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United States Naturalization Law
The federal government requires two years of residency for naturalization. -
Importation of Slaves
Congress bans importation of slaves. -
Removal Act
Congress passes the Removal Act, forcing Native Americans to settle in Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. -
Kansas–Nebraska Act
The Act opened Kansas Territory and Nebraska Territory to slavery and future admission of slave states by allowing white male settlers in those territories to determine through popular sovereignty whether they would allow slavery within each territory. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. -
The Fifteenth Amendment
The 15th Amendment of the Constitution provides African-American males with the right to vote. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act dissolves many Indian reservations in United States. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
The Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that “separate but equal” accommodations for African Americans and whites are Constitutional. This decision allows for legalized segregation. -
Indian Citizenship Act
President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill granting Native Americans full citizenship. -
Executive Order 8802
President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 8802, forbidding discrimination in federal hiring, job-training programs, and defense industries. The newly created Fair Employment Practices Commission investigates discrimination against black employees. -
The Immigration and Nationality Act
The Immigration and Nationality Act allows individuals of all races to be eligible for naturalization. The act also reaffirms national origins quota system, limits immigration from the Eastern Hemisphere while leaving the Western Hemisphere unrestricted, establishes preferences for skilled workers and relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens; and tightens security and screening standards and procedures. -
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education that “separate but equal” educational facilities are unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Acts ensures voting rights and prohibits housing discrimination. -
Refugee Act
The Refugee Act redefines criteria and procedures for admitting refugees. -
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) legalizes illegal aliens residing in the U.S. unlawfully since 1982.
