Page Act of 1875 enacted

Background. Prior to 1876, Californian legislators attempted to restrict Chinese immigration through local ordinances targeting businesses and living spaces, but these measures were deemed unconstitutional due to violations of the Burlingame Treaty and federal civil rights laws. The political climate of 1876, characterized by close competition, provided an opportunity for anti-Chinese advocates to elevate the issue from a state concern to a national question, paving the way for federal legislation like the Page Act.

Enforcement. Enforcement of the Page Act resulted in the virtual exclusion of Chinese women from the United States. While male immigration continued, the female population dropped from 6.4% in 1870 to 4.6% in 1880. Bailey, tasked with differentiating wives from prostitutes, granted passage to women sailing to California, while in 1878 American consul Sheldon Loring's authority covered the arrival of 354 women in the U.S. From 1875 to 1882, at least one hundred and possibly several hundred women were returned to China.

Legacy. The Page Act preceded the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and had already restricted Asian forced laborers and sex workers before that later law. In the few months of 1882 before the Chinese Exclusion Act's enactment and enforcement began, 39,579 Chinese entered the United States, only 136 of them women. The 1876 election year had been instrumental in changing the question of Chinese immigration from a state to a national question.