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On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies gained independence from Great Britain, signing the Declaration of Independence.
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/ -
Any white man of "good moral" may gain citizenship after two years of living in the U.S.
Five years later (1795), the law is amended and now requires at least five years of U.S. residency.
Xenophobia in the country continues to rise until John Adams amends the law in 1798 to 14 years of residency. ment is reduced to five years.
http://library.uwb.edu/static/USimmigration/1790_naturalization_act.html -
The Alien Friends Act allowed the president to deport anyone seemed like a potential threat. Authorized deportation.
The Alien Enemies Act gives the president power to deport males of hostile nations during war.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/30/how-u-s-immigration-laws-and-rules-have-changed-through-history/
http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Alien_Enemies_Act_of_1798/ -
Tensions rise between America and Mexico as they fight over what land is currently known as Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico.
http://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war -
The U.S. gains ownership over Arizona, creating a treaty with Mexico and putting an end to the Mexican-American War.
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Guadalupe.html -
The 14th Amendment gives African Americans and former slaves citizenship rights and equal protection of the law.
http://www.14thamendment.us/amendment/14th_amendment.html -
The 15th Amendment gives African American men the right to vote. "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html -
President Taft signs Arizona into U.S. statehood.
http://arizonaexperience.org/remember/arizona-statehood -
The 1921 Emergency Quota Act limited the amount people immigrating to the US by setting limits of immigrants per country.
http://library.uwb.edu/static/usimmigration/1921_emergency_quota_law.html -
The Labor Appropriation Act established the U.S. border control to increase security
http://appropriations.house.gov/subcommittees/subcommittee/?IssueID=34777 -
The Bracero Agreement allowed the use of Mexican labor on US farms.
http://braceroarchive.org/about -
AKA McCarren-Walter Act: Breaks racial barrier between U.S. and several countries (i.e. China).
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mccarren-walter-act-goes-into-effect -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 overcame legal state and local barriers that prevented African Americans from voting (15th Amendment)
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act -
Gives law enforcement the power to question/arrest individuals they are suspicious of based on race.
https://www.aclu.org/feature/arizonas-sb-1070 -
Amended SB 1070, stated that the law cannot judge by race, color, or national origin. Also clarified "reasonable suspicion".
http://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/analysis-of-arizonas-immigration-law.aspx
