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The Naturalization Act
Established a uniform rule of naturalization and a two-year residency requirement for aliens who are of "good moral", I believe this is an important event because it has changed since it is no longer two year of residency required but five, along with other requirements but this act was the foundation of the requirements for immigration that we have today. -
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Immigration events
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Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves
Importation of slaves into the United States is officially banned, though it continues illegally long after the ban, I believe thi event is important because it is the start of retrictions dealing with immigration/ importation and also the start of people refusing to obey those rules. -
Act requiring shipmasters to deliver a manifest enumerating all aliens trasported for immigration
Congress passes an act requiring shipmasters to deliver a manifest enumerating all aliens transported for immigration. The Secretary of State is required to report annually to Congress the number of immigrants admitted. I believe this is an important event because this was the beginning of what we know now as visas, where the immigrant has an alien number, which is the same as what they did at this point of time, this idea has been modified but its still the same concept. -
The First Cesus taking people born outside of the U.s into account
For the first time, the United States Census surveys the "nativity" of citizens (born inside or outside the US). I believe this is an important event since it is where the U.S first made a census including foreighners, which make me think about the census now a days and how much it has changed in number of immigrants since then. -
The Homestead Act
Provided free land of up to 160 acres to settlers who would agree to develop and live on it for at least five years, increasing the quantity of immigrants from overpopulated countries in Europe seeking land of their own. I also believe this event to be important because it is a reason as to why the U.S is considered a mixing pot. -
Alien Contract Labor Law
Prohibited any company or individual from bringing foreigners into the United States under contract to perform labor. The only exceptions were those immigrants brought to perform domestic service and skilled workmen who were needed to help establish a new trade or industry in the US. This event is important because it is the faundation of what we have now or are considering to have which would be a "working visa" were an immigrant could come and work in the U.S. -
Ellis Island Opens
When the location at which more than 16 million immigrants would be processed, opens in New York City. This is an important event because ellis island was where immigrants would go and be processed but now there are several different locations where this takes place but the original idea resides with the opening of Ellis Islan as well as the country opening its doord to immigrants. -
The Geary Act extends the Chinese Exclusion Act
This extended the act for ten more years, and adds the requirement that all Chinese residents carry permits, as well as excluding them from serving as witnesses in court and from bail in habeus corpus proceedings. I think this event is important because I feel this issue is repeatinf itself once more, mostly because of the SB1070 which requires immigrants to carry their residency cards. But aside form that point the rest of the act is no longer in action. -
The Naturalization Act of 1906
This Act standardizes naturalization procedures, which makes knowledge of the English language a requirement for citizenship. This event is important because it is the beginnig of standards for citizenship as opposed to now when not only is English required but a basic knowledge of U.S. history is required as well, which some might say has made it harder to aquire citizenship. -
The Expatriation Act of 1907
This Act declares that an American woman who marries a foreign national loses her citizenship, as well as retains woman who married and aquired citizenship in the process after the marrige is over. This event is important because not only does it not apply anymore but it has been changed and due to this many marry for the citizenship and then divorce but this has also changed to an specialist to judge wheather the couple married for love or for the citizenship. -
The Immigration Act of 1917
This Act barred all immigrants over the age of sixteen who were illiterate from gaining citizenship and created an “Asiatic Barred Zone”, which is a region that included much of Asia and the Pacific Islands where people could not immigrate. This is an important event because it shows how prejudice the country was back then and how although this act has changed, it seem like the prejudice acts involving immigrants have not. -
The Red Scare
It was an outbreak of fear and violence against people considered to be political radicals and foreigners considered to be susceptible to communist propaganda and more likely to be involved in the Bolshevik Revolution. This event is one the most important one because history has once again repeated itself but this time with immigrants from Iraq due to terrorist atacks and are now being judged because of their origin. -
The Border Patrol is created
It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the United States. This is also an important event because it was the development of homeland security which has increased in numbers due to the high quantity of illegal passage to the U.S. -
U.S.A enters World War Two
The number of new arrivals began to increase again during the late 1940s, and has risen steadily since that time. Since men were going to war immigrants entered the U.S to do work americans could not do while at war, this is an important event because it was like when the U.S was giving land away and immigrants came for it, this event lead to an increase in immigrants and so has contributed to todays immigrant families who were not originated in the U.S. -
SB1070
it is a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying the required documents, required that state law enforcement officers attempt to determine an individual's immigration status during a "lawful stop, detention or arrest", or during a "lawful contact" not specific to any activity when there is reasonable suspicion that the individual is an illegal immigrant. This is an important because as one could see from the timeline similar events have ocurred before.
