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Starting in 1790, those who were free and white could gain citizenship if they had lived in the U.S. for two years and had a good character. The new citizens’ children under the age of 21 were given citizenship as well.
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A famine and political conflicts in Ireland caused a mass immigration of the Irish to arrive in the United States. Most arrived in Massachusetts and New York.
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At the end of the Mexican-American war Mexicans who were residing in the claimed states were granted U.S. citizenship if they chose to remain.
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Polish and Russian citizens were facing economic hardships and wanted more job opportunities. Escaping poverty and homelessness they traveled to America for more opportunities.
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African Americans were granted American citizenship in when the 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution. However, their rights were still extremely limited when compared to white counterparts.
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Job opportunities and escape from hardship caused a surge of Chinese immigrants to California. They faced extreme prejudice and hardships upon arrival.
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Political issues and poverty caused a mass number of Italians to immigrate to America for work. Many would work in America to send money back to their families.
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This law inhibited Asians from obtaining citizenship. This act was one of the first to restrict immigration to the U.S. and was set in place mostly to stop Chinese immigrants.
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Created to enforce inspection of immigrants. A list of deportable people was also created. Some of these types of people included "felons, polygamists, insane persons, paupers or persons likely to become a public charge”
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If a woman married a man who was not a U.S. citizen, she would lose her American citizenship. This rule did not apply to men who married women who were not U.S. citizens.
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Puerto Rico citizens were granted U.S. citizenship as Puerto Rico was officially acquired as U.S. territory. U.S. citizenship was given to those who were born on or after April 11th, 1899.
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This act limited the number of Southern and Eastern Europeans to a minimum entry quota.
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During World War II , immigration into the U.S. was limited. Immigration centers often became places where the U.S. held German and Italian prisoners as well as Japanese immigrants.
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Outlined the process by which immigrants could acquire U.S. citizenship through naturalization. The law specified that neither sex nor marital status could be considered in naturalization decisions, but it did outline specifications concerning race and ethnicity.
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This order was established by President Franklin Roosevelt. It was set in place to remove any individuals who were perceived as a threat to America's national security. The Japanese population was the target due to Japan's enemy status to the U.S. during WW2. Japanese Americans, descendants, and immigrants were placed into camps.
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The program granted refugees the right to receive a visa to stay in the U.S.. To receive a visa, they had to give their reason for applying and receive sponsorship from a U.S. citizen.
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The Supreme Court ruled racial segregation as unconstitutional and a violation of American rights. This ruling ensured that African Americans would be treated as fairly and properly as natural U.S. citizens should.
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The ban of civilian discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. All U.S. citizens and inhabitants would be guaranteed to have equal American rights.
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Following the Vietnam War many Cambodians and Vietnamese escaped their war torn country and fled to U.S. This act updated the previous limit of refugess from 17,00 to over 50,000.
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Implemented after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this law reorganized US immigration enforcement, replacing the Immigration and Naturalization Service with the Citizenship and Immigration Services under the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. Required passports to be machine readable.
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This executive order issued by the Obama White House sought to defer deportation and some other protections for unauthorized immigrants whose children were either American citizens or lawful permanent residents.
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The "Muslim Ban" refers to a series of the Trump administration's executive orders that prohibited travel and refugee resettlement from select predominately Muslim countries.