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1790
In 1790, Congress passed a law defining who could become a citizen if a person was not born here: Citizenship was possible only for someone who was "a free white person." -
Period: to
1880-1920
One of the heaviest periods of immigration in American history came between 1880 & 1920. During this time, some 25 million immigrants arrived. Most of the immigrants came from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act said that no Chinese laborer could enter the U.S. for 10 years (Chinese professionals were still allowed to immigrate). Renewed several times, the act was in force until WWII. During that conflict, China was an ally and Congress repealed the law. -
Quota Act of 1921
Congress set up quotas favoring immigrants from NW Europe. -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 introduced a quota system by country: Each country's immigrants were limited to 2% of foreign-born residents from that country listed in the U.S. Census of 1890. -
Immigration Reform Act
In 1965, Congress passed the Immigration Reform Act. This act abolished the quota system based on national origin. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
Pres. Reagan's Immigration and Reform Control Act had a dual purpose: 1) He wanted to slow illegal immigration by punishing employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants 2) He wanted to offer a way for long-term, undocumented immigrants to become legal. -
Immigration Act of 1990
This act said that no country could account for more than 7% of total immigrants. The law also considered a person's education and skills. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
Concerns about the continuing problem of illegal immigration led Congress to pass another immigration law; it increased the border control staff and stiffened penalties for creating false citizenship papers or smuggling undocumented workers. -
2007
Pres. George W. Bush committed himself to backing a bill to address all immigration issues. Bush's bill proposed to fill short-term labor needs through a guest worker program and strengthened border control. Bush argued that his bill was also realistic because it did not propose to track down and deport millions of undocumented workers who were already there.
