and the establishment of the policy of restricting and prohibiting Chinese laborers from entering America. From 1882 to 1893, the U.S. Congress successively passed six Chinese exclusion acts in succession, by means of the domestic laws gradually forming a policy of absolutely prohibiting any Chinese laborer from entering the country which was in conflict with Sino-America treaties.Based on the aborted treaty of 1888, Qing government and U.S.government signed Sino-America Labor Treaty (1894). In order to " protect the Chinese in the U.S. " , Qing government made some concessions to accept the U.S. policy of "prohibiting Chinese laborers from entering the U.S.", and in return the American government recognized the right of transit and permitted the return of the Chinese labors owing certificates to the U.S. The signing of the Sino-America Labor Treaty (1894) made U.S. government's policy of restricting and prohibiting the entering of Chinese laborers legal in international law and marked the final establishment of the policy.The fifth part discusses the reasons for the changes of the U.S. government's policy towards Chinese laborers. The development and changes of domestic economy and politics and the movement of racism and exclusionism in America made different impacts on U.S. government's policy towards Chinese laborers. The weakness and powerlessness of Qing government was external factor which made the changes of U.S. government's policies towards Chinese laborers possible.