Chinese in Texas:

Abstract

Beginning in Caliiomia, the view that Chinese immigration was a threat to the American labor force spread throughout the United States in the late 19th century. What began as an economic issue became a cultural problem which required measures to curb the tide of Asiatic immigration. In 1882 and continuing for the next sixtv vears. Conmess suspended, denied, and restricted the immigration of Chinese and Chinese-Americans and provided for the deportation of thousands of Chinese laborers. It was only during World War II that Congress revealed the Chinese Exclusion Acts. The records generated by these acts can be found in the National Archives-Regional Archives System. Chinese immigration records, containing a wealth of material, can be found in records generated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. District Courts. These records provide a unique resource, yet few historians are aware of their existence. This paper describes the resources in Texas.