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Beginning of Colonial Immigration
The settlement on the James River in 1607 marked the beginning of a nation that was certainly English in its foundation. 'Foreigners' began early to struggle into the colonies. Not until the eighteenth century was well under way did they come in appreciable numbers, and even then, the great bulk of these non-English newcomers were from the British Isles. -
Anti-Quaker Immigration Sentiments Popular
For several years, beginning with 1565, the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and indeed of all the New England Colonies, Except Rhode Island, are filled with Legislation designed to prevent the coming of the Quakers and the spread of their 'accursed tenets. -
Pennsylvania Enacts Oath of Allegiance for German Immigrants
William Keith, Governor of Pennsylvania, said foreigners from Germany settled in Pennsylvania without certificates demonstrating their identity, origin, and intention. He then ordered them to take the oath of allegiance. -
British Parliament Enacts The Plantation Act
The Plantation Act was intended to encourage immigration to the American colonies. Under British law at the time, aliens could not engage in British commerce without severe penalties. This aspect was not rigorously enforced in the colonies, but such British law made it advantageous for immigrants from the colonies to become Naturalized citizens. -
Articles of Confederation Kept Citizenship and Naturalization of immigrants under Individual States Control
The question of citizenship and the naturalization of immigrants remained with the individual states. Pennsylvania allowed any foreigner of 'good character', who took an oath of allegiance to the state to acquire property and, after one year of residency, become a citizen entitled to 'all the rights of a natural born subject of this state'. -
Foreign Slave Trade Becomes Illegal
The authors of the Constitution protected the foreign slave trade, a major source of immigration, by prohibiting interference with it for twenty years (Article 1, Section 9). When that period expired, Congress promptly made that trade illegal at President Jefferson's invitation but did not interfere with either the domestic slave trade or slavery itself. -
Westward Expansion
Following the Civil War, many Americans took advantage of the Homestead Acts of 1862 and 1866, laws that allowed American settlers to acquire ownership of government land west of the Mississippi. The generous conditions for land ownership granted by these acts led to more American immigrants moving to Arizona than before the Civil War. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
In the beginning, Congress created the Chinese Exclusion Act. That May 1882 statute, which has long been treated as a minor if somewhat disreputable incident, can now be seen as a nodal point in the history of American immigration policy. -
Bisbee Deportation
Two thousand striking mine workers in Bisbee, Arizona, were rounded up at a baseball field on the orders of the Cochise County sheriff. Miners who refused to return to work were deported to New Mexico on cattle trains. In total, around 1,200 workers were deported from Arizona, most of them Mexican immigrants. (Source: Lecture 5, statehood) -
National Parks
The creation of National Parks in Arizona, such as Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, helped boost the state's population. Entities such as the Santa Fe railroad used the natural beauty of Arizona to court tourists and settlers, hoping to gain their business by transporting them westwards. -
Baby Boom
Between 1930 and 1960, Arizona’s population exploded. Maricopa County went from 151,000 people in 1930 to 664,000 in 1960. While part of this population increase can be explained by the post-World War 2 baby boom, immigration to the state was also a significant factor. With the infrastructure laid by World War 2, Arizona transitioned to a heavy manufacturing-based economy. With work available and inexpensive housing costs, Arizona became a desirable destination to live and work. -
Arizona in WW2
During the war, the state saw a large increase in the amount of industries present. Taking advantage of the state’s sunny client, the state saw the construction of several major military bases as well. -
World War 2
The US entered World War 2 on December 7, 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The US joined the allies with Great Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and many other minor powers. The war ended on September 2, 1945, with the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan defeated. -
Bracero Program
The Bracero program officially began on August 4, 1942. The program was created to address labor shortages caused by the war as many working men entered military service. The Bracero program arranged for workers from Mexico to work in the United States. In Arizona, Bracero migrants worked mainly on the railroads and on fields. -
Japanese Internment camps
In an example of racist backlash following the Pearl Harbor attacks, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This saw more than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent relocated from states on the Pacific Coast and imprisoned. Arizona saw many Japanese Americans imprisoned in internment camps within the state.