Immigration in the United States

Immigration to the U.S in all of its history has not been a patient process. Before 1965, acts such as the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1929 (Doc 5) were limiting immigration from countries too unlike our own. The immigration Act of 1965 (doc 7) simply changed the limitations of admitting immigrants to adjust to our needs for skilled workers. Either way, policies are molded for needs of society, whether it be economic or social, and not to the needs of the immigrant. In the 19th century, Chinese immigrants were wanted by railroad companies although rejected by society at large. The contrast of American thought: businessmen say their praises (doc 1), while workers were emitted. Once the Chinese population grew in numbers, as populations sometimes do, fear of the economic and political power of the lower class, American by no means, led to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1887 (doc 4)

Nativism again raised its ugly head in the early 20th century, when the emergence of the Quota Act of 1929 (doc 5) was passed. Increased immigration from impoverished nations finding poverty line jobs in America stirred up resentment with current Americans. Low-wage white workers were faced with competition from immigrants who would work for lower wages and would face the conditions American workers fought against. Prejudice against these non-protestant immigrants created tension (most Americans had a WASP background), so congress moved to restrict the conflict. Congress was also reacting to the nativist