George Frisbie Hoar on the Chinese Exclusion Act
George Frisbie Hoar was a protégé of the Radical
Republican Charles Sumner and an early abolitionist.
When he first joined the House, he was a member of
the Free-Soil Party. He later became a Republican,
but never hesitated to criticize members of his party
whose actions or policies he believed were in error.
He represented Massachusetts in Congress from 1869
until 1904 as a genuine statesman. He was more
devoted to the ideals of racial equality, civil rights,
and labor rights than anyone else in Congress. During
his time in office, he fought for laws on an 8-hour
workday and defended the right of workers to strike
and organize. In 1886, he argued in favor of women
getting the right to vote. Hoar was also a warrior
against political corruption, and campaigned for the
rights of African Americans and Native Americans.
After the Spanish-American War in 1898, Hoar
became one of the Senate’s most outspoken opponents
of US imperialism. He denounced the PhilippineAmerican War because of the harsh treatment of
Filipinos and called for independence for the
Philippines.
Hoar is best remembered, however, for his staunch opposition to the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. In a
Senate speech, he compared the persecution of the Chinese to discrimination against blacks, NativeAmericans, Jews, and the Irish. Hoar knew the real reason for the bill was race – “the last of the human
delusions to be overcome. Racism has left its hideous stains on our history in crimes committed by every
generation.”
Hoar said, “We must take race at its best, not its worst.” He praised the Chinese for inventing gunpowder,
paper, and the compass. He dissected the Chinese Exclusion Bill and found fault with every section of it.
He opposed its harsh penalties for Chinese already in America and the powers granted to the government
to seize and deport almost anyone of Chinese ancestry.
Hoar said that the Act was disrespectful to the ideals of the American Revolution: “America has a heritage
of natural rights in the great doctrine of human equality affirmed in our Declaration of Independence. The
Act is nothing less than the legalization of racial discrimination.”
Hoar knew that he had to appeal to more than just his colleagues’ consciences if the bill were to be
rejected. Hoar predicted that trade with China would bring “hundreds of millions a year” into the
Northeast US and warned against offending China.
Despite Hoar’s protests, the Chinese Exclusion Act passed Congress in 1882 and was not repealed until
1943. There were no laws against any other nationality in the US.
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Name ___________________________
George Frisbie Hoar on the Chinese Exclusion Act
1. George Frisbie Hoar would most likely support which of the following?
a. Ending all immigration
b. Slavery
c. The 14th Amendment
d. The US conquering Hawaii
2. What is most likely the meaning of “protégé” in the first sentence?
a. Opponent
b. Rival
c. Student
d. Enemy
3. Why was Hoar opposed to the Philippine-American War?
a. He wanted Spain to rule the Philippines.
b. He wanted Chinese immigrants to go there.
c. It would hurt trade with China.
d. It was brutal for the Filipinos.
4. According to Hoar, the Chinese Exclusion Act was legalizing _________.
a. Honest hard work.
b. Racial discrimination.
c. The smoking of opium.
d. Going on strike for better wages.
5. Hoar’s protesting of the bill was mostly _____.
a. Successful.
b. To please all of his Chinese constituents.
c. To help himself get re-elected
d. Unsuccessful.
1. _________
2. _________
3. _________
4. _________
5. _________
6. Why do you think Hoar referenced the Chinese inventing gunpowder, paper, and the compass?
7. Why did Hoar believe that the Chinese Exclusion Act was “disrespectful to the ideals of the American
Revolution?
8. Would Hoar be described as more of a liberal or conservative? Why?
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Name ____Answer Key_____
George Frisbie Hoar on the Chinese Exclusion Act
1. George Frisbie Hoar would most likely support which of the following?
a. Ending all immigration
b. Slavery
c. The 14th Amendment
d. The US conquering Hawaii
2. What is most likely the meaning of “protégé” in the first sentence?
a. Opponent
b. Rival
c. Student
d. Enemy
3. Why was Hoar opposed to the Philippine-American War?
a. He wanted Spain to rule the Philippines.
b. He wanted Chinese immigrants to go there.
c. It would hurt trade with China.
d. It was brutal for the Filipinos.
4. According to Hoar, the Chinese Exclusion Act was legalizing _________.
a. Honest hard work.
b. Racial discrimination.
c. The smoking of opium.
d. Going on strike for better wages.
5. Hoar’s protesting of the bill was mostly _____.
a. Successful.
b. To please all of his Chinese constituents.
c. To help himself get re-elected
d. Unsuccessful.
1. __C____
2. ___ C ____
3. ___ D_____
4. ___ B ____
5. __ D ____
6. Why do you think Hoar referenced the Chinese inventing gunpowder, paper, and the compass?
Hoar most likely referenced these to show the accomplishments of Chinese people and culture and
the benefits that might come to the US if they did not end Chinese immigration
7. Why did Hoar believe that the Chinese Exclusion Act was “disrespectful to the ideals of the American
Revolution?
Hoar believed that America had a heritage of natural rights and human equality based on the
Declaration of Independence. To him, the Act was nothing less than the legalization of racial
discrimination.
8. Would Hoar be described as more of a liberal or conservative? Why?
This is open to student opinion, but many of Hoar’s ideas were liberal at the time so he would
most likely be labelled as a liberal politician today for his stances on immigration and the Wars
with Spain and the Philippines.
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