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Beginning of Colonial Immigration
Immigrants came to America to seek greater economic opportunities, but in the early 1600's, some came to have religious freedom. The immigrants found their first permanent settlement in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.
http://www.history.com/topics/u-s-immigration-before-1965 -
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Pennsylvania Oaths of Allegiance
The Pennsylvania Oaths of Allegiance was established by William Penn and invited all people regardless of faith or origin to "enjoy the wealth of America". Due to the large quantities of “foreign” immigrants, those defined as non-English, King George II declared that all men, 16 or older, of non-English birth must swear allegiance to the Crown. This then ended when the Revolution began.
http://genealogydecoded.com/2013/05/23/pennsylvania-oaths-of-allegiance-1727-1775/ -
The Naturalization Act
This was an act to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. This allowed immigrants to apply for citizenship if: they were a free white person, being of good character, and lived in the U.S. for two or more years. This is where they would give an oath of allegiance that was recorded. The citizenship included citizenship to any children under 21 years old regardless of where they were born.
http://library.uwb.edu/static/USimmigration/1790_naturalization_act.html -
The Gold Rush in California
In 1848, there was a discovery of gold, which brought many immigrants from all over the world to California in hope of riches. The Chinese were the largest groups to arrive, 20,000 Chinese arrived in California by 1852.
http://www.history.com/topics/gold-rush-of-1849 -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was what ended the war between Mexico and the U.S.. Mexico gave up 55% of its territory which included parts of Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The United States then paid Mexico $15 million to settle all claims the U.S. had against Mexico.
http://www.history.com/topics/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo -
The Emancipation Proclamation
After the Union victory at Antietam, Abraham Lincoln declared all slaves in the rebellious states forever free. Sadly, this did not free a single slave, but it was the turning point in the war, the fight for human freedom rather than the fight to preserve the nation.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fair-housing-act -
The Ratification of the 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment allowed citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., including African Americans. This reaffirmed the privileges and rights of all citizen, granting equal protection of the laws. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/14th-amendment-adopted -
The First Transcontinental Railroad
The Pacific Railroad Act in 1862 motivated two companies to race to build a transcontinental railroad which would connect east and west. These companies were the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, who faced great risks such as attacks from the Native America Indians because the railroad ran across their land. The people who mainly built the railroad were Chinese laborers and Irish immigrants.
http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
This was the first actual law restricting immigration into the U.S.. The exclusion act was passed by congress calm worker demands and relieve prevalent concerns about maintaining white racial purity. This suspended Chinese immigration for 10 years and not allowing Chinese eligible for naturalization.
http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-exclusion-act -
Opening of Ellis Island
In 1892, Ellis Island opened as an entry point for immigrants. 700 immigrants passed through Ellis Island on that day, and almost 450,000 over the course of a year.
http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island -
The Emergency Quota Act
The Emergency Quota Act was sponsored by Albert Johnson, it restricted the number of immigrants to 357,000 per year, and also set down an immigration quota by which only three per cent of the total population of any ethnic group already in the U.S. in 1910, could be admitted to America after 1921.
http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/1921-emergency-quota-act.htm -
The Civil Rights Act of 1968
Almost 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in the south were not considered equal to the whites and faced harsh acts of segregation and oppression, leading to much violence. This act prohibited discrimination on race, social class, religion, origin, and sex.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fair-housing-act -
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
This law was passed to control illegal immigration to the United States. Its contents provide legalization of illegal aliens who had been in the U.S. illegally since 1982, legalization of workers and employers who hired them knowing they were undocumented and increased border control enforcement on the U.S. borders.
https://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/immigration-reform-and-control-act-1986-irca -
The Secure Fence Act
The Secure Fence Act was signed by President George W. Bush who stated: “This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform."
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr6061 -
The Safe Neighborhoods Act
This act was introduced as Arizona Senate Bill 1070 or Arizona SB 1070, which was signed into law by Governer Jan Brewer. This requires police to assume the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is reasonable suspicion that they are not legal citizens. (Stereotyping).
https://www.aclu.org/feature/arizonas-sb-1070
