Lesson Plan, Video Chinese Exclusion Act and the Exclusion of Asians, Pacific Islanders & Chinese Women
- Grade Level 6th-12th Grade
- Time Period Late 1800s - Early 1900s
Introduction
Signed on May 6th, 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law to explicitly limit immigration based on race. This lesson is designed to go further in exploring the causes and effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act through analysis of primary and secondary sources. The purpose is to showcase the conditions in the US that led to a rise in xenophobia, and in turn, race-based policies that defined the Chinese American and Asian American experience in the United States. The lesson will also have students engage in critical thinking through research and a class discussion comparing and contrasting the Chinese Exclusion Act and current immigration policies or proposed immigration policies.
Essential Questions
What conditions foreign and domestic led to the creation of the Chinese Exclusion Act?
How was the Chinese Exclusion Act an example of xenophobia in the late 19th century?
What were the consequences of the Chinese Exclusion Act?
How did it impact immigration of other Asians subsequently?