Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8 x 10, October 10, 1881. President Arthur directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to “my proclamation attached to the Treaty between the United States and China, signed at Peking on November 17, 1880.” Signed prominently at the conclusion by Chester A. Arthur. In fine condition.
This document relates to The Angell Treaty of 1880, which was passed in Beijing, China, on November 17, 1880. A modification of the 1868 Burlingame Treaty between the United States and China, the Angell Treaty, which was proclaimed by President Arthur on October 5, 1881, sought to restrict the flow of Chinese immigrants into the United States while also maintaining a friendly relationship with China. An agreement was reached and, according to the new treaty, the United States government would temporarily suspend the immigration of skilled and unskilled laborers from China, while still allowing the immigration of white-collar professionals. The treaty also reaffirmed the United States' continuing commitment to protect the rights and privileges of Chinese laborers already present in the United States. Less than seven months later, on May 6, 1882, President Arthur signed The Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The Chinese Exclusion Act, which excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplomats, was the first and only major U.S. law ever implemented to prevent all members of a specific national group from immigrating to the United States.
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