Immigration Act of 1924:
Consolidates US laws Restricting Immigration
The Immigration Act of 1924 consolidated
the principles of the following acts and made them
permanent features of US law to restrict Immigration:
● The
1882 Chinese Exclusion Act
● The
Immigration Act of
1907
●
The Immigration Act of 1917
(Asiatic Barred Zone)
● The
1921 Emergency
Quota Act
●
The
National Origins
Act of 1924
Immigration Act of 1924
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Immigration Act of 1924 Facts for kids: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Immigration Act of 1924.
What was the Immigration Act of 1924? The Immigration Act of 1924
limited the number of immigrants allowed
entry into the United States through a
national origins quota. The quota limited
immigration visas to 2% of the total number
of people of each nationality in the United
States, according to the 1890 national
census. All immigrants had to obtain a visa
from an American consul in their country of
origin.
Why was the Immigration Act of 1924 passed? The
Immigration Act of 1924 was passed in
response to political and public opinion
calling for restrictions on immigration from
South-Eastern Europe following events in the
US such as 1919
recession and high unemployment, civil
unrest and the Red
Scare.
What was an important effect of the Immigration Act of 1924?
One of the most important effects and
significance was by using the US 1890
census, rather than the population census of
1910 or 1920, it excluded the new wave of
foreign-born from South-Eastern Europe from
quotas truly proportionate to their new
numbers in the population. The effect on
immigration from Europe is conveyed in the
picture on the right.
Immigration Act of 1924
Facts for kids: Reasons why the law was passed
There were numerous
reasons why the Immigration Act of 1924 was passed:
●
Immigration levels between
1900-1920 had soared, reaching over 14 million new immigrants
into America
●
The
Dillingham
Commission Report had inflamed racial prejudice
towards immigrants from South-Eastern Europe creating
discrimination between
Old and
New Immigrants
●
The
Eugenics Movement, the
pseudo-science
supported by highly prominent and influential people,
fueled anti-immigrant and racist beliefs in America
●
The 1919 recession and
high unemployment had led to strikes, violence and riots that
prompted the
Red Scare in America
●
Nativism and xenophobia in America led to a wave of
anti-immigration hysteria that swept the country - the
government became under enormous pressure to restrict
immigration
Immigration Act of 1924
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Immigration Act of 1924
for kids.
Facts
about the Immigration Act of 1924 for kids
Fact 1:
The objective of the act was to limit the
migration of aliens into the United States. The law limited the
number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a
national origins quota which was designed to select immigrants
deemed to be best suited to American society.
Fact 2:
When was the 1924 Immigration Act
passed? The Immigration Act of 1924 was approved by
Congress on May 26, 1924.
Fact 3:
The law is also referred to as the
Johnson-Reed Act after its congressional sponsors,
Representative Albert Johnson (1869-1957) and Senator
David Reed (1880-1953).
Fact 4:
The 1924 law immediately reduced the
1921 temporary annual quota of immigrants allowed to
enter the US from 358,000 to 154,000.
Fact 5:
The law created a permanent quota system (the
1921 Emergency Quota Act was only temporary) providing that that
from July 1, 1927 (later postponed to July 1, 1929) the national
origins quota system would be adopted
Fact 6:
The percentage quota limited
immigration visas was reduced from 3% to 2% of the total
number of people of each nationality in the United
States, according to the 1890 national census.
Fact 7:
The law prohibited entry of aliens
not eligible for US citizenship, thereby formally
excluding entry of Japanese, Chinese, and other Asian
immigrants.
Fact 8:
The “consular control system” of immigration was
established requiring that all immigrants had to obtain a visa from
an American consul in their country of origin.
Fact
9:
By using the US 1890 population census,
rather than the censuses taken in 1910 or 1920, the law
excluded the new wave of foreign-born from South-Eastern
Europe (referred to as "New Immigrants" from quotas that
were truly proportionate to their new numbers in the US
population.
Fact 10:
The distinction between "Old
Immigrants" and "New Immigrants" was made in the Dillingham
Commission Report which discriminated between Old and
New Immigrants
Continued...
Facts
about the Immigration Act of 1924 for kids
Immigration Act of 1924
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Immigration Act of 1924
for kids.
Facts
about the Immigration Act of 1924 for kids
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
11: The Dillingham
Commission Report had concluded that the "New Immigrants"
from South-Eastern Europe were "inferior, uneducated and posed a serious threat to American
society" and recommended that immigration to America by "New
Immigrants" should be
restricted.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
12: "New Immigrants" were defined as
people from Jewish and Slovak races who came from
South eastern European countries such as
such as Italy, Greece, Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Poland,
Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
13: "Old Immigrants" were defined as
people from Anglo-Saxon or Nordic races who came
from the North Western areas of Europe such as Britain,
Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Germany, France and Scandinavia
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
14: Whilst the law cut the percentage
quota for North-Western European countries it absolutely
slashed the percentage quota for South-Eastern
European countries.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
15: The 1890 census showed the countries
of origin of the majority of the US population were
particularly high from North-Western Europe e.g. Great
Britain (43%), Germany (17%), Ireland (12%)
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
16: Between 1901 - 1920 over 14 million
immigrants arrived in the US, to the alarm of
established Americans. The US census of 1910 and
1920 therefore reflected the massive immigration levels
from South-Eastern European countries (which would have
increased their percentage quotas).
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
17: The effect of the law was staggering.
For example, the quota for Italy, was reduced from
42,057 to 3,845 people.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
18:
The
law exempted people from the Western Hemisphere from the
quota system and a record number of Mexican immigrants
entered the United States.
Mexican labor was needed in the labor-short farmlands
of America. According
to the U.S. census between
1910 and 1930, the number
of immigrants from Mexico
tripled from 200,000 to
600,000 - refer to
Mexican Migration.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact 19:
The Immigration Act of 1924 governed US
immigration policy until revisions were made in the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1952.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
20: Immigration to the United States
markedly decreased, in part because of the Immigration
Act of 1924, but also because of worldwide economic
depression.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
21: From 1924 to 1947, only 2,718,006
immigrants gained entry to the United States
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
22: The Immigration Act of 1924 governed US
immigration policy until revisions were made in the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1952.
Immigration Act of 1924 Fact
23: The percentage quotas remained in place with
minor alterations until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
Facts
about the Immigration Act of 1924 for kids
Facts
about
Immigration Act of 1924
for kids
For visitors interested in the history of
US Immigration refer to the following articles:
Immigration Act of 1924 for kids - President Calvin Coolidge Video
The article on the Immigration Act of 1924 provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Calvin Coolidge video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 30th American President whose presidency spanned from August 2, 1923 to March 4, 1929.
Immigration Act of 1924
●
Interesting Facts about Immigration Act of 1924 for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Immigration Act of 1924 in US history
●
Immigration Act of 1924 of important, key
events
●
Calvin Coolidge Presidency from August 2, 1923 to March 4, 1929
●
Fast, fun facts about the Immigration Act of 1924
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Calvin Coolidge
● Calvin Coolidge Presidency and
Immigration Act of 1924 for schools,
homework, kids and children
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