The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and a series of laws represented more than 60 years of harsh legislation directly targeting Chinese for physical and political exclusion. They explicitly barred Chnese people from immigrating to the U.S. and becoming American citizens.
Despite harships and discrimination, generations of Chinese Americans helped build the first transcontinental railroad, fought in wars to defend the nation, and contributed to every segment of American society.
In 2009, the City of San Francisco and the State of California apologized for their anti-Chinese laws. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives each issued regrets in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Only the President of the United States has not closed this shameful chapter in American history with an apology.