Madam Chiang & and Chinese Exclusion Act

Who was Madame Chiang and what did she do in the US?

• She was China’s first lady

• Madame Chiang participated in the 1946 Goodwill tour in the US

  • she became the first private citizen and the 2nd only woman to address both house of congress

  • she traveled all over the states for 2 months and spoke to many people

What was Madame Chiang’s impact on the US?

• Americans celebrated Madame Chiang for intellect, beauty, grace, and message of wartime

• She strengthened the relations between the US and China

  • China was seen as more of a valuable ally for US during WWII

• Chiang’s Goodwill tour energized an effort to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Laws

  • In 1943: the Chinese Exclusion Act came to an end

• The Magnuson Act/Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act was signed

What were positive results of the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act?

• US Chinese citizens, returning residents, wives, children, members of professional classes and students were considered “non-quota immigrants”

• Chinese immigrants were eligible for naturalization and sped it up for some Chinese Americans

• War Brides Act of 1945 and 947 permitted citizen members of the military to bring wives and children from other countries into the US outside of the quota

• 1947-50: 7,500 Chinese women immigrated to America

• Canada’s Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1947

What was a negative result of the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act

• The quota for Chinese immigration was 105 per year

  • a fraction of the quota that other Allied countries were granted