Passed in 1882 and in effect until 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first U.S. law to ban immigration by race or nationality. Using images from actual Chinese Exclusion Act case files, this poignant piece discusses its ramifications and how U.S. Chinatown developed in response to racial prejudice and socio-economic necessities. This video is a part of a series of educational videos. Please visit http://chinatownbanquet.org/ for more information or http://www.youtube.com/asiancdcorg to view the rest of the videos.