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Declaration of Independence
Fifty-six men signed and adopted the Declaration of Independence. -
Naturalization Act
Congress developed a new rule that all free white people could apply for citizenship after being a resident for 2 years. -
Immigration Act of 1819
This set standards for vessels bringing immigrants. Ship captains had to provide customs officials with a list of immigrants describing where they came from, where they were going, and their age, sex, and occupation.
http://immigration-online.org/190-manifest-of-immigrants-act-united-states-1819.html -
Dred Scott Decision
This held that the federal government had no power regulating slavery and people of the African decent were not protect by the Constitution and therefore not citizens. -
14th Amendment
African Americans gain citizenship. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island opened to screen immigrants entering on the east coast. Women were deported if not met by a man.
http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm -
Immigration Act
This act added to the list of undesirables banned from the U.S.
http://library.uwb.edu/guides/usimmigration/1917_immigration_act.html -
Quota Act
The Quota Act placed a limit on the number of immigrants permitted from each country in the Western Hemisphere.
http://www.maltamigration.com/history/exodus/chapter4-3.shtml -
Border Patrol
The border patrol was created to stop smuggling and illegal immigration.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/border_patrol/border_patrol_ohs/history.xml -
1965 Immigration Act
This immigration reform removed quotas and established the basis for today’s immigration laws. The creators and supporters said that the Act would not affect the number of immigrants coming into the country. Rather, it serves as a symbolic extension of civil rights to the rest of the world.
http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/usa/immigrationact.html -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
This provided amnesty for many illegal aliens and sanctions for employers hiring illegals.
http://www.uscis.gov -
Immigration act of 1990
Revised all the grounds for deportation and exclusion which increased the limits on legal immigration. The revised act continued to support people with family members that already worked in the United States, but added 50,000 "diversity visas" for countries from which few were emigrating.
https://www.numbersusa.com/text?ID=210 -
Patriot Act
This put immigration under the control of the newly created Department of Homeland Security and tripled the budget for Border Patrol agents along the Canadian border.http://www.cis.org/articles/2001/back1501.html -
DREAM Act
This provides a path to citizenship for undocumented students that have lived in America since they were young children.
http://dreamact.info/ -
SB1070
Thia Arizona Immigration Law, Senate Bill 1070 is an attempt by Arizona to control illegal immigration. The law became controversial because of a provision that allows Arizona police officers to inquire about a person’s immigration status if they have reasonable doubt of that person’s status.
http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=sb1070
