Angell Treaty of 1880

The Angell Treaty of 1880, formally known as the Treaty Regulating Immigration from China, was a modification of the 1868 Burlingame Treaty between the United States and China, passed in Beijing on November 17, 1880.

In 1868, the United States and China entered into the Burlingame Treaty, establishing formal friendly relations between the two countries, and granting China most favored nation status. The treaty encouraged immigration from China, and granted some privileges to citizens of either country residing in the other, but withheld the privilege of naturalization for immigrants from China.

During the 1870s, there were repeated efforts in the United States Congress to limit Chinese immigration to the United States. One successful effort in this direction was the Page Act of 1875, that forbade the migration of women believed to be inclined to engaging in prostitution and anybody coming to the United States as a forced laborer. The Act did not significantly curtail the flow of mostly male free Chinese laborers.

The first bill to significantly curtail Chinese migration that passed both houses of Congress was the Fifteen Passenger Bill of 1879. The bill forbade sea vessels from bringing in more than fifteen Chinese passengers in any single voyage to the United States. Ship masters were required to present a sworn list of all Chinese passengers upon arrival, and violators could be fined $100 and six months in prison. However, Rutherford B. Hayes, President of the United States at the time, vetoed the bill because it violated the terms of the Burlingame Treaty. Expressing sympathy with the aims of the bill, he suggested that the treaty be modified in agreement with China.

Hayes sent a commission led by James Burrill Angell to China to negotiate a new treaty to allow restrictions on Chinese immigration. On November 17, 1880, the new treaty was signed in Peking (now Beijing). According to the new treaty, the United States government would temporarily suspend 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.

...
Wikipedia