"Whereas, in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities... be it enacted... that from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act... the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be... suspended." — Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882
Pressure for this law came most directly from:
- A
Southern Bourbon Democrats opposed to internal improvements
- B
Plains farmers organized in the Grange movement
- Ccheck_circle
Western labor unions and politicians, especially in California
- D
Eastern industrial manufacturers seeking new tariff protection
Explanation
California labor activists like Denis Kearney and the Workingmen's Party blamed Chinese workers for low wages, pushing Congress to pass exclusion.