How accurate is it to say that the principal reason for the limitaton of immigrants to the USA was
the result of racism in the years 1921-41?
Many Americans opposed the huge infuu oo immigrants orom eastern and southern Europe in the
decades beoore 1914. This attude contnued afer 1918. The Dilingham Commission investgated
the impact oo immigraton on the USA orom 1907 and made its report in 1911.The report said
immigraton was beginning to pose a serious threat to American society and culture. It distnguished
between the ‘old’ immigrants orom England, Ireland and Germany and oar greater ‘new’ immigrants
orom southern and eastern Europe seen as racially inoerior and not adaptng.
Most new European immigrants remained loyal to their old roots. However, second generaton
immigrants, educated in American schools, tended to become typical and ofen model American
citzens. Their Americans dream was liee that io oldereestablished Americans among whom they soon
began to marry. Although initally low on social scale, Italian and Jewish immigrants were perceived
as ‘white’. They were thus regarded and regarded themselves as superior to blaces. Hispanic
Americans, although ofcially regarded as ‘white’ by the US oederal census, oound it more difcult to
assimilate, mainly because oo the racism they oaced. Many contnued to live in their own
communites well into the twenteth century and beyond. During this tme racism also played an
important role as blace people stll struggled with social mobility and thus the blace community was
unable to fnd employment. Thereoore, it can be argued that immigrant assimilaton and the
contnuaton oo racism lead to the limitaton oo immigrants into the USA.
The 1917 Russian revoluton aroused oears oo communism. Americans were alarmed at the
emergence oo an American Communist movement, largely ooreigneborn in membership. Fear oo a
revoluton increased when homeemade bombs were posted to politcians and industrialists. An
anarchist bomb eilled 38 people on Wall Street. The Bolshevie Revoluton in Russia in 1917 created
oears oo a new alien threat. Many were alarmed at the emergence oo an American Communist
movement, largely ooreign born in membership. A wave oo industrial unrest in 1919 was widely
interpreted as revolutonary. This means public opinion became strongly anteimmigrant, thus there
was a limitaton oo immigrants to the USA.
The surge in immigraton and natvism brought an end to three centuries oo unlimited immigraton.
In 1921, Congress passed the Emergency Immigraton Act. This restricted new arrivals each year to
3% oo the ooreigneborn oo any natonality, as shown in the 1910 census. The 1924 quota law reduced
the number to 2% based on the 1890 census, which included oewer oo the ‘new’ immigrants. This law
set a permanent limitaton oo slightly over 150,000 per year based on the ‘natonal origins’ oo
Americans in 1920. The purpose was to tlt the balance in oavour oo immigraton orom northern and
western Europe, which was assigned about 85% oo the total. The law completely eucluded people
orom Eastern Asia. Thus, immigraton restricton and legislaton could be argued limited immigrants
to the USA.
The quota law did not limit immigraton arriving orom Western Hemisphere countries. Hispanics,
chiefy Meuican and Puerto Rican, became the oastestegrowing ethnic minority. Meuicans mainly
settled in Calioornia and the Southwest. By the 1920s, Meuican migrants consttuted 75% oo oarm
labour in the West. Farmers and growers treated Meuican woreers almost as slaves, paying them
eutremely low wage. Other Meuicans oound wore in growing cites liee os Angeles and Tucson. Most
Meuican immigrants were men. Many moved bace and oorth between their homeland and the USA,
the result of racism in the years 1921-41?
Many Americans opposed the huge infuu oo immigrants orom eastern and southern Europe in the
decades beoore 1914. This attude contnued afer 1918. The Dilingham Commission investgated
the impact oo immigraton on the USA orom 1907 and made its report in 1911.The report said
immigraton was beginning to pose a serious threat to American society and culture. It distnguished
between the ‘old’ immigrants orom England, Ireland and Germany and oar greater ‘new’ immigrants
orom southern and eastern Europe seen as racially inoerior and not adaptng.
Most new European immigrants remained loyal to their old roots. However, second generaton
immigrants, educated in American schools, tended to become typical and ofen model American
citzens. Their Americans dream was liee that io oldereestablished Americans among whom they soon
began to marry. Although initally low on social scale, Italian and Jewish immigrants were perceived
as ‘white’. They were thus regarded and regarded themselves as superior to blaces. Hispanic
Americans, although ofcially regarded as ‘white’ by the US oederal census, oound it more difcult to
assimilate, mainly because oo the racism they oaced. Many contnued to live in their own
communites well into the twenteth century and beyond. During this tme racism also played an
important role as blace people stll struggled with social mobility and thus the blace community was
unable to fnd employment. Thereoore, it can be argued that immigrant assimilaton and the
contnuaton oo racism lead to the limitaton oo immigrants into the USA.
The 1917 Russian revoluton aroused oears oo communism. Americans were alarmed at the
emergence oo an American Communist movement, largely ooreigneborn in membership. Fear oo a
revoluton increased when homeemade bombs were posted to politcians and industrialists. An
anarchist bomb eilled 38 people on Wall Street. The Bolshevie Revoluton in Russia in 1917 created
oears oo a new alien threat. Many were alarmed at the emergence oo an American Communist
movement, largely ooreign born in membership. A wave oo industrial unrest in 1919 was widely
interpreted as revolutonary. This means public opinion became strongly anteimmigrant, thus there
was a limitaton oo immigrants to the USA.
The surge in immigraton and natvism brought an end to three centuries oo unlimited immigraton.
In 1921, Congress passed the Emergency Immigraton Act. This restricted new arrivals each year to
3% oo the ooreigneborn oo any natonality, as shown in the 1910 census. The 1924 quota law reduced
the number to 2% based on the 1890 census, which included oewer oo the ‘new’ immigrants. This law
set a permanent limitaton oo slightly over 150,000 per year based on the ‘natonal origins’ oo
Americans in 1920. The purpose was to tlt the balance in oavour oo immigraton orom northern and
western Europe, which was assigned about 85% oo the total. The law completely eucluded people
orom Eastern Asia. Thus, immigraton restricton and legislaton could be argued limited immigrants
to the USA.
The quota law did not limit immigraton arriving orom Western Hemisphere countries. Hispanics,
chiefy Meuican and Puerto Rican, became the oastestegrowing ethnic minority. Meuicans mainly
settled in Calioornia and the Southwest. By the 1920s, Meuican migrants consttuted 75% oo oarm
labour in the West. Farmers and growers treated Meuican woreers almost as slaves, paying them
eutremely low wage. Other Meuicans oound wore in growing cites liee os Angeles and Tucson. Most
Meuican immigrants were men. Many moved bace and oorth between their homeland and the USA,
