American Immigration and Nativism 1607 – 1776: Before independence British colonists, indentured servants and slaves British settlement grounds their culture in what becomes the US 1776 – 1875: Naturalization, Migrations, Nativism Naturalization Acts Exponential increase in immigration begins Nativism becomes a powerful political force 1875 – WWII: Restrictions and Quotas Restrictions on immigration begin (literacy tests, quotas…) Immigration is greatly stunted by US entry into WWI WWII – 2000: Liberalization, Refugees Immigration begins to increase again after WWII, including refugees Restrictions on immigration are removed First legislation against illegal immigrants enacted

1607 - 1776 Early Settlement: 1607-Jamestown – First European settlement in what becomes the Thirteen Colonies. Initially settled in 1607. Established by the Virginia Company, most residents were British Marked the beginning of contract labor- Single men and women would have paid passage to the Americas in exchange for a labor contract. 90% worked on farms, became yeoman farmers. 1620-Mayflower – First New England settlement Landed at Cape Cod and wrote the Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth colony. Separatists (Pilgrims) fleeing religious persecution initiated the journey From 1629 to 1640, tens of thousands of Puritans populated the New England region through what becomes Boston, Massachusetts Bay.

Slaves A significant portion of the people coming to America were African slaves, especially in the South. The first 1000 slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619. The amount of slaves imported will gradually increase, slaves become a substantial portion of the Southern population. Slave codes were laws in each colony, and later each state, which gave slave-owners absolute power over slaves and defined their rights.

Settlement after 1700 Large scale immigration to New England ended after 1700 Scotch-Irish Migration - From 1710-1775 over 200,000 people came to America, mostly to Pennsylvania. Most people moved to escape persecution or to look for a new life. (French Protestants, Quakers, Criminals) Many immigrants were indentured servants and slaves.

1776 - 1875 By 1790, the US population was at 3,900,000. About 11% of the population was enslaved. The Naturalization Act of 1790 set rules for naturalized citizenship, but did not restrict immigration. Citizenship was limited to landowning white males. The subsequent Acts of 1795 and 1798 lengthened the required residency to become a citizen in response to an influx of immigrants. In 1808, the importation of slaves was made illegal, though they were still a labor force.

19th Century Immigration From 1820 to 1870, the population went from almost 10 million to almost 40 million. About 15 million were immigrants filling demands for labor. Immigrants from all over Europe came with their own cultures They tended to cluster by culture in certain neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Agriculture in the Midwest and Northeast, industry in major cities. Southern agriculture was largely fueled by slave labor. The first large-scale arrival of Catholic immigrants to the largely Protestant United States gave rise to nativism.

Nativism Nativism was a philosophy favoring native-born Americans and intensely against immigrants. Nativists were anti-immigration and anti-Catholic because of the conflicting culture. Immigrants would take jobs for incredibly low wages, making unions difficult, and they were also generalized as drunks and criminals. Irish Catholics were the opposite of Protestants, and nativists feared their allegiance was to the Pope. They also feared immigrants were against republican values. Began gaining strength in the pre-Civil War decades. Nativism became a political movement with the foundation of the Know Nothing Party.

Know Nothings The party dissolved in 1860. Nativist political party founded in 1845, mainly active from ‘54-’56 Mostly unsuccessful at the time. Know Nothing platform, 1850s: Severe limits on immigration Political offices only for native-born English/Scottish/Protestant Americans (Millard Fillmore) 25 year wait for citizenship Restrict public school teacher positions to Protestants Daily Bible readings in public schools. Restricting the sale of liquor (Temperance) Restricting the use of languages other than English The party dissolved in 1860.

1875 - WWII Nativism remained a political force and nevertheless impacted Congress. After the Civil War, the source of immigrants shifted from northern and western Europe to southern and eastern Europe. Immigrants flooded in on increasingly spacious steamboats and fueled the industrial labor force. The gold rush in the West also drew immigration from Asia, primarily China. By the 1890s, nativism was again popular and more influential. Against the “New” immigrants Against Germans, especially around WWI Very against Asian immigration

Immigration Restriction League Nativist group founded in 1894 - opposed the influx of "undesirable immigrants“ Felt that immigrants were a threat to the American way of life, bringing in poverty and organized crime at a time of high unemployment. In 1918 the League introduced a bill to Congress to restriction immigration via a quota system. Also advocated a literacy requirement as a means to limit poorly-educated immigrants who would lower the wage scale.

Nativist Legislation The Page Act of 1875 was the first act restricting immigration. Excludes undesirables such as convicts. Sets restrictions for Asians. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 severely restricted Chinese immigration in the West. The Alien Contract Labor Law of 1885 prohibited unskilled foreign contract labor. Congress passed a literacy bill in 1896, setting the ability to read at least 40 words in any language as a requirement for admission to the United States. Vetoed by Cleveland in 1897, Taft also vetoed a literacy test in 1913. The Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 with Japan stopped Japanese emigration. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 restricted annual immigration from certain countries substantially by using quotas. The National Origins Act of 1924 restricted total immigration and placed further restrictions on immigrants from nations with quotas. Greatly restricts most Asian immigration.

WWII - 2000 After WWII, nativism mostly died out. Restrictions on immigration were eased starting in 1943. The Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943 repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act and permitted Chinese nationals to become naturalized citizens. The McCarran-Walter Act (1952) lifted restrictions on Asian immigration, but increased the power of the government to deport illegal immigrants suspected of being Communists. The Hart-Keller Act (1965) ended the quota system and gives preference to immigrants with American relatives. It also restricted Mexican immigration for the first time. The United States became a destination for refugees at this time as well. Cubans and people running from Communism were all granted legal status. Jews fleeing WWII were taken in.

Illegal Immigration Illegal immigration became the next big issue. Illegal immigrants came from everywhere, but particularly Mexico. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it possible for illegals to gain citizenship but made it a crime to hire an illegal worker. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 drastically changed many laws pertaining to illegal immigration, asylum, and immigration relief. It made illegal residence in the United States much more difficult.