Beyond the Pacific: Chinese Women and Habeas Corpus at the 1898 Omaha World’s Fair

Author

Lauryn Nicole Tecca, University of Montana, MissoulaFollow

Graduation Year

2023

Graduation Month

May

Document Type

Thesis - Campus Access Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

School or Department

History

Major

History

Faculty Mentor Department

History

Faculty Mentor

Kyle Volk

Keywords

Habeas Corpus, Chinese Exclusion, Page Act, Mann Act

Subject Categories

Legal

Abstract

Amidst the 1898 Omaha Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, three Chinese girls found themselves in a contentious habeas corpus case. This case quickly became a media sensation, thrusting these children into a legal battle that would dominate local headlines for weeks. Habeas corpus cases involving Chinese immigrants were not uncommon following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, but this case highlights just how far from Angel Island these issues spread. This reality is not reflected in much of the current historiography, which centers around the Pacific Coast. This paper seeks to understand the gap in the existing scholarship regarding Chinese immigrants in flyover states such as Nebraska. It also examines why habeas, a universal legal mechanism, was so difficult for Chinese women to access. By utilizing unpublished case files and primary newspaper sources, this work attempts to answer why Chinese women disappeared from the legal narrative during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Honors College Research Project

Yes

GLI Capstone Project

no

Recommended Citation

Tecca, Lauryn Nicole, "Beyond the Pacific: Chinese Women and Habeas Corpus at the 1898 Omaha World’s Fair" (2023). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 427.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/427