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Know-Nothing Party
The first Know-Nothing Party was created in 1849. They claimed that the Irish and German immigrants, most of whom were Roman Catholics, threatened to corrupt the United State's heritage. They were also behind many attacks against the immigrants. -
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Surge of Asian Immigrants
Between 1861 and 1880, almost 200,000 Chinese immigrants came to the United States, especially California. Their willingness to work low-wage jobs caused other workers to lobby for laws to restrict them. -
14th Amendment
In 1868, the 14th amendment was ratified, granting citizenship to anyone born in the United States, including African Americans. However, Native Americans were not granted citizenship at this time. -
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Fight Against Immigration
Between 1881 and 1920, most of the immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe. These immigrants had different languages, religions, and cultures. Also, free education was slow to advance in southern and eastern Europe, so opponents of immigration believed that a literacy test would hinder immigration. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Anti-Chinese sentiment went nationwide when the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882. This law prohibited Chinese workers from entering the United States. Further laws led to the complete stop of Chinese immigration. -
Immigrant Surge
In 1886, 334,000 immigrants entered the United States. Although many people viewed this with apprehension, they could not deny the fact that there was a need for more farmers and factory workers, as the US was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. -
Gentlemen's Agreement
In 1907, the informal Gentlemen's Agreement happened between the United States and Japan. After Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States, like the Chinese, they were willing to work low-wage jobs. This caused a lot of discrimination against them. Ultimately, Japan and the United States came to an agreement where Japan would suspend emigration. -
Immigration Act/National Origins Act
The Dillingham Commission found its way into legislation, where they recommended strategies for reducing immigration to Congress. The Immigration Act of 1924 limited the annual immigration quota. from European countries to 2% of its proportion in the United States during 1890. This caused a drastic decrease in immigration. -
Displaced Persons Act
This act allowed admission to more than 400,000 homeless refugees in Europe due to World War II or Soviet communism in Eastern Europe. This act was followed by several bills designed to accommodate the refugees. -
Cuban Revolution
The biggest wave of refugees came from Cuba after a revolution brought Fidel Castro to power. Approximately 700,000 refugees came to the United States. -
Immigration and Nationality Act
Due to the civil rights movement, lawmakers were forced to re-examine national origins quotas. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 had an emphasis on reuniting families and attracting highly skilled workers. The act immediately boosted immigration from the countries that were previously heavily restricted. The United States saw a sudden flood of Chinese immigrants, especially doctors, nurses, scientists, etc. -
Refugee Act
This act was prompted in large part by the arrival of more than 400,000 refugees from Southeast Asia between 1975 and 1980. Legislation wanted to give refugee policy greater consistency for the regular flow of refugees and emergency admissions. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
This act tackled the issue of illegal immigration. In hopes to hinder illegal immigration, this act imposed penalties on employers who knowingly hired workers who did not have proper documentation. This act also allowed illegal immigrants who have been living in the United States since 1981 to gain citizenship status. About 3.2 million illegal immigrants gained legal status. -
Immigration Act
This act raised the limit of annual immigrant admissions from 290,000 (which was the limit the 1965 act had) to 675,000 immigrants. Like the 1965 act, this act also had an emphasis on family reunification. -
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
This act streamlined the process of deporting illegal immigrants and rejecting asylum seekers. As a result, the number of deportations doubled. -
September 11, 2001
The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, on US soil caused another level of scrutiny regarding immigration, as many people saw immigration as an issue for national security and protecting the United States from further attacks.