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1607
English colonists land May 24 at Jamestown, Virginia, under the patent of the London Company. -
1619
At Jamestown, 20 blacks were landed to be sold as slaves -
1620
The Mayflower anchors off Plymouth on December 21, and the colonists from England begin to disembark. -
1790
The federal government requires two years of residency for naturalization -
1786
The U.S. establishes first Native American reservation and policy of dealing with each tribe as an independent nation. -
1798
increased the period necessary for immigrants to become naturalized citizens in the United States from 5 to 14 years. -
1808
Congress bans the importation of slaves. -
1845
Potato crop fails in Ireland sparking the Potato Famine which kills one million and prompts almost 500,000 to immigrate to America over the next five years. -
1849
The California Gold Rush sparks first mass immigration from China. -
1876
California Senate committee investigates the “social, moral, and political effect of Chinese immigration.” -
1880
Italy’s troubled economy, crop failures, and political climate begin the start of mass immigration with nearly four million Italian immigrants arriving in the United States. -
1900
Congress establishes a civil government in Puerto Rico and the Jones Act grants U.S. citizenship to island inhabitants. U.S. citizens can travel freely between the mainland and the island without a passport. -
1917
The U.S. enters World War I and anti-German sentiment swells at home. The names of schools, foods, streets, towns, and even some families, are changed to sound less Germanic. -
1965
The Immigration Act of 1965 abolishes quota system in favor of quota systems with 20,000 immigrants per country limits. Preference is given to immediate families of immigrants and skilled workers.
