Geary Act of 1892
The Geary Act of 1892 was a significant piece of legislation that built upon the restrictive framework established by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. It extended the moratorium on Chinese labor immigration for an additional ten years and imposed stringent requirements on Chinese immigrants already residing in the United States. Specifically, the act mandated that these immigrants obtain official certificates of residence, failing which they could face severe penalties, including hard labor and deportation. Notably, the act limited legal recourse, allowing only "credible white witnesses" to testify on behalf of Chinese immigrants accused of violations. This law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893 in the case of Fong Yue Ting v. United States, which reinforced its legal standing. The Geary Act was eventually extended indefinitely in 1902, but the restrictions began to ease in the 1920s, culminating in a complete repeal in 1943. The act highlights a period of intense racial discrimination and exclusionary policies in U.S. immigration history, reflecting broader societal attitudes towards Asian immigrants during that era.
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Subject Terms
Geary Act of 1892
The Law: Federal legislation designed to limit Chinese immigration to the United States
Date: Became law on May 5, 1892
Significance:Enacted to reinforce and extend provisions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Geary Act prevented further immigration from China and required established Chinese residents of the United States to carry certificates of residence. The act grew out of an assumption that low-wage Chinese laborers were responsible for the economic downturn in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.
The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed in 1882, put a ten-year federal moratorium on the immigration of Chinese laborers, and increased restrictions on Chinese immigrants already living in the United States. When the act expired in 1892, a new bill was proposed by California Democratic congressman Thomas J. Geary. Geary’s bill extended the immigration moratorium for ten additional years and required existing Chinese immigrants to obtain official certificates of residence from the Internal Revenue Service. Immigrants found without these certificates faced up to one year of hard labor followed by deportation. Bail was not permitted for immigrants arrested for being in the country illegally, and only a “credible white witness” could testify on behalf of an accused Chinese immigrant. The Geary Act was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893, in Fong Yue Ting v. United States. In 1902, the act was extended indefinitely, but Congress eased restrictions during the 1920’s and finally removed them in 1943.
Bibliography
Ancheta, Angelo N. Race, Rights, and the Asian American Experience. Piscataway, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2006.
Kim, Hyung-chan. Asian Americans and the Supreme Court: A Documentary History. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1992.
Motomura, Hiroshi. Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.