| In the early 1840s, a series of natural disasters, political | | | | Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited persons from |
| upset, and diminishing necessary resources caused a | | | | China from entering into the country unless a person |
| large number of Chinese persons to immigrate to the | | | | had family, already living in the United States, or |
| United States. Men from the southern part of China | | | | connections to diplomats. Individuals from China were |
| were drawn to California because of the need for | | | | the only group that was prohibited from entering the |
| labor in the gold mining industry. At one point over | | | | United States during this period in American history. |
| 25,000 immigrants from China worked in the area. This | | | | To enforce this policy Angel Island's Immigration Station |
| wave of immigrants continued for approximately thirty | | | | was constructed. This facility housed those who were |
| years however slowed during the Civil War. By the | | | | detained or ready for deportation back to China. |
| early 1870s, Chinese Americans made up a large | | | | Though the immigration station was supposed to |
| number of persons laboring in industries like farming, | | | | function much like Ellis Island, it was nicknamed the |
| industrial factory work, building the railroad, and fishing. | | | | 'Guardian of the Western Gate.' Persons detained on |
| Like many immigrants in history, individuals continued to | | | | the island were there for as little as a few weeks or |
| immigrate to the United States to avoid hardship in their | | | | as long as a few years with the purpose of excluding |
| motherland. | | | | Chinese persons from the United States. Many people |
| As a post Civil war era economy faltered, in this part | | | | made the attempt to appeal their case with no |
| of the world, history tells a story of intensified | | | | success. When arriving people were processed, |
| aggression toward individuals of Chinese descent. | | | | however they were interrogated with ridiculous and |
| Chinese persons working in the United States were | | | | unanswerable questions. In other words, they were |
| falsely blamed for taking jobs away from American | | | | given questions that were impossible to answer and |
| citizens. In reality, this group of people were working | | | | either continued to stay in the detainment center or |
| for terrible wages and working in very dangerous | | | | were deported back to China. This practice continued |
| conditions. This period of US history parallels many | | | | until the early 1940's when a public outcry over safety |
| periods of ancient history and world history, in its | | | | became well publicized. A fire destroyed the area in |
| persecution of an ethnic minority. In US history, this | | | | the 1940's, and the area fell into disrepair until the 1970's |
| story most identifies with black history and severely | | | | when historians began the process of renovating the |
| discriminative laws that were made to exclude | | | | premises. |
| Chinese individuals from entering the country. The | | | | |