1. Development of Immigration Laws: 1800’s to Today
What kinds of attitudes about immigration have our laws reflected?

2. Two Vocab Terms
Quota: A cap on how many immigrants can come from one specific country
Amnesty: Forgiveness for breaking a law; allows those here illegally to seek citizenship

3. Chinese Exclusion Act: 1882
Restricted almost all Chinese immigration to the U.S.
First limit of any kind on immigration
Was a result of racist beliefs that blamed Chinese immigrants for economic problems

4. Teddy Roosevelt's “Gentleman's Agreement”: 1907
Roosevelt agreed to end segregation of Japanese in U.S.
Japanese gov’t agreed not to let any more people immigrate to the U.S.
Again, it reflected racism towards Asians, especially in California

5. National Origins Act: 1924
Set quotas for immigration from individual countries based on 1890 census (2% of that pop. annually)
Quotas were very uneven:
100 people from each African country
Russia: 2,248
Italy: 3,845
England: 34,007
Germany: 51,227

6. Immigration and Nationality Act: 1965
Abolished nationality and race-based quotas
Set overall limits, but treated all countries equally
Created family-based visas

7. Refugee Act: 1980
Designated up to 70,000 visas per year to go to refugees (people whose lives are threatened by war/discrimination in their home country)

8. Immigration Reform and Control Act: 1986
Granted amnesty to 3,000,000 illegal immigrants living in the country
Increased penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants

9. Summarize:
For what reasons have immigration laws been created in the history of the U.S.?
Respond in a written paragraph