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Naturalization Act
Established that only free whites are eligable for citizenship after a residency requirement or 2 years -
Naturalization Act #2
Requires that eacxh alien residing in the US must register with the government and raises the residence requirement for naturalization to 14 years -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Rioters protest the limited rights of immigrants and surpressed criticism of the federal government brought by these acts -
Residency Requirements
Congress reduced the Residency requirements from 14 years to 5. -
Slavery
The importation of slaves is made illegal -
Irish Potato Famine
1845-1851 The Irish Potato Famine leads to a massive immigrationof Irish to the US -
California Gold Rush
Gold was dicovered in John Sutter's mill, setting off the California goldrush and lead to the mass immigration of thousands of Chinese people to the US West Coast -
Treaty of Guadalupe
Ending the war with Mexico, the US garunteed citizenship to Mexucan Subjects in new territories, including California. Federal courts later cite this treaty as removing racial bars to Naturalization for mexican settlers. -
Revolutionary Germany
Revolutionary activities in germany began in Germany, but the failure of the Revolution in 1849 led to many Germans immigratin to the US -
Period: to
Know-Nothing Party
Tried unsuccessfully to increase restrictions on naturalization. -
Dred Scott vs Sanford
US Supreme Court rules that all blacks (Slave and Free) were not, nor ever could be, citizens of the US -
14th Amendment
Granted citizenship to those US-born, cementing the status of blacks but leaving uncertainty to other minority groups. -
Naturalization Act
Limited American citizenship to "White perons and persons of African Descent," barring Asians from US citizenship. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Restricts Chinese Immigration -
Bureau of Immigration
Congress made polygamists, "Persons suffering from a loathsome or a dangerous contagious disease," and those convicted of "a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude" ineligable for immigration. The Act established the Bureau of Immigratio within the Treasury Department. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island opens; and serves as the processing center for 12 million immigrants over the next 30 years. -
US-Born Children
US-Born childre of foreign nationals graunteed citizenship, even if immigrant parents are barred, Supreme court ruled -
Anarchist Exclusion Act
After persidents Mckinley is assasinated by a polish anarchist, congress enacts the Anarchist Exclusion Act, which allows immigrants to be excluded on the basis o thier politicl opinions. -
Expatriation Act
Declared that an American woman who marries a foreign national loses her citizenship. -
Gentleman's Agreement
The United States agrees not to restrict Japanese immigration in exchange for Japan's promise not to issue passports to Japanese laborers for travel to the continental United States. Japanese laborer are permitted to go to Hawaii, but are barred by executive order from migrating from Hawaii to the mainland. -
California's Alien Land Law
Prohibits "aliens ineligible for citizenship" (Chinese and Japanese) from owning property in the state. It provides the model for Similar acts in other states. -
Literacy Requirement
Congress enacts a literacy requirement for immigrants over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. The law requires immigrants to be able to read 40 words in some language. The law also specifies that immigration is prohibited from Asia, except from Japan and the Philippines. -
Quota Act
Limits annual European immigration to 3 percent of the number of a nationality group in the United States in 1910. -
Cable Act
Partially repeals the Expatriation Act, but declares that an American woman who marries an Asian still loses her citizenship. -
United States v. Bhaghat Singh Thind
The Supreme Court rules that Indians from the Asian subcontinent could not become naturalized U.S. citizens. -
The Johnson-Reed Acts
Limits annual European immigration to 2 percent of the number of nationality group in the United States in 1890. -
Indian Citizenship Act
grants citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States. Formerly some Indians had acquired citizenship by marrying white men, through military service, by receipt of allotments, or through special treaties or special statutes. But many were still not citizens, and they were barred from the ordinary processes of naturalization open to foreigners. -
Oriental Exclusion Act
Prohibits most immigration from Asia, including foreign-born wives and children of U.S. citizens of Chinese ancestry.