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The 1790 Alien Naturalization Act
This was the first United States nationality law. The act limited naturalization to free white people. Thus slaves, and Indians were excluded. A person applying for residency had to have lived in the United States for two years and one year in the state of residence. It was also part of the law that the person had to have a good moral character. Source: What was the 1790 alien naturalization act. (2007, May 03). Retrieved from http://immigration.procon.org/view.answers,php?questionID=00769 -
California Gold Rush
The gold rush caused a number immigrants to come in hopes of becoming wealthy. Immigrats came from China, Germany, Chile, Mexico, Ireland, Turkey, and France. The Chinese were the largest group of immigrants. As gold became scarce ethnic tensions increased, and California implemented a Foreign Miners Tax which required each foreign miner to pay twenty dollars a month.
Source: California gold rush . (2013, Dec. 2nd). Retrieved from http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html -
Homestead Act of 1862
This act was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln in order to encourage westward expansion. Settlers would be provided 160 acres of land and were required to complete five years of continous residence to recieve ownership of the land. Another options was after sixth months of residency homsteaders could buy the land from the governemnt for a $1.25 per acre. This offer attracted many immigrants from Europe. All they had to do was declar that they intendended to become a citizen. -
Construction on the Transcontinental Railroad Begins
President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act. When the Central Pacific company needed more workers to work on the railroad they began to hire Chinese workers. They even sent people to advertise in China to have people immigrate to the United States to work on the railroad. Source: "Workers of the Central Pacific Railroad." PBS. N.p.. Web. 7 Dec 2013. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tcrr-cprr/. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This act was the first major law that restricted the immigration an ethnic working group in the United States. The Act states that “...in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory...” This act was intended to be ineffect for 10 years. -
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution caused many Mexicans to immigrate to the United States for refuge. U.S immigration officials reported that the poor and sick made up most of the immigrants. However, in 1914 when the fighting was especially bad large numbers of upper class Mexicans began to immigrate. -
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt Signs Executive Order 9066
“Ten weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor U.S. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of any or all people from military areas as deemed necessary or desirable.”("Roosevelt signs executive," 2013). This resulted in 110,000 Japanese Americans being sent to internment camps ("Roosevelt signs executive," 2013). -
The Bracero Program
There was a demand for manual labor in the U.S because of World War II and employment in the crop fields in Mexico were bringing an insufficient harvest so peasants needed more work. The Bracero program allowed for Mexicans to come to the U.S and work on farms. However, the U.S underpaid them. More then three million Mexicans came to work in the Bracero Program. -
War Brides Act
The War Brides Act came after World War II and allowed U.S soldiers to bring their foreign brides and families into the United States. As a result “115,000 British, 7,000 Chinese, 5,000 Filipina, and 800 Japanese spouses were brought to the United States, as well as about 25,000 children” (North American Immigration, 2011).Source:North American Immigration. (2011, June 03). War brides act. Retrieved from http://northamericanimmigration.org/312-war-brides-act-act-of-december-28-1945-1945.html -
Displaced Persons Act
The Displaced Persons Act was an attempted to help resettle Europeans that were displaced from their homes because of World War II (Boyd, 2011). In a two year time period the Act allowed for 200,000 displaced persons to come to America (Boyd, 2011). Source: Boyd, J. (2011, April 10). Immigration in america. Retrieved from http://immigrationinamerica.org/464-displaced-persons-act-of-1948.html -
The Refugee Act of 1980
The Refugee Act of 1980 established a legal basis for people to receive refugee or asylum status. It also allowed for resettlement assistance to new refugees in order to help them get started. From 1980-2010 the Refugee Act as allowed for three million people to resettle or find protection in the United States (Meissner, 2010). Source:Meissner, D. (2010, September 21). Thirty years of the refugee act of 1980. Retrieved from http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/publication/2010/09/201009 -
Plyler v. Doe
In 1982, the Supreme Court rules in Plyler v. Doe that public schools were prohibited from denying immigrant students access to a public education. The Court stated that undocumented children have the same right to a free public education as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Wright , Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners. philadelphia: Caslon Publishing, 2010. Print. -
Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987
This act was passed in response the the Vietnam War. This law helped Amerasian children born during the Vietnam war immigrate to the United States (Lutz, 2011). As of 2009 about 25,000 Vietnamese Amerasians and about 65,000 of their relatives have immigrated to the United States under this law (Lutz, 2011). Source:Lutz, R. C. (2011, May 25). Amerasian homecoming at of 1987. Retrieved from http://immigrationinamerica.org/337-amerasian-homecoming-act-of-1987.html -
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act the funding of benefits for legal immigrants are reduced by 22 billion (NSAW,1996). SSI and Food stamps are denied to illegal immigrants until they become U.S citizens. Illegal immigrants are also denied Medicaid coverage under this law (NSAW, 1996). Source:NASW. (1996, August ). Personal responsibility and work opportunity reconciliation act of 1996. Retrieved from http://www.naswdc.org/advocacy/welfare/legislation/summary. -
The Minuteman Project
Civilians volunteered to patrol the Arizona-Mexico Border and report movements to the U.S border control.
