Stephanie Hinnershitz: Chinese Immigration & Exclusion | BRI Scholar Talks

Tony Williams is joined by Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz, author and assistant professor of
history at Cleveland State University, as they discuss her thought-provoking essay on the
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 in BRI’s new digital textbook, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit
of Happiness. She chronicles the social, economic, and political factors that compelled
many people to immigrate to the United States from China in the late 19th century, as well
as the tragic violence and xenophobia that Chinese laborers routinely suffered. How did
these tensions culminate in the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, and what impact did this
discriminatory law have on society?