Starting with the California Gold Rush in the late 19th century; the United States鈥攑articularly the West Coast states鈥攊mported large numbers of Chinese migrant laborers. Early Chinese immigrants worked as gold miners; and later on large labor projects; such as the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad.

Chinese migrant workers encountered considerable prejudice in the United States; especially by the people who occupied the lower layers in white society; because Chinese 'coolies' were used as a scapegoat for depressed wage levels by politicians and labor leaders.

In the 1870s and 1880s various legal discriminatory measures were taken against the Chinese. These laws; in particular the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882; were aimed at restricting further immigration from China. The laws were later repealed by the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943. Pictures From History