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Rise of the Know-Nothing Party
During the 1850s, this nativist, anti-Catholic party began to gain popularity because of the recent Irish and German Catholic immigrants. They had a strong showing in elections of 1854 and 1855, in which they gained control of several state governments and sent more than 100 congressmen to Washington, they attempted to restrict immigration, delay naturalization, and investigate perceived Catholic abuses. -
Naturalization Act of 1870
Under this act, citizenship was limited to "white persons and person of African descent" thus barring the Chinese from becoming citizens. -
Congress Passes Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese laborers arrived during the Gold Rush and later helped build the transcontinental railroad. Because the Chinese were desperate for employment and willing to work for low wages, they were confronted with racial hostility from American workers. Congress responded by passing this act which banned further immigration from China. -
Supreme Court Decides Yick Wo v. Hopkins
Yick Wo and several hundred other wooden laundry operators applied for a permit in San Francisco. Virtually every non-Chinese applicant was granted a permit. Every Chinese applicant was denied. While the non-Chinese residents were allowed to continue operating their wooden laundries, Yick Wo was convicted of violating the ordinance and imprisoned. The Supreme Court held unconstitutional the ordinance., because it was discriminatory administration of the law. -
American Protective Association is Founded
A group of skilled workers and small business founded this organization, which claimed half a million members a year later. The APA sought to limit Catholic civil rights in the US to protect the jobs of Protestant workingmen. Labor competition contributed to the rise of new anti-immigrant organizations -
Immigration Restriction League is Founded
Founded in the middle of a depression, this organization proposed to require immigrants to pass a literacy test that most southern and eastern Europeans would presumably fail. Although this literacy requirement was never enacted, less than 30years later, Congress would restrict the number of southern and eastern European immigrants that entered the US. In the meantime, IRL propaganda encouraged northern universities to establish quotas limiting the admission of new immigrants, esp. Jews.
