Final answer:
Californians supported the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 due to economic fears of job competition and racial prejudice. The Act targeted Chinese laborers, feeding an environment of intolerance, and politicians manipulated racial tensions to gain support for the discriminatory policy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many Californians supported the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 due to economic fears and racial prejudice. This Act banned the migration of Chinese laborers into the United States, with some exemptions for wealthy Chinese citizens. Working-class Californians, particularly those on the West Coast, felt that Chinese migrants were competing for jobs and were willing to work for lower wages, exacerbating employment and wage pressures. Additionally, the Act was a manifestation of existing racial intolerance, as it targeted a specific ethnic group and contributed to a climate of discrimination against Asian Americans. Politicians exploited these tensions by presenting Asian immigrants as a threat to the economic stability of white working-class Americans, reinforcing racism and discrimination into law. Though the Chinese had contributed significantly to sectors like the mining industry and railroad construction, the sentiment that they were 'imported' rather than coming to the US by choice furthered the public support for exclusionary policies.