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Mayflower Departs
In September of 1620 the Mayflower departs for the New World. This ship carried 102 passengers seeking religious freedom and better lives. -
Mayflower Lands on Plymouth
After a very hard journey that took approximately 66 days and countless lives the Mayflower landed off the coast of Cape Cod. -
Mayflower Compact
The pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact becuase they landed in the wrong place. The Mayflower Compact was the documed they created to make promise that they you set up a functioning colony with just and fair laws. -
Naturalization Act
Stated that national citizenship would be granted to f"ree white people of good character". The Naturalization Act also allowed for the children of individuals with citizenship to be born as natural born citizens. This act prevented the citizenship of American Indians, indentured servants, slaves, and free African Americans. -
Naturalization Act of 1795
The original Naturalization act was replaced in 1795 to allow for a lengthier residency requirement of five years. The repeal also removed the words "good character" and replaced it with "good moral character". The new act also included the first two step process for naturalization of foreign born individuals. -
Naturalization Act
Act was repealed once more to extend residency requirement from 5 years to 14 years. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Consisting of four bills signed into law by President John Adams that allowed the president, at any time, to imprison or deport aliens considered to be dangerous or a threat to the United States. The acts also allowed the president to deport males as old as 14 who were from hostile countries. He was allowed to do this only in time of war. -
Start of the Mexican American War
The Mexican Calvary attacks a group of U.S. soldiers killing about 10 men. This event signals the start of the war. Congress officially declared war on Mexico on May 13th. -
End of the Mexican American War- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Rio Grande was established as the U.S. and Mexico border. This new boundry gave the U.S. ownership of several states including Arizona. Around 80,000 people living in these states chose U.S. citizenship over Mexican citizenship. A small group moved south and remained Mexican nationals. -
Nativism 1830-1855
First major anti-immigration movement was against the Irish Catholics after the potato famine, however the Nativists targeted other immigrants as well. -
The American Party (Know-Nothing Party)
Nativists create their own political party to combat the increse in immigration. Similar to the current Tea Party. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Federal law signed by President Arthur which allows for the exclusion of Chinese immigrants who don't already have family living in the U,S. In response to the ban many cities like San Francisco create "oriental only" schools. -
The Statue of Liberty is Unveiled
A symbol of friendship given to the U.S. by France. Welcomes immigrants with this quote, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore." -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island opened its doors in 1892 and closed in 1954. During this time it served as the hub for immigrants from all over. The station processed over 12 million immigrants in just 62 years. It is estimated that almost 40 percent of all U.S. citizens can trace at least one ancestor back to Ellis Island. In June of 1897 the original building burnt down along with records that predate 1855. -
Anarchist Exclusion Act
After the assassination of President McKinley, Congress passed a bill called the Anarchist Exclusion Act. This bill would allow immigrants to be excluded on the sole basis of political opinion. The bill was made into law by President Theodore Roosevelt. -
Immigration Act of 1917
This act added to the number of undesirables banned from entering the country, including but not limited to “homosexuals”, “idiots”, “feeble-minded persons”, "criminals", “epileptics”, “insane persons”, alcoholics, “professional beggars”, all persons “mentally or physically defective”, polygamists, and anarchists. -
Emergency Quota Act
Limits the amount of visas granted to immigrants. The act allowed for only 3% of people to come to America from each country. -
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Reversed the quota put in place in 1921 with the Emergency Quota Act. The Immigration and Nationality Act allowed for approximately 170,000 visas to be granted in one year for each country. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
This act required employers to report their worker's immigration status, provide proof of citizenship, made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants, and legalized seasonal work for some illegal immigrants. The major part of this act is that it legalized immigrants who had entered the country illegally prior to January 1, 1982. -
Illegal Immigration and Responsibility Act
Designed to strengthen borders and impose criminal penalties for smuggling, racketeering, and the use of fradulent documentation. -
Arizona's SB 1070
This law requires all aliens over 14 to register with the government and have documentation on them at all times. Violation of this law and not having proper documentation will result in a misdemeanor. AZ law enforcement could leagally stop, detain, and arrest any person based on reasonable suspicion of citizenship status. Receives a lot of criticism and allegations ofracial profiling. -
President Obama's Amnesty Order
President Obama has declared an Executive Order for the amnesty for almost 5.7 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. currently.
