This is an online program.

In 1882, the U.S. government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, banning the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States. The law also denied Chinese people the right to become U.S. citizens. In this online talk, Hidetaka Hirota will discuss the background and impacts of the Chinese Exclusion Act. What led lawmakers to enact the law? How was it implemented? How did Chinese immigrants respond to the law? How did it affect subsequent federal immigration policy and shape discussions of immigration and naturalization today?

Hidetaka Hirota is an Associate Professor of History at UC Berkeley specializing in U.S. immigration. His book, Expelling the Poor: Atlantic Seaboard States and the Nineteenth-Century Origins of American Immigration Policy, explores the origins of immigration restriction in the United States.

This event will be held online. Registration is required.

This August, go back to school with our Level Up Your Learning: Adult Lecture Series. See registration page for details.

Register for The Chinese Exclusion Act

Accessibility
Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Sunnyvale will make reasonable efforts to accommodate persons with disabilities. If you require special accommodation, please contact the library at 408-730-7300 or chat with a librarian at least three days in advance of the program.