Immigration Timeline

The US Constitution was instated

The Naturalization Act of 1790 was instated, making it so that aliens have to reside in the US for 2 years and be free white people with good morals to become citizens of the US

One of the Alien and Sedition acts was instated that kept John Adams from deporting seemingly dangerous foreigners and also increased the required residency to 14 years.

The Naturalization Act is revised again making the minimum residency required to 5 years

Slave importation is banned in the US, even though it keeps happening

An act is passed making shipmasters turn in a manifest listing all aliens brought for immigration.

Castle Garden is dedicated as the main point of entry in New York

The “Anti-Coolie” Act poses special taxes on employers who have chinese workers and discourages Chinese people from immigrating to California.

The Homestead Act gives free plots to immigrants who agree to live on it for 5 years and develop it.

The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified, allowing voting rights for all citizens regardless of looks or cultural background.

The Naturalization Act offers citizenship to both white and African-Americans, while Asian people are still excluded.

The Chinese Exclusion Act denies all Chinese immigration to the US for the next 10 years.

The Immigration Act of 1882 instills a tax of 50 cents on all immigrants arriving in US ports and also deems several more categories of people ineligible for citizenship including people likely to become public charges and mentally unstable people.

The Alien Contract Labor Law keeps all companies and people from bringing people from outside the US into the US to do work under a contract. The few exceptions are skilled workmen helping establish a new industry in trade in the US or people brought to perform domestic service.

Congress deems “persons suffering from a loathsome or a dangerous contagious disease,” people accused of a “misdemeanor involving moral turpitude,” and polygamists unable to immigrate to the US.

Ellis Island is opened in NYC and is the dedicated entry point to the US.

The Geary Act lengthens the Chinese Exclusion Act to another ten years and also requires Chinese residents to carry permits, in addition to excluding them from acting as witnesses in court and from bail.

Congress enacts the Anarchist Exclusion Act prohibiting the entry of people considered anarchists or political extremists into the US.

The Chinese Exclusion Act is extended again for an infinite period of time.

The Naturalization Act of 1906 standardizes all procedures for naturalization, and also makes knowledge of the English language a necessity in order to be able to become a citizen.

The Expatriation Act deems American women that marry a foreign national lose her American citizenship.

The “Gentlemen’s Agreement” allows all Japanese immigration in return for Japan’s promise of restricting Japanese emigration to the US by not giving passports to Japanese workers.

California’s Alien Land Law keeps “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning property in the state.

Congress creates a literacy requirement for all immigrants, also banning all immigration from Asia except from Japan and the Philippines.

The Immigration Act of 1917 restricts immigration from all of Asia.

The Jones-Shafroth Act grants citizenship to Puerto Ricans. In return, they can be recruited by the US military.

The Emergency Quota Act limits immigration from a certain country to 3% of the amount of people from that country living in the US in 1910

The Cable Act changes the Expatriation Act so that you don’t lose citizenship unless you are marrying an Asian.

The Supreme Court rules that Indians from Asia aren’t allowed to become citizens.

The Immigration Act of 1924 limited European immigration to 2% of the current amount of them living in the US in 1890, reducing immigration from minorities.

The Oriental Exclusion Act prohibits immigration from most of Asia, including American citizens of Asian descent.

The National Origins Formula makes the maximum amount of immigrants 150,000 and completely denies all Asian immigration.

The Tydings-McDuffie Act gives the Philippines freedom from the US, but revokes citizenship and restricts Filipino immigration.

The Alien Registration Act makes fingerprinting of all aliens in the US over 14 necessary.

The Chinese exclusion laws were all repealed, allowing all Chinese immigration.

The Displaced Persons Act took in 205,000 refugees over two years.

The Immigration and Nationality Act eliminated all laws showing favor to certain races when granting permission for citizenship and immigration.

Another 200,000 refugees was added to the 1948 refugee law adds another 200,000 refugees in addition to previously promised amount.

The Refugee Act reduces the immigration cap to 270,000 and prioritizes refugees less.

The USA Patriot Act restricts citizenship from people associated or affiliated with terrorist parties.

Around the 1780s to the 1800s many people were immigrating to America at about 6,000 yearly. People immigrated from many countries such as France. Many of the French refugees left France and came to America due to the Haitian Revolution.

From the 1880s to the 1930s many people at about 27 million were coming overseas from other countries looking for work, better lives, and other things.

