ABSTRACT
The root causes of the discrimination, as shown in the cases discussed in this chapter, are based on racism, xenophobia and economic antagonisms. In particular, national and state governments have enacted laws and policies that discriminated against Asian Americans in extreme ways—including denial of the right to own property, exclusion and internment. Discrimination based on race, national origin and citizenship provides another lens through which we can understand racial formation and racial hierarchy in the United States. The white work force became increasingly resentful of Chinese immigrants in California. In response, discriminatory laws were enacted that discouraged settlement and curtailed or excluded them from working in several professions. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first major law restricting immigration to the United States on the basis of race. When Japanese immigrants arrived in greater numbers on the West Coast, anti-Japanese sentiment grew and they became targets of virulent racism and attacks.
