Describe how scientific racialism was manifest in legislation, court decisions, and US policies between 1850 and 1924 that include immigration restriction from Europe and Asia.
During the period between 1850 and 1924, the field of scientific racialism emerged, leading to the establishment of various legislation, court decisions, and US policies that reflected these beliefs. Scientific racialism, also known as scientific racism or racial pseudoscience, is a discredited theory that attempted to justify racial hierarchies based on perceived biological or genetic differences among different races.
One significant example of scientific racialism in legislation and policies during this period was the enactment of immigration restrictions targeted at different racial and ethnic groups. These restrictions were imposed primarily against immigrants from both Europe and Asia.
Legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and subsequent acts in 1892 and 1902 sought to reduce and control Chinese immigration to the United States. The Chinese were deemed racially inferior and portrayed as a threat to white Americans in terms of jobs and cultural integrity. These acts marked the first time the US government implemented immigration restrictions based explicitly on race.
Moreover, in the early 20th century, various laws and policies were implemented to limit immigration from Southern and Eastern European countries, such as the Immigration Act of 1917 and the Immigration Act of 1924 (also known as the Johnson-Reed Act). These acts established quotas that heavily favored immigrants from Northern and Western Europe while severely restricting immigration from other regions. The underlying principle behind these policies was to maintain the perceived superiority of the "Nordic" or "Anglo-Saxon" racial groups over others.
Court decisions also reflected scientific racialism during this period. In the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896, the US Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" segregation was constitutional, essentially endorsing racial segregation practices. This decision was based on the belief that different racial groups, particularly Black Americans, were inherently inferior and should be treated differently.
Scientific racialism played a significant role in justifying discriminatory policies targeting various racial and ethnic groups. These policies were based on flawed pseudoscientific theories and biased interpretations of human differences. It is essential to understand and recognize the harm caused by these discriminatory practices and the legacy they have left behind, even as society has since progressed and rejected such pseudo-scientific beliefs.