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English colonists land May 24 at Jamestown, Virginia, under the patent of the London Company.
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At Jamestown, 20 blacks were landed to be sold as slaves
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The Mayflower anchors off Plymouth on December 21, and the colonists from England begin to disembark.
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The federal government requires two years of residency for naturalization
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The U.S. establishes first Native American reservation and policy of dealing with each tribe as an independent nation.
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increased the period necessary for immigrants to become naturalized citizens in the United States from 5 to 14 years.
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Congress bans the importation of slaves.
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Potato crop fails in Ireland sparking the Potato Famine which kills one million and prompts almost 500,000 to immigrate to America over the next five years.
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The California Gold Rush sparks first mass immigration from China.
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California Senate committee investigates the “social, moral, and political effect of Chinese immigration.”
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Italy’s troubled economy, crop failures, and political climate begin the start of mass immigration with nearly four million Italian immigrants arriving in the United States.
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Congress establishes a civil government in Puerto Rico and the Jones Act grants U.S. citizenship to island inhabitants. U.S. citizens can travel freely between the mainland and the island without a passport.
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The U.S. enters World War I and anti-German sentiment swells at home. The names of schools, foods, streets, towns, and even some families, are changed to sound less Germanic.
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The Immigration Act of 1965 abolishes quota system in favor of quota systems with 20,000 immigrants per country limits. Preference is given to immediate families of immigrants and skilled workers.
