In 1849, the first Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States. They obtained jobs in the mining camps, and later found work on the transcontinental railroad. When the railroad was completed, the majority of Chinese workers moved to San Francisco and took low wage jobs as house cleaners, restaurant workers, and laundry servicemen. The Chinese were initially accepted as part of San Francisco society, but after the Panic of 1873 left many white men out of work, anti-Chinese sentiment began to grow. Chinese were accused of taking low-wage jobs and driving down wages. The California Legislature passed a law banning any person of “Chinese or Mongolian” race from entering the state; however, this law was overturned in 1862 by the California Supreme Court. 

By 1882, Chinese labor issues made it to Washington, D.C. On May 6^th, President Chester Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act into law, prohibiting the immigration of Chinese laborers from coming into the country for ten years. The law was challenged, but upheld by the US Supreme Court. In 1892, it was updated, this time denying entry to most of Asian ethnicity. Chinese only gained entry if they were merchants, clergy, diplomats, teachers and students, or if they could prove that their husband or father was an American citizen. Many Chinese opened restaurants, as restaurant owners were considered merchants. 

The period following the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act is known as the Driving Out Era. Chinese were harassed, forced to move, or murdered in areas across the United States. Chinese already in San Francisco were trapped from visiting China: if they left the country for any reason they were denied re-entry. Some families would not be reunited for almost 30 years.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed on December 17, 1943. The reason: the United States needed China as an ally in its fight against Japan during World War II^[1]  Chinese nationals residing in the country automatically became naturalized citizens. The repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act was still unofficially enforced until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which abolished racial barriers. 

^[1] World War II: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4222