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Beginning of Colonial Immigration; English Settlers Arrive in America
This is when settlers started to land in America. This marked the beginning of a nation. -
First Alien Naturalization Act Enacted by the Newly Created US Government
This act provided the first rules to be followed by all of the United States in the granting of national citizenship. The law was limited to aliens who were 'free white persons' and did not include indentured servants, slaves, and most women, all of whom were considered dependents and thus incapable of casting an independent vote. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo Results in US Acquiring Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Parts of Utah and Nevada from Mexico
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War and extended citizenship to about 80,000 Mexicans living in Texas, California, and the American Southwest. -
Supreme Court Rules that Congress Alone Can Regulate Immigration
Massachusetts and New York passed laws taxing and otherwise impeding immigrants. -
Emancipation Proclamation; freeing slaves
President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation into law, ratifying the freedom of slaves in the U.S. -
Treaty of Burlingame Signed with China Allowing Free Migration between China and the US
The United States government decided that the free immigration provision to counter the Chinese government’s prohibition of its subjects emigrating. Another clause stipulated that 'Chinese subjects visiting or residing in the United States, shall enjoy the same privileges, immunities, and exemptions in respect to travel or residence, as may there be enjoyed by the citizens or subjects of the most favored nation. -
Chinese Exclusion Act Passes and Immigration Exclusion Era Begins
The Chinese Exclusion Act effectively halted Chinese immigration for ten years and prohibited Chinese from becoming US citizens. -
The Immigration Act
The Immigration Act of 1882 levies a tax of 50 cents on all immigrants landing at US ports and makes several categories of immigrants ineligible for citizenship, including “lunatics” and people likely to become public charges. -
Expatriation Act of 1907
This act stated that American women who marry immigrants would lose their citizenship. This helped the prevention of immigrants becoming U.S. citizens. -
Mexican Revolution Drives Thousands of Mexicans across the US-Mexican Border
Mexican Revolution sends thousands of peasants to the U.S. border seeking safety and employment. -
US Congress Authorizes "Mounted Inspectors" Along the US-Mexico Border
Mounted watchmen of the U.S. Immigration Service patrolled the border in an effort to prevent illegal crossings -
US Border Patrol Established
Congress passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924, officially establishing the U.S. Border Patrol for the purpose of securing the borders between inspection stations. -
Minuteman Project Begins Recruiting Civilians to Patrol the US-Mexico Border
In Arizona, a group calling itself the Minuteman Project has stationed scores of men and women along the Mexican border in a controversial effort to track down undocumented immigrants. -
Controversial Arizona Bill (SB 1070)
This is the most restrictive immigration bill in the country. It will be a state crime to be in the country illegally, and legal immigrants will be required to carry paperwork proving their status. -
US Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Law Penalizing Businesses That Hire Undocumented Immigrants
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Arizona law that imposes sanctions against businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
