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During this time period, only white men and women who lived in the U.S. for 2 or more years were eligible to become American citizen. Immigrants and African American slaves were not qualified/eligible for the citizenry.
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This is a brief timespan of America's citizenry evolution.
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The Civil War was caused by a number of issues, the legalization of slavery being one of them. Due to the Union winning the war, slavery was abolished. Therefore, African Americans who were born within the U.S. or freed from slavery were considered U.S. citizens and were entitled to life, liberty, and property after the 14th Amendment was passed.
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During this time period, a large fluctuation of immigrants poured into the United States, causing an imbalance in citizens and their well-being. Because of this, President Arthur and Congress created what is known as America's first immigration act. This law created restrictions, or in other words, qualifications an immigrant must meet in order to enter the country. For example, they were to be well-kept, responsible, and able to care for themselves.
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Similar to the act of 1882, this immigration law focused on creating more restrictions for newcomers. For example, new immigration officers were to ensure the person had a clean bill of health, was not a danger to others, etc.
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Ellis Island was the first official immigration station in the United States. Approximately 12 million immigrants arrived through this station within its lifespan of 62 years.
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These immigration acts had a similar purpose to the others, which was to create more restrictions for immigrants entering the U.S...Specifically speaking, the act of 1917 created literacy restrictions on immigrants, making it harder for 3rd world immigrants to be allowed entry. Meanwhile, the act of 1924 created a limitation of how many immigrants were allowed in the country per year.
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After the terrors of World War II, thousands of European refugees fled to America. In order to create space for these refugees and to maintain a balance, accommodations were made, and the Europeans found permanent residence within the U.S.
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This act disregarded 45 years of U.S. regulation by abolishing the natural origin immigration system held by the U.S. since 1920. With this act, immigrants migrating from the non-European territory were allowed entry into the U.S.