On the Mere Presumption: The Page Act of 1875 and the Ramifications of Racialized Immigration Policy on Chinese American Women

ABSTRACT: Over the course of the 19th Century, as China’s economic power faded, millions of Chinese sought economic opportunity abroad. However, they were not always met with a warm welcome. By the 1870s, instead of being viewed as a dependable source of labor, Chinese Americans were looked upon with suspicion. While Chinese men were frequently accused of undercutting ‘white wages’ and engaging in organized crime, the harshest accusations against the community were in the form of hypersexualization of Chinese women. An early result of these unjust accusations was the Page Act of 1875, the first of a series of federal laws aimed at diminishing and eventually obliterating the Chinese-American community. This paper will explore the causes of the Page Act and its modern implications, highlighting how its effects still echo in our society. KEYWORDS: Xenophobia, Sinophobia, Chinese Exclusion Act, Page Act, Chinese Immigration, Hypersexualization, Ethnic Panic, California Legislature, California Senate, Immigration