The series of immigration started to decline around 1806 when aggression arose between France and England as a result of the French Wars. This interrupted people’s ability to get onto ships and sail to America through the Atlantic.

Immigration was very low during the war of 1812, involving America and Great Britain.

In the 1840s and 1850s, The Great Famine was in existence where Ireland went through a great deal of hunger, causing many people to die because of the lack of potatoes. As a result, the Irish immigrated to America in hopes of a better life.

Also, in the 1840s and 1850s, many more people from Europe were crossing over. The people came from countries like Liverpool and Hamburg because they were driven out of their countries due to many issues such as industrialization, increases in the number of residents in their country, and modifications to the spreading of land that caused them to change their ways of living.

Around the time of the California Gold Rush, interests sparked natives of Asia and Europe particularly China, Germany, Chile, Ireland, Turkey, Mexico, and France. This caused many of them to immigrate to America looking for gold.

Also during the 1880s, many European natives were commonly immigrating to the U.S. A lot of these Europeans were Norwegians with nearly 9% of the population of Norway immigrating to the U.S.

With steam engines becoming popular in the 1880s, more immigrants were importing through steam transportation into America from many places like Canada, the Middle East, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean.

In 1882 congress passed an act that did not allow immigrants from China to come into America. Because of this act, it was harder for the Chinese immigrants to bring their families to America compared to the Europeans.

Animosity towards Asian immigrants grew and made it hard for Asians to find a sense of belonging. The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 involving Japan is what sparked the animosity of this time because of issues of Japanese natives immigrating to the U.S.

America allowed people of countries who were in danger seek asylum in America. Mexicans came seeking refuge due to the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920).

People began to grow suspicious towards immigrants after 1914’s WWI and many questioned the loyalty and backgrounds of the immigrants.

The people of Armenia left their country for America in 1915 due to massacres in Turkey against Armenians that forced them to remove themselves and their lives from Turkey.

By 1920, laws began to pass limiting the amount of immigrants that passed through the American border.

Immigration began to decline even more during the Great Depression while the laws that passed limiting immigrants continued to be active. Many people did not have a desire to sail to America and many of the immigrants who were already in America began to flee back to their native countries. More than 100 thousands of Mexicans had to leave America unwillingly during the Great Depression since some Americans thought their problems were brought about by immigrants.

German and Italian immigrants in America were held back for questioning because the U.S. had proposed war upon the Axis Powers during WWII. People of Japanese backgrounds were held back for questioning if they were immigrants and even if they were American-born.

While WWII was in action, people from Germany began to migrate to America to seek refuge but many were denied citizenship.

After WWII, former president, Harry S. Truman tried to make it so that America could accept and protect more refugees. After this was stated from the former president, Congress made it so hundreds of thousands of refugees would be accepted in the U.S. by passing the Displacement Persons Act. Though this was very helpful to refugees, many of them were not let in and had to seek asylum in other countries.

From 1956 to 1957, 38,000 Hungarians came to America to seek refuge due to revolting against the Soviets and the Soviet methods that consisted of Hungary's government and not succeeding. One of the very first refugees in America around the time of the Cold War were the Hungarians.

Also around this time (1956-1957), many more women were immigrating to the U.S. compared to men. They began to seek work while the economy was growing along with their husband and families that had immigrated to the U.S. already.

Requests for immigration improvements grew during the 1960s.

In the 1960s and 1970s people of many countries were seeking refuge in the U.S. to escape the dangers of the Cold War. Also, the government provided professional jobs for the immigrants and refugees that allowed them to save their earnings and eventually bring their families across the seas to America.

About five years after the signing of the Hart-Cellar Act (1961), Asian immigration to the U.S. increased greatly. Because of the Hart- Cellar Act Asians were able to seek refuge while the war in Southeast Asia was taking place. Since many of Asians immigrated to the U.S. the rate of Asians seeking refuge in America had skyrocketed.

Eventually, illegal immigration in the U.S. spiked in the 1980s and 1990s. With immigrants coming in from so many ways including land routes through Canada and Mexico.

The 1986 Immigration Reform Act discharged more than 3 million immigrants for their illegal acts.

During the 90s the acceptance of immigrants had declined with people starting to go against immigrants due to the recession taking place at this time.

From the 90s to today immigration is still growing continuously with some Americans accepting of them and some in question of their loyalty.