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MayFlower
MayflowerThe Mayflower like many other ship at this time, brought Pilgrims to North America in 1620. These English immigrants were on their way to The New World, or America, where other English immigrants had permission to settle. Unfortunately, due to harsh weather conditions the ship failed to stay on course and ended up in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts -
Articles of confederation
ArticlesA temporary solution to government before the constitution was formed. This defined who was an immigrant and who was a U.S. citizen. This ended up giving each state the right to choose citizenship for state and who was a citizen in the new American country. -
The Naturalization Act
Naturalization ActThis Act was created to provide a citizenship to any white male or female immigrant who could prove they were of moral character and would follow the oath of the constitution. This Citizenship was granted not only by federal law, but by state and local court as well. The immigrants had a two year period in which they could prove themselves worthy of citizenship. -
The Homestead Act
Homestead ActThe U.S. congress offered an opportunity for immigrants and citizens to buy land for $1.25 per acre or less. This law attracted people to settle in the Midwest and West. When the low cost of acres was announced people came from the East and Europe. Immigrants traveled from all around to the United States so they could own their own piece of land. -
First Transcontinetal Rail Road
First Transcontinental Rail RoadThe first transcontinental railroad stretched from San Francisco to Omaha and it allowed continuous travel by railroad from coast to coast. The Central Pacific hired the Chinese laborers and the Irish laborers were hired by the Union Pacific to build the railroad. The railroad once completed allowed people living in America the ability to immigrate to Mexico controlled California. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese Exclusion ActThis act was created to stop the Chinese immigrants what had come into the United States from obtaining jobs that the White Americans wanted. Though this act was repealed because the United States needed to keep its relationship with China; the racism that occurred in the country towards the Chinese still managed to drive away some Chinese immigrants back to the poor economy of China. -
Ellis Island opens
Ellis islandEllis Island is a part of the statue of Liberty monument. From the time it opened in 1892 to 1954 over twelve million immigrants passed though Ellis Island to enter the United States. These were the European Immigrants who had traveled by boat to the United States for hopes of starting a new life. This Island is where inspections of passengers for any disease or illness occurred before they entered the United States. This is also where the immigrants were documented. -
Supreme Court Case U.S. vs Wong Kim Ark
Wong CaseThis Supreme Court case helped define citizenship based on the 14th Amendment Citizenship wasn’t given to people by birth before this case. This Case went through the 14th Amendment and gave the Supreme Court the decision that all persons born in the United States shall be granted citizenship. This gave many first generation immigrants the ability t become citizens. -
Angel Island Open
Angel IslandAngel Island is the island that allowed passage of Asian immigrants to pass into the United States through California from 1910-1940. Angel Island worked a lot like Ellis Island. The immigrants traveled by boat to the island. The immigrants were than inspected for disease and documented as they were cleared to enter the United States. -
Mexican Revolution
Mexican RevolutionThe Mexican revolution was caused by disagreements between a dictator based government and many plantain farmers. The revolution occurred for about ten years. Because of the violence and the prolonged fighting many Mexican civilians crossed the border and immigrated to the United States to escape the fighting. -
U.S. Border Patrol Established
Border PatrolCongress passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 which established the border patrol. The border patrols duty was to patrol the Mexican and United States border. This was the first establishment of any kind of border defendants in the United States, and after a few years spread to the Pacific coast as well. -
California proposition 187
Proposition 187In 1994 Californians voted to pass proposition 187 which denied public benefits to any illegal immigrant in California. This proposition brought up major controversy in the United States. Some of the public benefits that the immigrants would lose were funding for schools and universities. Later this proposition was ruled unconstitutional. -
Arizona Proposition 1070
SB1070The state of Arizona passes the proposition 1070. This proposition requires a personas immigration status to be checked with the government. If they were found here illegally they are to be deported immediately. The circumstances on which the government officials could ask for immigration status were simply based upon request. This caused a great amount of controversy in the Supreme Court -
Immigrant Children Can Stay
Obama ArticleMany illegal immigrants were brought into the United States at a young age by their parents. President Obama passed a policy to allow this young immigrants who have been raised in the United States the ability to stay without fear of deportation. Normally these immigrants would have been deported immediately. -
Supreme Court uphold Arizona law of 2010
Supreme Court on ArizonaAfter a few years of discussing the state of Arizona’s proposition 1070 the Supreme Court decides to uphold the proposition. This Shows the current ruling and view of immigration in the country is still held by the states similar to the time when the Articles of Confederation.
