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Naturalization Act
Established a uniform rule of naturalization, and a two-year residency requirement for aliens who are "free white persons" of "good moral character" . -
Alien and Sedition Act
Considered one of the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Naturalization Act of 1798 permits Federalist President John Adams to deport foreigners deemed to be dangerous and increases the residency requirements to 14 years to prevent immigrants, who predominantly voted for the Republican Party, from becoming citizens -
Slaves
Importation of slaves into the United States is officially banned, though it continues illegally long after the ban. -
Enumerating Aliens
Congress passes an act requiring shipmasters to deliver a manifest enumerating all aliens transported for immigration. The Secretary of State is required to report annually to Congress the number of immigrants admitted. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and extends citizenship to the approximately 80,000 Mexicans living in Texas, California, and the American Southwest. -
The Know-Nothings
The Know-Nothings, a nativist political party seeking to increase restrictions on immigration, win significant victories in Congress, a sign of popular dissatisfaction with growing immigration from Catholic Ireland. Protestant Americans feared that growing Catholic immigration would place American society under control of the Pope. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act provides free plots of up to 160 acres of western land to settlers who agree to develop and live on it for at least five years, thereby spurring an influx of immigrants from overpopulated countries in Europe seeking land of their own. -
Anti-Coolie Act
The "Anti-Coolie" Act discourages Chinese immigration to California and institutes special taxes on employers who hire Chinese workers. -
Immigrant Riot
Riots against the draft in New York City involve many immigrants opposed to compulsory military service. -
Immigration Act of 1882
The Immigration Act of 1882 levies a tax of 50 cents on all immigrants landing at US ports and makes several categories of immigrants ineligible for citizenship, including "lunatics" and people likely to become public charges. -
Chinese Exclusion
The Chinese Exclusion Act is again renewed, with no ending date. -
Border Patrol
The Border Patrol is created to combat smuggling and illegal immigration. -
Immigration Cap
The National Origins Formula institutes a quota that caps national immigration at 150,000 and completely bars Asian immigration, though immigration from the Western Hemisphere is still permitted. -
Tydings-McDuffie Act
The Tydings-McDuffie Act grants the Philippines independence from the United States on July 4, 1946, but strips Filipinos of US citizenship and severely restricts Filipino immigration to the United States. -
Alien Registration Act
The Alien Registration Act requires the registration and fingerprinting of all aliens in the United States over the age of 14.
