Race and Immigration Restriction

Immigration Waves in US History antebellum, —largely northern European, especially England, Ireland and Germany—approx. 4.5 million late 19th-early 20th century, —largely Southern and Eastern European, including Polish and Russian Jews, Italian, Greek—approx million also Asian immigrants in the late 19th-early 20th century, in much fewer numbers (for example, Chinese immigrants built US railroads)

Immigration Waves > photograph of “immigrants” returning to Europe, 1907

Immigration Waves > Construction of Racial Difference What is this man’s ethnic background?

Immigration Waves > Construction of Racial Difference

Naturalization Law and Race in US History Congress limits naturalization to white persons Congress adds African Americans (naturalization limited to “free white persons” and “persons of African descent”) racial prerequisite for naturalization eliminated

Naturalization Law and Race > Cartoon on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Naturalization Law and Race > U.S. v Bhagat Singh Thind, 1923

Immigration Restriction > Ku Klux Klan Marching in DC

Immigration Restriction > Cartoon on the Literacy Test

Immigration Restriction > Cartoon on the Quota Act of 1921

Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act) Based ceilings on the number of immigrants from any particular nation on 2 percent of each nationality recorded in the 1890 census Was directed against immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe who arrived in large numbers after 1890 Barred all immigrants ineligible for citizenship on racial grounds, including all south and east Asians (including Indians, Japanese, and Chinese)

Immigration Act of 1924 > Annual Immigration Quotas Germany - 51,227 Great Britain - 34,007 Ireland - 28,567 Italy - 3,845 Hungary Greece Egypt - 100

Immigration Act of 1924 > Map of Europe, Literary Digest, 1924

Immigration Act of 1924 > Mae Ngai’s article What is the main argument of the article? Does the author present sufficient evidence to support her argument? What author’s insights did you find the most original and useful? In what ways do you think the author might have done things differently? Ngai says that the law “constructed race.” What does she mean? What role statistics and the Census played in the development of this legislation?