After the attack at Pearl Harbor, there was an irrational fear among many Americans

that a Japanese invasion of the U.S. West Coast was imminent.

This resulted in needless cruelty and suffering among some of America's own people.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

The 20th century. Episode 359, Order 9066.

The subject of immigration to the United States from East Asian nations has come up repeatedly on this podcast. The earliest such immigrants were

Chinese. Most of them were men, and most of them came to California during the period of roughly

1850 to 1880, drawn by work opportunities related to the California gold rush and the expansion of the railroads.

Chinese immigrants faced a great deal of racial prejudice, especially in the Pacific

coastal states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Chinese immigrants were widely perceived

as unfairly taking jobs from white workers.

Opposition to immigration from China became so intense that in 1882, the U.S. Congress passed

the Chinese Exclusion Act, which entirely prohibited Chinese people from immigrating to the United

States at all, with a few narrow exceptions.

The act applied not only to immigrants from China itself, but to all ethnic Chinese, regardless

of their national origin.

It barred Chinese already resident in America from acquiring U.S. citizenship.

It provided that ethnic Chinese residents who left to the United States could not reenter the country.

It even prohibited family reunification, which was a big deal because many of these immigrant workers were men who left wives and children behind, intending to send for them after they established themselves in America.

The act made that impossible. It even made it impossible for these men to visit their families unless they were willing to give up their U.S. residency.

Moreover, some states enacted laws that banned marriage between ethnic Chinese and white people. Some had laws barring ethnic Chinese from owning real property or holding public office.

Ethnic Chinese children were sometimes taught in segregated schools.

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