ABSTRACT
The Chinese are one of the oldest immigrant groups in the United States even though America’s history of exclusion and racism prevented the emergence of a large Chinese American population until 1965 immigration law reform. The story of Chinese immigration can be divided into four periods: (1) from the early arrivals in the mid-nineteenth century to the codification of exclusion laws that prevented further entry; (2) the period of exclusion, from 1882 to 1943; (3) the era of de facto exclusion, from repeal of exclusionary legislation until the immigration overhaul of 1965; and (4) the period of large-scale immigration, from 1965 to the present day.
