Explore the emergence of nativism in the United States, the advent of federal immigration restrictions, and the shift in immigrant demographics. The text delves into the Dillingham Commission's influence on policy, the national origins quota system, and the consequences of restrictive immigration laws. It concludes with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which transformed U.S. immigration policy and its legacy.
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Nativism is the political policy of promoting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants
Influx of Immigrants
Nativism grew in response to the large influx of immigrants, particularly those from regions outside of Northern and Western Europe
Cultural and Religious Differences
Anti-immigrant feelings were fueled by cultural and religious differences between the predominantly Protestant American-born population and immigrants from Ireland and Germany
The American Party, also known as the Know Nothing Party, saw brief success in the 1850s as a political expression of nativist sentiments
The United States federal government began to enact significant immigration restrictions in the 1880s, including the Immigration Act of 1882 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Office of the Superintendent of Immigration
The Immigration Act of 1891 established the Office of the Superintendent of Immigration, which later evolved into the Bureau of Immigration, responsible for the inspection and admission of immigrants at designated entry points
U.S. Border Patrol
In response to unauthorized immigration, the U.S. government established the U.S. Border Patrol in 1924 to intensify deportation efforts
The demographic profile of immigrants shifted at the turn of the 20th century, with a growing number of arrivals from Eastern and Southern Europe, leading to increased nativist anxieties
Despite its reformist impulses, the Progressive Era supported restrictive immigration policies, as seen in the establishment of the Dillingham Commission in 1911
Immigration Act of 1917
The Immigration Act of 1917 introduced literacy tests and barred immigration from the "Asiatic Barred Zone," reflecting racial prejudices of the period
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 established the national origins quota system, limiting annual immigration based on nationality and census data
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 further tightened quotas, disproportionately favoring immigrants from Northern and Western Europe over those from Southern and Eastern Europe
Restrictive immigration policies institutionalized xenophobia and racism, leading to discrimination, lower-wage jobs, and substandard living conditions for immigrants
00
The ______ Party, also known as the Know Nothing Party, was a political group that embodied anti-immigrant sentiments in the 1850s.
American
01
Immigrants from ______, ______, and ______ were initially more accepted in the U.S. compared to those from other regions.
England
Germany
Ireland
02
After the Civil War, the ______ Court declared immigration regulation a responsibility of the federal government.
Supreme
