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Sep 8, 1565
First Permanent European Settlement in the US
The Founding of St. Augustine: September 8, 1565Established at St. Augustine, Florida and founded by the Spanish. They were led by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who, after founding the settlement, became the first governor of Florida. September 8 was significant because it was the Augustine feast. -
Virginia Colony - Jamestown
JamestownFirst permanent English settlement, established by the Virginia Company of London, an English stock company established by James I of England. The men were met with famine, disease, and conflict with the Native American tribes in their first two years of settlement. In 1610, a new group of settlers arrived with new supplies, which brought Jamestown back up again. Jamestown expanded from the area around the original James Fort into a New Town built to the east. -
Headright System
Headright SystemThe headright system was introduced as a means to solve the labor shortage. New settlers who paid their own passage to Virginia were granted one headright, which was 50 acres of land. Every person who paid and enetered was granted a headright, so this encouraged families to travel together. Wealthy individuals could accumulate headrights by paying for the passage of poor individuals. -
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth ColonyFounded by a group of of Separatists and Anglicans who came together to become the Pilgrims. It was one of the most successful colonies to be founded by the English. It was the first large permanent English settlement in the New England region, bringing thousands of settlers. The population in 1620 was under 100, and by 1691, it had risen to over 7,000. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay ColonyAn English settlement on the east coast of North America in New England, which was founded by the owners of the Massachusetts Bay Company. Successful attempts began in 1628 with 20,000 people migrating to New England between then and the 1630s. The settlers were Puritan, and were led by a small group who were influenced by Puritan religious leaders. Ended in 1684. -
Portola Expedition
Portola ExpeditionLed by Gaspar de Portolá, this was a Spanish exploration and settlement in Alta California which is present day California. They explorded seeking more land and expanding their country. They formed their own colonies and their own supplies; they made California a part of their new country. -
Naturalization Act of 1790
Naturalization Act, 1790Granted national citizenship to immigrants who had been residing in the United States for 2 years. It was open to those who were "free white persons and of good moral character." Black slaves, free blacks, servants, American Indians, and Asians were not granted this option. The law was ratified in 1795, and 2 years minimum was increased to 5 years minimum. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Alien and Sedition ActsSigned into law by President John Adams. There were four seperate laws, all which dealt with immigration and naturalization. The first increased the residency requirement from 5 to 14 years; the second authorized the president to imprison or deport dangerous aliens; the third authorized the president to imprison or deport aliens whose home country was at war with the US; and the fourth made it illegal to publish writing against the government. -
First wave of Immigration
Immigration beginsThe first great wave of immigration to the United States. Over ten million immigrants arrive with northern and western Europeans (mostly British, Irish, and German) predominating. Many settle in the rural Midwest. -
California Gold Rush
California Gold RushBegan when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. People from all over the United States started coming to California in search for gold, as well as people from outside the US. People from Latin America were among the first few to arrive, and the first internationals.
In all, 300,000 people came to California. Over half of them were by sea. Tens of thousands came from Latin America, China, Europe, and Australia. -
Chinese Immigrants
Chinese ImmigrantsAfter the Gold Rush, many unskilled Chinese laborers usually working for very little pay, migrated to the U.S. in the mid 1800s. The Chinese clustered into groups, working hard and living frugally. When the Chinese population increased to a significant amount, they formed large cultural and ethnic cities called "Chinatowns." -
Ellis Island Opens
Ellis Island HistoryEllis Island Inspection Station is opened and ready for business. Between 1892 and 1954, it was the main gateway for immigrants to the United States, and was the busiest inspection station throughout its life. 700 immigrants passed through on opening day, and 450,000 were processed in the first year.
By the time the Ellis Island inspection station closed down in 1954, over 12 million immigrants had passed through the gates. -
The Great Migration
The Great MigrationA movement of 6 million African Americans out of the Southern US and into the Northwest, Midwest, and West. It lasted from 1910 to about 1970.
African Americans moved from southern, Confederate states like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to more cultural regions of the United States. During and after the migration, population in working cities increased dramatically -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Triangle Shirtwaist FactoryThe company employed over 500 women ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-three and mostly Jewish or Italian. The women worked long hours, under strict supervisionand harsh conditions.
The fire started on March 25, 1911 at about 4:30pm. When the women tried to escape, they found that the doors were locked and escape routes were damaged. 147 died in the fire.
After the fire, labor laws, especially for immigrants, were changed. -
1917 Immigration Act
Immigration Act 1917It stated that any person over the age of 16 and physically capable of reading, who could not read or write in the English language was to be denied immigration to the US. It also excluded people with contagious diseases, anyone convicted of having a felony, and polygamists.
Literacy tests were introduced, also, in the 1917 Act, even though they were vetoed by Grover Cleveland, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. They were introuced to make sure immigrants could actually read and write. -
Refugee Act
Refugee ActCreated as an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, to provide a permanent procedure for admission of refugees to the United States. It was signed by president Jimmy Carter on March 17, 1980, and became effective April 1.
The main purposes were to create a solid definition and status for refugees, raise the refugee limitation from 17,400 to 50,000, provide emergency procedures for when 50,000 is exceeded and to establish an Office.
