Chinese Exclusion Act Records at the National Archives at Seattle
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About the Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a federal law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law was extended for another 10 years by the Geary Act of 1892. In 1902, the law was extended again. It was finally repealed by the Magnuson Act of 1943.
Over time, through amendments, the law required all ethnic Chinese to apply for entry and re-entry into the United States, despite their country of origin.
For the first ten years following its enactment, the Chinese Exclusion Act was enforced by the U.S. Bureau of Customs. In the 1890s, enforcement of the law was transferred to the newly created Bureau of Immigration. In the first decade of the 1900s, the Bureau of Immigration was renamed the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization. Over time, the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization became the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
At the National Archives at Seattle, we hold several series of records that document the enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act within Record Group 085, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
We have a dedicated group of volunteers who are indexing the Chinese Exclusion Act records we have here at Seattle. You can read more about their work at their website.
Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files
Individuals applying for entry or re-entry into the United States under the Chinese Exclusion Act had to go through an extensive application process. Documents created during the application process were added to case files. We have case files for individuals who entered the United States through ports at Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. We also have case files for individuals who entered through ports that were managed by officials in Seattle, including Helena, Montana; Port Townsend, Washington; Portal, North Dakota; Sumas, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Chinese Exclusion Act case files will often contain forms used by the Immigration and Naturalization Service including applications for return certificates and certificates of residence; identification photographs of the applicant; transcripts of interrogations of the individual and occasionally of verifying witnesses or business associates; copies of Federal and local court records; and some personal letters and photographs submitted by the applicant for use as evidence in determining the status of the immigrant or returnee. Some of the personal letters from the applicant may be in Chinese. In addition, the files may contain official correspondence relating to the individual case and correspondence documenting the temporary loans of files. Some files were updated with information relating to each subsequent departure and return. In some districts, following subsequent departures and returns, a new case file number was assigned and earlier files were included with the later file.
The transcripts of the interrogations not only provide personal information relating to the applicant but also give information about their families and the communities in which they resided in China or in the United States. They can also provide information relating to the business in which they were engaged in the United States.
Restrictions
Access to individual case files may be restricted because of personal privacy concerns.
Related Microfilm Publications - Search Online
M1364, Lists of Chinese Passengers Arriving at Seattle (Port Townsend), Washington, 1882-1916
M1365, Certificates of Head Tax Paid by Aliens Arriving at Seattle from Foreign Contiguous Territory, 1917-1924
M1383, Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Seattle, Washington, 1890-1957
M1398, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Seattle, Washington, 1949-1954
M1399, Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Seattle, Washington, 1903-1917
M1462, Alphabetical Index to Canadian Border Entries Through Small Ports in Vermont, 1895-1924
- Available from our Partners: FamilySearch (free with login) | Ancestry (free at NARA) | Ancestry ($ by subscription)
M1463, Soundex Index to Entries into the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1924-1952
- Available from our Partners: FamilySearch (free with login)
M1465, Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific Ports, 1929-1949
- Available from our Partners: FamilySearch (free with login) | Ancestry (free at NARA) | Ancestry ($ by subscription)
M1476, Lists of Chinese Applying for Admission to the United States Through the Port of San Francisco, 1903-1947
M1485, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Seattle from Insular Possessions, 1908-1917
M1638, Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1890-1914, from Portland, Oregon, of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
Image Note: The girl in the image featured on the main page is Soong May Ling, age 9. As an adult, following her marriage, Soong May Ling was often referred to as Madame Chiang Kai Shek. She played a role in the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in the 1940s. The photo of her at age 9 is from her Chinese Exclusion Act case file (RS Case File 1483, Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, National Archives at Seattle).