2.1 Congress Repeals the Contract Labor Law of 1864

On March 30, 1868 Congress repealed the contract labor law of 1864, which had made it illegal for companies to hire immigrants to come work in the United States. Importation was enforceable under state and local laws but no longer on the federal level. Now contract laborers were allowed back into the United States. RailRoad Companies and small mining companies, mostly in California, now were allowed to import contract labor. These companies would often hire Chinese immigrants because they were often hard workers and would work for less pay than white workers. (Gyory 25)