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Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first federal law to ban immigrat
1882 Event

May 6

Chinese Exclusion Act Passed: America Bans Chinese Immigration

Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first federal law to ban immigration based on nationality, barring Chinese laborers from entering the United States for ten years. The act formalized racial discrimination in immigration policy and remained in force until 1943, shaping a half-century of Asian-American exclusion and anti-immigrant sentiment.

May 6, 1882

144 years ago

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What Else Happened on May 6

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