In-Text References

Literary and Philosophical References

Economics

The justification for the Chinese Exclusion Act is the basic economic principle of supply and demand. When labor was in short supply, wages would go up. When large amounts of immigrants flooded the market, wages went down. This is the whole reason that the word "laborer" appears after nearly every instance of the word "Chinese." (Sec.1, Sec.11, Sec.12, Sec.15)

To be clear, there is something to this. In theory, this is how wages are supposed to work. In practice, they're seldom so simple, but at least the principle is there. The unfortunate part is that instead of attempting to go after the people setting the wages, they went after an already marginalized group. That's where the justification breaks down.

Racism

You knew it was coming. It's not like you can talk about something called the "Chinese Exclusion Act" and not mention the elephant in the room. It's an elephant with the word "racism" printed on the side. (Sec.1, Sec.2, Sec.4, Sec.8, Sec.9, Sec.14)

The Chinese Exclusion Act opens with the statement that the Chinese are bad for America: "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 within the territory thereof" (Sec.1)

If that's not racist, nothing is. While you can justify it somewhat, saying it's not the Chinese themselves but what they do to the labor market, that doesn't withstand scrutiny. The rhetoric spouted by those supporting it, Denis Kearney especially, shows exactly what soil this thing was sprouting in.

Historical and Political References

The Panic of 1873

While the Panic isn't referenced by name, this is where the law gained its legs. Before the Panic, which at the time was known as the Great Depression and started in Austria-Hungary, a glut on the labor market didn't even matter. The Gold Rush was still fueling American industry, and there was that whole railroad thing. 

After the Panic, well, jobs grew scarce. Less demand, less supply. And to make matters worse, depressions have a spiraling effect. Fewer people spending money means less demand for goods which means less demand for labor which means fewer jobs which means fewer people spending money. You can see how this is a bad thing.

Look to Section 15: "That the words "Chinese laborers," wherever used in this act shall be construed to mean both skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining." This is a clear demonstration that the concern is based in labor, though without understanding the bad labor market of the time, it's hard to see precisely how.

You know about the Panic, though. So we're not talking about you.

References to This Text

Pop Culture References

Tombstone

The film doesn't explicitly reference the law, but one character proudly states that he's the "President of the local non-partisan anti-Chinese association." The intent is to show just how casually racist the past could be. It succeeded.