SEPARATE LIVES, BROKEN DREAMS

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
At the National Archives and Records Administration

In addition to Chinese Exclusion era individual case files, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) holds many other relevant documents including: passenger arrival lists, Chinese merchant listings, court cases, as well as government correspondence, reports and investigations. Collectively they cover almost any range of subjects, from the mundane to the global. One might find staff evaluations regarding the fire safety deficiencies at the Angel Island Immigration Station. On the other hand, there is inter-agency correspondence on the boycott of American goods overseas in protest of Chinese Exclusion and discussion on its impact to foreign relations. Chinese Exclusion spanned over six decades from the end of one century well into the next. Indeed, they were the most formative and dynamic years in American immigration policy. Whether these documents touch upon the state of human condition or broader issues of foreign policy, this collection of documents testifies to both the personal and global impact of Chinese Exclusion.