Essay American History - Immigration

The purpose of this essay is to explore and interpret historical knowledge about immigration legislation. In 1864, Congress passed “An Act to Encourage Immigration,” which was predicated on the idea that American industry needed more workers. The result was a marked increase in immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, and this wave of immigrants was known as the "new immigrants." They were different from previous immigrants in terms of language, culture, and religion; and they helped to change the landscape of American cities. Twenty years later, Congress began to pass laws that restricted immigration, often drastically. This began in 1882 with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese people from entering the country for ten years (the law was renewed in 1892 and 1902, then made permanent. It was repealed in 1943). Immigration laws enacted in 1882 and 1891 enumerated other "excludable aliens," such as criminals, anarchists, paupers, and insane persons. Immigration was further restricted during World War I, and the era of increasing nativism culminated with the 1921 and 1924 immigration quotas.