Can We? A Brief History of American Racism

The four acts were meant to protect the new nation from French immigrants.

President Thomas Jefferson led the repeal of most of these acts because they overstepped federal authority and instituted unjust restrictions.

The Know Nothing movement formed a national political party based on nativist sentiment. The Irish were streaming into the United States.

The national political party formed by Know Nothing movement was extinguished.

Reconstruction ended in the U.S. South. Legislation were enacted that stripped black citizens the right to vote, ejected black office holder from their posts, and segregation on public transportation.

President Arthur signed Chinese Exclusion Act to exclude Chinese workers from entering the United States.

State of Wisconsin passed the Bennett Law and state of Illinois passed Edwards law restricting the use of German language instruction in classrooms.

Both laws in state of Wisconsin and state of Illinois were repealed

The U.S. began the forcible internment of more than 100,000 Japanese nationals, more than half were American citizens.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed.