Timeline. Chinese immigration to America was a bit different that the European immigration movements. So, these are three reasons why the Chinese people came to the US. The next two largest origin groups are Indian Americans, who account for 20% of the total (or 4.6 million people), and Filipinos, who account for 18% (or 4.2 million people). Today, Chinese Americans make up the largest Asian population in the U.S., totaling 2.5 million. Merchants, servants and several young, missionary-sponsored students were among the first Chinese immigrants. Timeline of Chinese Immigration to the United States. The last question is what kinds of the jobs did those Chinese immigrants do in the US, Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century faced many hardships that had a profound effect on America. Chinese immigrants also owned and operated a number of popular businesses and shops, such as restaurants and theatres. The act abolished the 1924 quota system and set up three immigration principles of family reunification, the need for skilled workers, and the admission of refugees. Charles Chiu became eligible to emigrate to … Chinese factory workers helped sustain the success of the booming light industrial sector by efficiently producing high-demand consumer goods, from cigars and matches to footwear and clothing. 1785 Three Chinese seamen arrive in the continental United States aboard the ship Pallas in Baltimore, MD.. 1790 The Naturalization Act of 1790 restricts citizenship to “free white persons” of “good moral character.”The law would be enforced until 1952. Tracing the history of Chinese immigrants in America, I inevitably encountered the Chinese Exclusion Acts, the first piece of immigration legislation signed by the US in 1882. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the consequent influx of new Chinese immigrants contributed to the transformation of Chinese American society. To escape this, many immigrants took refuge in La Chinesca in Baja California, where Chinese immigrants outnumbered Mexicans, according to Vice. This is when a smaller portion of Chinese individuals had left China and moved over to America. Primarily, the Chinese supplied labor for America's growing industry. The first Chinese immigrants began arriving in the United States in the 1850s. The movement of Chinese immigrants started in the early decades of the 1800s and was primarily based on the West Coast of America, in California. More from Elyse on Chinese immigration. The first Chinese encounters with America and its people came with trade between the two countries in the late 1700s. Chinese Immigration in America. Many were fleeing the economic consequences of … The Exclusion Act made it nearly impossible for Chinese workers to bring their wives and kids to America. In effect until 1943 (after China had become a US ally against Japan), these laws exclusively prohibited the Chinese from immigrating to the United States. Chinese-origin Asians are the largest single Asian origin group in the U.S., making up 23% of the total, or 5.4 million people.