6. A Nation of Immigrants’ Flashcards
Chinese Exclusion Act of ……
1882.
o Early immigration laws, like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, aimed to exclude specific ethnic groups. This act marked the beginning of immigration legislation based on race, ethnicity, and political ideology.
Johnson-Reed Act
o The Immigration Act of 1924 (also known as the Johnson-Reed Act) established a quota system limiting immigration, favoring Northern and Western Europeans and restricting immigration from other parts of the world.
….. Immigration and Nationality Act
o The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act ended racial quotas, encouraging immigration from all parts of the world. However, it also imposed numerical limits on visas available to residents of other American countries.
The Immigration and Nationality Act abolished quotas, opening the doors to “those who can contribute most to this country – to its growth, to its strength, to its spirit.” The new law created a preference system that focused on immigrants’ skills and family relations with citizens or U. S. residents.
Colonial Period (1607-1776)
- Early Settlement: European settlers, primarily from England, but also Dutch, French, and Spanish, arrive in North America, establishing colonies. This period is characterized by an “open door” policy, encouraging European immigration to populate the colonies.
- No Centralized Policy: Immigration is largely overseen by colonial governors and the British Parliament.
- Involuntary Immigration: Africans are brought to the colonies as slaves, an involuntary migration that significantly impacts the demographics and social structure of the colonies.
Early Republic (1776-1875), initial attitude
- Initial Encouragement: Immigration is seen as essential for economic growth.
Naturalization Act of 1790:
Citizenship is limited to “free white persons,” reflecting racial and ethnic biases of the era.
19th Century Waves:
Immigration increases, particularly from Ireland, Germany, and China, due to economic opportunities like industrialization and the gold rush.
o Irish Immigration: The Irish Famine (1845-1852) leads to a significant influx of Irish immigrants, who face anti-Catholic sentiments.
o German and Scandinavian Immigration: These groups contribute significantly to agriculture and settlement in the Midwest.
* Emergence of Nativism: Increased immigration triggers nativist sentiments and discriminatory practices.
California Gold Rush
1849: The California Gold Rush brings large numbers of Chinese and non-Anglo-Saxon European immigrants, leading to legislation aimed at controlling the origins of immigrants.
1875 Legislation
Legislation is passed to exclude specific lower-class social groups, including criminals and prostitutes.
Chinese Exclusion Act
This is the first significant federal law targeting a specific ethnic group, excluding Chinese laborers and marking the beginning of immigration legislation based on race, ethnicity, and political ideology.
o This act is extended indefinitely from 1892-1902.
o It is repealed in 1943 by President Roosevelt, who enacts a quota act instead.
Gentleman’s Agreement
- 1907 Gentleman’s Agreement: An informal agreement with Japan where the US does not formally restrict Japanese immigration, and Japan agrees to limit emigration to the US.
the restrictions primarily aim at:
There is increasing restrictions on wider Asian immigration, and nativism rises, reflecting fear of non-European immigrants.
Immigration Restriction League
Formed in the 1890s by old New England families, reflecting fears of a “wild motley throng” of immigrants.
Rise of Restrictionist Sentiment: The Immigration Restriction League and others called for an end to unchecked immigration, fearing that the US would be populated by “Slav, Latin and Asiatic races”.
1906 Commission
President Theodore Roosevelt establishes a commission to study the “problem” of immigration, which produces a report that distinguishes between “old” and “new” immigration.
“Old” Immigrants: These were predominantly from Western and Northern Europe, including groups from countries like England, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia. These immigrants were seen as more assimilable and were generally accepted as fitting more closely with the American ideal.
“New” Immigrants: These were mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italians, Polish, Russian Jews, and other groups from countries in the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. These immigrants were often viewed with suspicion, as they were perceived to have different cultural practices, languages, and religions (especially Catholicism and Judaism, in contrast to the predominantly Protestant “old” immigrants).
By distinguishing between these two groups, the commission reflected the nativist attitudes of the time, which often regarded “old” immigrants as more desirable and “new” immigrants as a potential threat to the American way of life. This distinction helped cement racial, ethnic, and cultural biases that would influence U.S. immigration policies for years to come, contributing to the establishment of restrictions and quotas based on national origin later in the 1920s.
In short, Roosevelt’s commission helped formalize a division in American immigration attitudes, one that reflected a growing xenophobia and fear of cultural dilution from the “new” immigrants. This distinction laid the groundwork for later immigration legislation, including the Immigration Act of 1924, which severely restricted immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe.
Immigration Act of 1924
This act establishes national origin quotas, favoring Northern and Western Europeans, limiting immigration from other parts of the world, and further identifying specific racial and ethnic groups as “undesirable,” especially those from Asia and Southern and Eastern Europe.
o The act sets an overall limit of 150,000 immigrants annually from outside the Western Hemisphere, divided into quotas based on the proportion of each nationality in the US population as of 1920.
National Origins Quotas:
These quotas reflect racial and ethnic biases, as they are based on the 1920 census, and were intended to limit the number of immigrants, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe.
- Great Depression Impact:
The Great Depression drastically reduces immigration numbers, and by 1933 only 34,000 immigrants arrive.
- World War II Era:
Special enactments are made to allow wives and children of servicemen to enter the US.
Changing Attitudes in the Post-WWII & Civil Rights Era (1945-1965)
The children of the great migration from 1890-1914 come of age and become powerful in voting booths, which, along with a postwar economic boom, leads to changing attitudes about immigration.
President Truman uses the concept of the US as a “nation of immigrants”
- 1950s: President Truman uses the concept of the US as a “nation of immigrants” to emphasize its assimilatory successes during the Cold War.
John F. Kennedy publishes A Nation of Immigrants, popularizing the idea.
1958
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
This act is a major reform that ends national origin quotas, focusing instead on family reunification and skilled immigrants, marking a move toward more equitable policies.
o It also imposes the first ever numerical limits on visas available to residents of other American countries, notably Mexico and Canada.
Modern Immigration (1965-Present)
- Increased Diversity: Immigration from Latin America and Asia increases significantly, due in part to the 1965 Act.
- The law’s effects are revolutionary, and contribute to an increase in minority cultures being visible.
…… Immigration Reform and Control Act
1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act: This act criminalizes Americans who knowingly employ illegal immigrants, showing that public opinion and legislation had become restrictive again.
