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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On May 6, 1882, President Chester Arthur signed the |
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Chinese Exclusion Act, the nation's first law to prohibit |
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immigration solely on the basis of ethnicity; and |
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WHEREAS, The Chinese Exclusion Act was based on racial |
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hostility against the Chinese, who were characterized as |
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"unassimilable, vile heathens" and blamed for lowering wages, |
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taking away jobs, draining the economy, and threatening the |
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American way of life; it effectively halted Chinese immigration for |
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a decade and prevented Chinese residents from attaining U.S. |
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citizenship; in addition, Chinese laborers who already lived in the |
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country could no longer leave and reenter without obtaining |
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"certificates of residence" in advance; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1892, the Geary Act extended the Exclusion Act |
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for another 10 years and required all Chinese people to obtain and |
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carry "certificates of residence"; discriminatory laws were |
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expanded and extended in subsequent decades, institutionalizing |
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prejudice against the Chinese and ultimately other immigrants; and |
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WHEREAS, During World War II, imperial Japan attempted to |
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weaken the alliance between the United States and the Republic of |
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China by highlighting American discrimination in its propaganda; |
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to Congress about the urgency |
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of correcting the "historic mistake" of Chinese exclusion, and he |
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pressed for repeal of the discriminatory laws, which were finally |
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rescinded in 1943; nearly six decades later, in the 112th Congress, |
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the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives unanimously passed |
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resolutions condemning the Chinese Exclusion Act and related laws; |
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Congress recognized the tremendous contributions of Chinese |
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Americans to the growth and success of this nation, and it expressed |
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profound regret for violations of their political and civil rights; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The Chinese Exclusion Act contravened the |
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principle, enshrined as a foundational precept in the American |
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Declaration of Independence, that all persons are created equal, |
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and by acknowledging this great injustice, we reaffirm our |
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commitment to this nation's core values and to the civil rights |
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protections of the U.S. Constitution; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 135th anniversary of the Chinese |
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Exclusion Act and encourage all Texans to learn more about this |
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dishonorable chapter in our nation's history. |