Immigration and Important Events

  • Naturalization Act of 1970

    Allowed free white people to apply for citizenship. Had to be in good character, have lived in the U.S. for at least 2 years, and take an oath of allegiance. Children of the citizen are covered under the act as well.
  • Naturalization Act of 1870

    Restricted citizenship to white and African descent persons. Excluding Asians from becoming citizens.
  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    The act prevented Chinese to immigrate to America, supposed to last 10 years. Racism was prevalent and many felt the Chinese were stealing jobs.
  • Immigration Act of 1903

    Increased the Government's power to regulate immigration.
  • Immigration Act of 1917

    Imposed more restrictions on immigration. Added a literacy test to the citizenship test and increased the restrictions of those who could not immigrate.
  • Labor Appropriation Act of 1924

    Congress passed Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 which created the US Border Patrol.
  • Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are Executed

    Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian-born anarchists who were executed in Boston. They were accused of murdering two men during a robbery in 1920. However, many believed they were innocent and due to the "Red Scare" they were not given a fair trial.
  • Ellis Island becomes apart of the Statue of Liberty National Monument

    President Lyndon B. Johnson passed Proclamation 3656, which addedEllis Island to the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Therefore Ellis Island is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
  • President Lyndon Johnson Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act

    The amendments include abolishing the immigration quota and the basis for immigration.
  • Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

    Also known as the Hart-Cellar Act, ended the quota system regulating immigration. Replaced with a system favoring those who had American relatives.
  • Bilingual Education Act (BEA) is Passed

    President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the BEA. The BEA provided schools with federal money to help students who only know a limited amount of English.
  • President Bill Clinton passes the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act

    The Act created stronger border security and created new eligibility requirements to receive public benefits.
  • 9/11

    The attacks on September 11 by terrorists, increased national security and racial discrimination.
  • USA PATRIOT Act

    The USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) is signed by Bush and is desgined to help prevent terrorism.
  • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Was Created

    The DHS is created and deals with immigration issues.