Immigration in America
HIS204: American History Since 1865 (GSN1442E)
Instructor: Steven Harn
Sarah Budetich
November 17, 2014

Moore, H. (2009). Contagion from Abroad: U.S. Newspaper Framings of Immigrants and Epidemics, 1891 to 1893. Atlanta Review Of Journalism History, 832-89. In this article it explains that the “Americans” were scared of the diseases that may be brought over from by “immigrates” that were coming from afar lands that some did not know anything about. There were four different places that immigrates migrated to on the East coast would be Ellis Island in New York, West coast was Angel Island in San Francisco, Canadian/Michigan border in the North and Texas/Mexico border in the South. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, this allowed Chinese to stay in America for ten years since “white” Americans were worried that Chinese were going to take over the jobs. This Act was up for review in 1892 giving restrictions on Chinese immigrates, that if paperwork was not all in order and without a “white witness” they would be deported back to their country. Immigrates that were coming over from their home countries and if they had any disease they would be under the National Quarantine Act 1893, meaning that they could not be associated with anyone else for the fear of spreading the disease. When immigrants entered through Ellis Island there were strict rules and inspections, whereas in Texas/Mexico border there were not that may rules and inspections for those that entered there. The break out of smallpox started in the Texas/Mexico border so the people were quarantined to the cities of outbreaks, and could not leave unless they had a certificate from a doctor. Epidemic of smallpox went from blaming the Mexicans to blaming the Chinese. People were more aware of the threats of this disease which made it that immigrants that passed through any of the “open doors” would have to pass a health check before moving on to other places.
Orrenius, P. M., & Zavodny, M. (2003). Do Amnesty Programs Reduce Undocumented Immigration? Evidence from IRCA. Demography, 40(3), 437-450. In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, this gave people that had lived in America prior to 1982 were grandfathered in to America as long as they met the requirements that allowed them to stay. This allowed over 2 million Mexican people to stay in the United States, although they had to have their application sent in before the ending of the amnesty period. However, with the low education rate equaled low skilled job seekers. The migration of Mexicans reduced since the application period time was put into process. This was controlled by the INS, the data was collected when they were in the United States. However, many would still go home and cross the border illegally. Schultz, R. (2011). 'Allegiance and land go together': Automatic Naturalization and the Changing Nature of Immigration in Nineteenth-Century America. American Nineteenth Century History, 12(2), 149-176. doi:10.1080/14664658.2011.594649 In this article it compares how the naturalization of becoming a citizen from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century. Before the Naturalization Act was entered into the law that it only took ten minutes for a person to become a citizen as they may have paid a fee and present it to the judge say the Pledge Allegiance, a signature and off they went. Years passed and the person that wanted to become a citizen had to process more paperwork, witnesses, with an elaborate swearing in ceremony. Time being in the United States went from just coming over, living in the United States for two years up to fourteen years. According to the was also allowed to deport a person back to their own country if they happened to break the laws. Smith, E. (1924). Debate on Immigration Act of 1924. Retrieved from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5080 In this speech it talks about how the doors of America shall be