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1790
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." This barred any African or Asian immigrant from becoming a citizen. After the Civil War this law was revised to allow people born in Africa to become citizens, but Asian immigrants were still excluded from citizenship. -
1880 and 1920
In 1880 and 1920, about 25 million immigrants arrived. Most came from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe, parts of the world that were unfamiliar to many Americans. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
The Chinese Exclusion Act said that no Chinese laborer could enter the U.S. for 10 years. The act was in force until WW2. In that conflict, China was an American ally and Congress repealed the law. -
Quota Act of 1921
Congress sets up quotas favoring immigrants from northwestern Europe; the Immigration Act of 1924 expands the quota system: immigration from any country is limited to 2% of its total numbers in the 1890 census. -
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. -
1965-Immigration Reform Act
Abolished the quota system based on national origin. President Lyndon B. Johnson referred to the old system as "Un-American." -
1986-Immigration Reform and Control Act
Ronald Reagan wanted to slow illegal immigration by punishing employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants. He also wanted to offer a way for long-term, undocumented immigrants to become legal. If they could show they entered the U.S. before January 1982 and lived here continuously, they could apply for amnesty. -
Immigration Act of 1990
More than 80% of American immigrants came from Asia and Latin America. Congress wanted to prevent any one country from making up most of the immigrants to the U.S. No country could account for more than 7% of total immigrants. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
Concerns about the continuing problem of illegal immigration led Congress to pass yet another immigration law. It increased the border patrol staff and stiffened penalties for creating false citizenship papers or smuggling undocumented workers. -
2007
Senate voted down the bill ending any chance of solving the immigration issue during Bush's presidency.
