Final answer:
The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 was an informal agreement between the U.S. and Japan, wherein the U.S. refrained from outright banning Japanese immigration in return for Japan limiting emigration to the U.S., specifically affecting Japanese immigrants.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 was an informal pact between the United States and Japanese officials. This agreement was made to address growing nativist sentiments in the United States, which demanded that exclusionary laws applied to Chinese immigration also be extended to Japanese migrants. The United States promised not to impose an outright ban on Japanese immigration, while Japan agreed to restrict its citizens from emigrating to the U.S. This diplomatic compromise was aimed to appease American nativist groups without causing diplomatic issues with Japan.
In the backdrop of existing discriminatory laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Emergency Quota Act, the agreement specifically affected Japanese immigrants. While it was unofficial and allowed Japan to maintain that its citizens were free to migrate to the U.S., the reality was that their government agreed to prevent them from doing so, effectively limiting Japanese immigration.
The Gentlemen's Agreement highlighted the broader context of discrimination against Asian immigrants during that era, which also included informal practices such as allowing the immigration of family members under certain conditions, leading to instances like the Paper Sons. Japanese immigrants faced various barriers and prejudices, despite their willingness to contribute to American society.