Long before #StopAsianHate trends gripped social media, the roots of anti-Asian discrimination in America were legally planted. A new episode of The Race Gap dives into the dark history of the 1875 Page Act — the first federal law to codify racial exclusion in the U.S. 🚫
The Birth of Institutional Racism
In the 1870s, anti-Chinese sentiment exploded on the West Coast, fueled by economic anxiety and political fearmongering. Sound familiar? Congress responded by passing the Page Act, which specifically barred Chinese women from entering the country under the guise of fighting 'immoral behavior.' Critics argue it was really about controlling demographics and upholding white supremacy.
Why It Still Matters Today
The Page Act set a dangerous precedent, paving the way for later horrors like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. 💔 The podcast connects these 19th-century policies to modern-day hate crimes, showing how racism evolves but never truly disappears. As one historian notes: 'Laws don’t just reflect prejudice — they give it power.'
🎧 Tune in to The Race Gap for a raw look at how politicians weaponized race then… and how similar tactics resurface now. Spoiler: History class just got a lot more relevant.
