This inquiry kit features Library of Congress sources relating to immigration issues at the end of the 19th century.

Thinking Questions

Chinese Exclusion Act

screenshot of a website with black text, numerous links and a photo of a Harper’s Weekly cover on a white background

This digital collection about the Chinese Exclusion Act has personal narratives, audio and video recordings, and print documents about anti-Chinese views.

In cruel suspense

hand-drawn image of a sterotype caricature of a Chinese man on white paper

This political cartoon from the late 1800s uses stereotypical imagery and language to illustrate anti-Chinese feelings and how Chinese Americans felt unsure about threats to deport them.

Arrest in Chinatown

screenshot of the video showing two policemen and their arrestee sitting atop a vehicle

This video recording from 1897 shows the arrest of a Chinese immigrant in Chinatown, San Francisco.

Emigrants leaving Queenstown [Ireland] for New York

black and white drawing of a mass of people congregated at a ship dock

This illustration from 1874 shows men, women, and children preparing to leave their homes in Ireland for New York.

Where the blame lies

color cartoon drawing of Uncle Sam and a man in top hat looking over a sea of immigrants with the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor in the background

This political cartoon from April 1891 shows the negative feelings some people had about immigration and argues that the United States should limit immigration.

Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900

screenshot of a website with black text on a lilac background

This Library of Congress website examines the issues facing immigrants in the late 19th century.