Legal Document

The Chinese Exclusion Act is a specific Federal law. Later on, other Federal laws would modify it, usually adding provisions or extending its life. It would eventually take World War II to strike it down…because the Chinese were our allies against Japan.

How it Breaks Down

Section 1

A quick justification for the law, followed by the first provision. For ten years, no Chinese laborers will be allowed into the United States.

Section 2

Ship captains who let Chinese laborers onto American soil are guilty of a crime.

Section 3

Chinese laborers who were already here don't have to worry. They're cool. They do need to have evidence of their residence to present to the port collector. Also, if a distressed ship has to land in America carrying Chinese laborers, so long as all the Chinese laborers leave with the ship, everything's cool.

Section 4

Those Chinese laborers who can stay have to get papers to prove it. Those papers will describe them in upsetting detail. They can use those papers to travel on ships in and out of the country.

Section 5

They can also use those papers to travel by land in and out of the country. Not sure why we needed a whole separate section for that.

Section 6

Chinese people who aren't laborers need papers, and permission from China to come to America.

Section 7

Forging these papers is a serious crime.

Section 8

The captain of a ship with Chinese laborers has to have a list of all of them, and they need papers as well.

Section 9

To make sure the papers match the passengers, customs inspects both passengers and papers, and compares them.

Section 10

If the captain doesn't follow the law, the U.S. government seizes his ship.

Section 11

Bringing Chinese laborers in by land is also a serious crime.

Section 12

Yep, if you come in by land, you still need papers.

Section 13

Chinese government officials get to ignore this law. Their servants, too.

Section 14

No Chinese person can become a U.S. citizen.

Section 15

Chinese laborer means exactly that, either skilled or unskilled. It also mentions miners.