3A. Immigration to the USA Flashcards
How did WW1 change attitudes towards immigration?
- Open-door policy already being challenged by early 20th Century but this was catalysed by increasing numbers of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe who spoke little English
- Many Americans had not wanted to become involved in WW1 and were keen to cut off links after 1918
- Return to Monroe Doctrine demanded
- Demand for prohibition supported by domination of brewing industry by German immigrants.
- Russian revolution in 1917 raised fear of Communism and other ‘isms’ which Americans feared were being brought to the country by immigrants.
How many immigrants entered the USA between 1910-1920?
Between 1910-1920, 5.9 million immigrants entered the USA, mainly from Southern and Eastern Europe.
Why were immigrants from southern and eastern Europe disliked in the USA during the early 20th Century?
- Many of these immigrants were unskilled, illiterate and did not speak English - cheap source of labour.
- Many Americans saw them as a threat - undercut them in the labour market driving wages downwards.
These immigrants became the focus of anti-immigration laws passed in the 1920s.
What was the Emergency Quota Act 1921 and what did it entail?
The Emergency Quota Act 1921 reduced immigration from eastern and southern Europe by introducing a quota system to control entry.
- A limit was fixed at 3% per year of the population of foreign-born people of the same nationality living in the USA in 1910 - this applied to Italians, Poles and Russian Jews
- Exceptions were placed on artists, actors, singers, lecturers, nurses and other professionals from these countries, who were allowed in regardless.
- Exceptions continued to exist for immigrants from the New World, such as French Canada and Mexico
How did the Mexican population in the USA increase during the 1920s?
- During the 1920s, the Mexican population in California rose from 90,000 to 360,000.
- By 1930, there were 2 million Mexicans in the USA
What did the National Origins Act 1924 entail?
- The National Origins Act 1924 reduced the eastern and southern European quota to 2% of the existing population of the same background in the USA
- It also excluded Asian immigrants completely, offending preexisting immigrants from those countries of origin in the USA
How did the number of immigrants decrease during the 1930s in comparison to the 1920s?
- European immigration fell from a total 2.5 million people in the 1920s to a total of 350,000 in the 1930s.
- Total immigration fell from 4.1 million in the 1920s to 530,000 in the 1930s.
How much did the population of the USA increase in the 1920s?
The US population grew from 106 million in 1920 to 123 million in 1929 - the main reason for this was immigration.
Why did most immigrants come to the USA?
Most immigrants came to the USA in search of work and to escape persecution - they congregated in cities, creating ghettoes in some areas.
How did the National Origins Formula of 1921 reinforce institutional racism?
Basis of the National Origins Act 1924
The National Origins Formula of 1921 (and its final form in 1924) assigned slots to immigrants who might enter the USA based on national origins, for use in the Emergency Quota Act 1921 and National Origins Act 1924
- Preference towards immigrants from central and north-western Europe.
- Preference against immigrants from eastern or Southern Europe.
- Ban on all Asian immigrants.
How did immigration policy towards eastern Europe change after 1933?
Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany before and during WWII, Holocaust survivors after WWII as well as non-Jewish displaced persons fleeing Communist rule were usually admitted.
What was the 1940 Alien Registration Act, and which system did this start?
The 1940 Alien Registration Act required non-citizens to register with the federal government as a wartime measure - beginning of the green card system.
Why was the Bracero Programme forwarded in 1942?
The Bracero Programme was created in 1942 on executive order because many growers argued that World War II would bring labour shortages to low-paying agricultural jobs.
When was the Bracero Programme created?
The Bracero Programme was created on 4th August 1942 - the US concluded a temporary governmental agreement for the use of Mexican agricultural labour on United States farms.
Why did the Bracero Programme continue to exist after the war?
Concerns about production and the US entry into the Korean War in 1950 led the US to formalise the Bracero Programme within Public Law 78.
