Warrior: Understanding the threatened Exclusion Act

The Exclusion Act is coming on Warrior, and it’s going to be devastating

From the beginning of Warrior, there’s been a government act threatened. The Exclusion Act is something Buckley is pushing for, and Mai Ling has no idea that she’s playing into his hands.

The date for the act to be passed is getting closer. There’s no escaping it if the show continues to follow real history, and it should do. After all, this show has been so on point with the racism the Chinese faced, the anger the Irish felt, and the terrible decisions made by those in power.

So, with The Exclusion Act coming, it’s time to look into what it is. What will it mean for Ah Sahm, Ah Toy, and so many others on Warrior?

The continued racism against the Chinese

Due to the Opium Wars, China was a harsh place to live. Many emigrated to the United States, believing it to be a better life. They didn’t get to hear of the squalor others lived in or the continuous racism they faced.

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The U.S. government kept bringing in policies that were directly targeting the Chinese, including a Foreign Miner’s Tax. The Chinese were also not allowed to testify in court, something that had already been put against the Native Americans and Black people. This would only change in 1882, but it wouldn’t change everything else that would happen.

Despite everything against them, the Chinese continued to come over. While life was bad, it was better than in China for many.

The Exclusion Act 1882

There had been talk of it for some time, but finally, in 1882, The Exclusion Act was passed. According to History, the act would ban Chinese immigration for 10 years. The Chinese already in the United States were ineligible to become naturalized citizens.

Didn’t people fight against this? Of course, but it was mostly the Chinese-Americans, and their complaints fell on deaf ears.

The Geary Act followed 10 years later. It extended the Exclusion Act for another 10 years and made it a legal requirement for all Chinese-Americans to carry documentation. There were some serious penalities against those who were caught without identification.

It was hell. Thought it might get better 10 years after that? Think again. Chinese immigration was made permanently illegal.

And the USA wasn’t alone. Chinese immigration to Canada was also made illegal in the 1920s. It wasn’t until 1947 that things changed in Canada, but it would take another 20 years for things to be put on the right track. It came a little sooner in the USA in 1943, but the country was struggling with World War II by this point. In fact, changing the law in the U.S. was mostly about boosting the morale in the country, and China was on the Allies side.

It’s a dark time in North American history, a time that many TV shows would shy away from. Based on the storylines so far, Warrior won’t sugarcoat this (and nor should it). It’s time we talked about what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Warrior airs on Fridays at 10/9c on Cinemax.