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The First Settlers Arrive
This was the beginning of the colonial era. The Brittish and Euruopean colonist began to settle on the eastern shore of the United States. Their excursions began this year however it is not known which month or day they came. -
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The History of Immigration
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African Slaves are Imported
Although African American slaves were taken here without their consent or control, I still consider it an important moment in the history of immigration. To be forced to migrate to a new country is considerably like how now children are taken here illegally without any say and some are mistreated, not saying to the extent of African American slaves, but the main idea is that some are forced to migrate illegally. Slavery will forever be a major historical impact to the United State's of America. -
The French and Indian War
The Seven Years' War is a monumental bloody war between the French and the Brittish. The reason I see this as a major moment in immigration history is because it was a fight over foreign land, and pretty much which country would rein supreme over the other in an area they both migrated to. Many native americans were involved allies and were killed. -
The End of the French and Indian War
This war is considered a Brittish Victory however both countries suffered from long term consequences financially and it changed the relationship between the two countries. In result, the Native Americans lost an allie in France and had a wide opening for the Brittish to take over. -
The Naturalization Act of 1790
These were the first acts on immigration created by the U.S. government that provided the rules in granting of national citizenship. They applied to free white men of good moral character and clearly left out any other ethnicity and slaves. This act was then superceeded by the Naturalization Act of 1795 which extenede the residents requirement to five years. -
Mexican-American War
This day marks the day the Americans went to war with Mexico which stemed from the anexation of Texas which both sides believed that part of Texas was theirs. The U.S. did win the war which resulted in them taking control of that part of land for money. Many opposed this war at the time however it provided most of the border we have with Mexico to this day. The Mexican population living in those territories were eventually granted U.S. citizenship. The war lasted until February 2, 1848. -
The Chinese Immigration Wave
Since the 1850's, Chinese immigrants began to increasingly migrate to the U.S. for many reasons. One of the major reasons was for the pursuit of the California Gold Rush, then shortly after to build their part of the transcontinental railroad, the central pacific railroad. Eventually hundred of thousands of Chinese immigrants were a part of the U.S.. This lead to many Anti-Chinese riots in the 1880's. -
Congress put in Charge
Due to the case of Henderson v. Mayer of New York, the Supreme court ruled that immigration is under federal control and that regulation is the responsibility of the federal government. This is because the Supreme court found the sea side states laws unconstitutional. What this ruling did is have the whole country follow a uniform system of immigration.In today's society, there is constant debate between state laws and federal laws on illegal immigration. -
The Fourteenth Ammendment
This law defines who a United States Citizen is. Many major supreme court cases and controversy has lead to the revision and debate of this ammendment such as Dred Scott v. Sandford and Brown v. Board of Education. -
The first immigration checkpoint
There are now many immigration checkpoints throughout the U.S. however the first one was opened this day on Ellis Island in New York's harbor. The very first people considered immigrants to the United States, were processed here. The first immigrants were indeed Irish. -
Immigration Act of 1924
This act, otherwise known as the Johnson-Reed act limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to only 2% of the population already living in the United States from that country. -
The Immigration and Nationality Act
This act organized and now provides one solid law for immigration. Before a variety of statutes governed immigration, now this act outlines and structures the law of the land when it comes to immigration. This act is also known as the McCaran-Walter Immigration act and is codified under Title 8 of the United States Code. The Act also abolished racial restrictions and provided guidlines to get citizenship. -
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
This event pressured the government to take national security a lot more seriously. When the terrorist attack happened in the United States, it highlighted the fact our national security was not at its best and that many safety precautions needed to be added. This was the ignitiative for the future of many national security laws such as the Patriot Act and an emphasis on protecting our borders. -
Secure Fence Act
This act enabled the government to spend tax payer money to be spent on building hundreds of miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. This is controversial because it is not a guarantee that the fence is stoping immigrants from crossing the border illegally and is costing tax payers a huge amount of money. -
Arizona SB 1070
The Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, or SB1070, is a law that is anti- illegal immigration that was signed into law by Arizona govenor Jan Brewer. Where there is reasonable suspicion, an individual can be asked there immigration status if they were lawfully stopped or detained. The feedback from this law has caused an awful amount of attention and controversy world wide. -
The DREAM Act enforced by President Obama
This is a very monumental move made by the president to allow illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to stay in the country. This law has impacted many youth estimated to about 800,000 people. These youth must be on a righteous path by attending school, or being a part of the military and no criminals are still allowed access to the U.S.. -
The Supreme Court Upholds SB1070
The very controversial law in Arizona, SB1070, is supported by a split vote from the Supreme Court. Most of the debatable provisions were considered constitutional however some were blocked because they were found to interfere with the federal government and their role in setting immigration policy.
