-
Period: to
The Era of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
The generation that authored these two documents traced its roots mainly to the British Isles and other areas of northwestern Europe. They welcomed immigration but also wanted to protect their democratic focus from outside influences. Before 1820, the US didn't even count how many newcomers reached its shores by ship. -
Period: to
Welcoming the Masses of Europe
During this period, 70 percent of the immigrants that went to the US came from Great Britain, Germany, and Ireland. While some people welcomed the new immigrants, others believed that they would have brought "accents of menace alien to our air" and were filthy. -
Period: to
The Wave of Chinese Immigration
Almost two hundred thousand Chinese came to the US and recruited construction crews for the transcontinental railroad. By 1870 they comprised 20 to 30 percent of the labor force in California. -
The Fourteenth Amendment
Granted citizenship to everyone that was born in the United States. -
Period: to
Newcomers from Southern and Eastern Europe
During this period, the majority of immigrants came from Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. These immigrants had different languages, different cultures, and different religions from the immigrants that had previously come. Anti-immigration forces in Congress sought to make literacy a requirement for entry into the United States. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
This law prohibited Chinese workers from entering the United States. -
The Nineteenth Century
New waves of immigrants formed close-knit communities in major cities. Enclaves of Italians, Poles, Jews, and Greeks peppered America's urban centers. In the 1900s, four out of five New Yorkers were either born abroad or were the children of immigrants. -
Congress Overrides Wilson's Veto
This makes literacy an entrance requirement for the US. -
Immigration Act of 1924
Created immigration quotas on the basis of national origin. -
Period: to
The Cold War
Redefined the US role in the world and touched almost every aspect of gov. policy, including regulations on immigration. -
Displaced Persons Act
The act allowed for the admission of more than 400,000 refugees left homeless by WWII and the imposition of Soviet communism in Eastern Europe. -
Immigration and Nationality Act
Replaced the old quotas with a set of seven preference categories. This act boosted immigration by nationalities most severely restricted by the previous quota system. -
The Refugee Act
This law sought to give refugee policy greater consistency by allowing for both a regular flow of refugees and emergency admissions. -
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
Tackled the issue of illegal immigration. It imposed penalties on employers who knowingly hired workers without paper documentation. It allowed illegal immigrants who had lived there since 1981 to become citizens. -
The Immigration Act
raised the limit on annual admissions from 290,000 immigrants to 675,000. The law also nearly tripled the number of immigration slots reserved for newcomers with prized job skills and their families. -
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
The law was focused on curbing illegal immigration.