Geary Act
The Geary Act (German: Geary Law ) is a US federal law from 1892 that tightened the regulations of the Chinese Exclusion Act and extended their validity by 10 years. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by the US Congress in 1880 to abolish Chinese immigration to the US.
History and regulations
The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed against the backdrop of a massive anti-Chinese sentiment that was sustained by large parts of the American population in the second half of the 19th century. The initiative to extend its period of validity came from Thomas J. Geary (1854-1929), a Congressman from California and a member of the Democratic Party .
In addition to extending its validity, the Geary Act mandated the introduction of foreigner ID cards for all Chinese who lived in the United States. If this ID was not applied for and was always carried with you, this could be punished with deportation or one year imprisonment with forced labor. In the USA, where the free movement of citizens has traditionally been rated so highly that identity cards and residents' registration offices are still unknown there, this was a novelty. Furthermore, the Geary Act stipulated that Chinese nationwide were not allowed to appear as witnesses in court or apply for release on bail in habeas corpus proceedings . Your ability to bring legal claims of any kind in court was drastically impaired.
The US Supreme Court upheld the law, which was not recognized by the Chinese government and challenged by many Chinese immigrants, in 1893. In 1902, its validity was extended indefinitely.
With the Magnuson Act , the Chinese Exclusion Act 1943 was repealed. The immigration of Chinese applicants was allowed again, but fell under the general immigration laws of 1921 and 1924 under a quota regime under which no more than 105 Chinese immigrants were allowed to enter per year. It was not until the Immigration and Naturalization Services Act of 1965 of 1965 that the quotas were lifted, so that significant numbers of Chinese immigrants were allowed to enter the country again.
See also
- United States history
- History of the Chinese in Hawaii
- Chronology of the Racial Laws of the United States
- Sino-Americans
Web links
- The Geary Act of 1892 (legal text)
- The Geary Act (1892 )