Burlingame Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Burlingame Treaty, also known as the Burlingame-Seward Treaty of 1868, between the United States
and China
, amended the Treaty of Tientsin
of 1858 and established formal friendly relations between the two countries, with the United States granting China most favored nation status. It was signed at Washington
in 1868 and ratified at Beijing
in 1869.
The treaty:
Importantly, Chinese immigration
to the United States was encouraged. Opposition in Congress to Chinese immigration led President Rutherford B. Hayes
to authorize James Burrill Angell
to renegotiate the treaty in 1880. The treaty was amended to suspend, but not prohibit, Chinese immigration, while confirming the obligation of the United States to protect the rights of those immigrants already arrived.
The treaty was reversed in 1882 by the Chinese Exclusion Act.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, amended the Treaty of Tientsin
Treaty of Tientsin
Several documents known as the "Treaty of Tien-tsin" were signed in Tianjin in June 1858, ending the first part of the Second Opium War . The Second French Empire, United Kingdom, Russian Empire, and the United States were the parties involved...
of 1858 and established formal friendly relations between the two countries, with the United States granting China most favored nation status. It was signed at Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1868 and ratified at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1869.
The treaty:
- Recognized China's right of eminent domainEminent domainEminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
over all of its territory; - Gave China the right to appoint consuls at ports in the United States, "who shall enjoy the same privileges and immunities as those enjoyed by the consuls of Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
"; - Provided that "citizens of the United States in China of every religious persuasion and Chinese subjects in the United States shall enjoy entire liberty of conscience and shall be exempt from all disability or persecution on account of their religious faith or worship in either country"; and
- Granted certain privileges to citizens of either country residing in the other, the privilege of naturalizationNaturalizationNaturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
, however, being specifically withheld.
Importantly, Chinese immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
to the United States was encouraged. Opposition in Congress to Chinese immigration led President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
to authorize James Burrill Angell
James Burrill Angell
James Burrill Angell was an American educator, academic administrator, and diplomat. He is best known for being the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan . Under his leadership Michigan gained prominence as an elite public university...
to renegotiate the treaty in 1880. The treaty was amended to suspend, but not prohibit, Chinese immigration, while confirming the obligation of the United States to protect the rights of those immigrants already arrived.
The treaty was reversed in 1882 by the Chinese Exclusion Act.
See also
- Anson BurlingameAnson BurlingameAnson Burlingame wasan American lawyer, legislator, and diplomat, born in New Berlin, Chenango County, New York. In 1823 his parents took him to Ohio, and about ten years afterwards to Michigan...
- List of treaties
- Timeline of United States diplomatic historyTimeline of United States diplomatic historyThe diplomatic history of the United States oscillated among three positions: isolation from diplomatic entanglements of other nations ; alliances with European and other military partners; and unilateralism, or operating on its own sovereign policy decisions...
- Chinese AmericanChinese AmericanChinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...