What Was The Impact Of Immigration 1919-80? Flashcards
1920s immigration
Processed through Eillis Island
Most from Europe- Britain, Ireland, Germany
Because largely a Jewish population, Russian or polish
Im migration pre and during 20s
1917 Immigration Act
1921 Emergency Quota Act
1924 Johnson Reed Immigration Act
Influenced by Red Scare and isolationism
Bombings by anarchists, communist workers strikes, riots: Gov’t try to calm with immigration and deportation
Dillingham Commision 1907-1911
Investigate impact of immigration
Said threatens US society and culture
Distinguish ‘old’ immigrants from England, Ireland, Germany and ‘new’ ‘socially inferior’ immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe
Immigration restriction league
Establish in 1984 to campaign to restrict immigration
Wrote books and pamphlets on dangers of the flood of immigrants from S and E Europe
Members included politicians in Senate and House of Representative
Bill of literacy tests and ‘undesirable’ immigrants rejected as against US traditions and values
Southern American immigrants
Immigrants from South America, especially Mexico, increased rapidly in the late 20s to fill cheap labour
Some ‘official’ immigrants registered with Bureau of Immigration
Other cross illegal by border
Demand for workers (didn’t ask q) and fear of deportation
Began to deport after depression hit
Many went to California to search for work
Effect of immigration
Different neighbourhoods for ethnicities and nationalities eg little Italy or china town
30s, many factories employ a majority of immigrants eg Ford motor factory
2nd generation immigrants move up the social ladder
Immigrants started to take part in politics- particularly democrats- Irish in Boston, Italians in NY
Impact of WW2 on immigrants
Japanese Americans interned during WW2- grounds they may have been spies
‘Racism’ is termed in Supreme Court
War conditions meant govt could use internment
Italian/ German Americans treated more softly
Blame race phobia and war hysteria following pearl harbour
Japanese internment order
Executive order 9066
1946 last camp closed
1988 Govt release apology
Govt policy following WWII
Quota system
Didn’t allow for refugees
Wanted to replace with immigrant regulation
Govt acts following WWII
1952 Immigration and Nationality Act
1953 Refugee Acts allowed certain number into US outside of the quota
After 60s, European immigration to US slowed and more people were accepting
Cuba and immigration
Difficulty coping with large number
Castro seized power in Cuba 1959
US opposed Castro and over 3 years 200,000 Cubans fled to the US
Govt set up Cuban Refugees Programme
Immigration and Nationality Act
1965 immigration and nationality act
Abolishes quotas and sets limits of 170,000 immigrants a year, allows more Asian immigration
Immediate family members of US citizens allowed in outside limit
Law doesn’t apply to Western Hemisphere
Attitudes towards Hispanic immigrants change
1954: immigration and naturalisation service deports illegal immigrants from southern and western states- operation wetback
Hispanic immigrants moving to cities became concern: 83% of hisp population by 1980
Limit set in no entering, some cross border secretly to become ‘illegals’
Illegal immigrants
No exact record, largest no from Mexico, length of border made it hard to control
1980: about 1 million illegal ‘aliens’ were found, arrested and deported
INS: Immigration and Naturalisation Service
Details of operation wetback
1.3 million left (deported or voluntarily)
Increasing disease, unemployment, crime blamed on Mexican immigrants in media
Propaganda used to garner support for immigration control
News created buzz and border control viewed positively, perceived as success