Immigration Time line by Dylan Miller

January 1776 Thomas Paine published Common Sense

2115292 — 2024-05-09 21:00:11 UTC

Thomas Paine publishes a pamphlet, Common sense that argues for American independence. Most colonists consider themselves Britons, but Paine makes the case for a new American. “Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe.

March 1790 Congress passes A law Of who can become a US Citizen

2115292 — 2024-05-09 21:05:51 UTC

Congress passes the first law about who should be granted U.S. citizenship. The Naturalization Act of 1790 allows any free white person of “good character,” who has been living in the United States for two years or longer, to apply for citizenship. Without citizenship, nonwhite residents are denied basic constitutional protections, including the right to vote, own property, or testify in court.

1815 West europe fist big wave of immigration

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:18:41 UTC

Peace is re-established between the United States and Britain after the War of 1812. Immigration from Western Europe turns from a trickle into a gush, which causes a shift in the demographics of the United States. This first major wave of immigration lasts until the Civil war.

Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish many of them Catholic account for an estimated one-third of all immigrants to the United States. Some 5 million German immigrants also come to the United States, many of them making their way to the Midwest to buy farms or settle in cities including Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cincinnati.

1819 Port cities overwhelmed

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:24:58 UTC

Many of newcomers arrive sick or dying from their long journey across the Atlantic in cramped conditions. The immigrants overwhelm major port cities, including New york city Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston. In response, the United States passes the Steerage Act of 1819 requiring better conditions on ships arriving to the country. The Act also calls for ship captains to submit demographic information on passengers, creating the first federal records on the ethnic composition of immigrants to the United States.

1849 America's first anti-immigrant political party

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:30:31 UTC

America’s first anti-immigrant political party, the Know Nothing Party forms, as a backlash to the increasing number of German and Irish immigrants settling in the United States.

1875 States pass own immigration laws

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:34:54 UTC

Following the Civil War, some states passed their own immigration laws. In 1875 the Supreme Court clares that it’s the responsibility of the federal government to make and enforce immigration laws.

1880 America begins a rapid period of industrialization and urbanization

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:40:56 UTC

As America begins a rapid period of industrialization and urbanization, a second immigration boom begins. Between 1880 and 1920, more than 20 million immigrants arrive. The majority are from Southern, Eastern and Central Europe, including 4 million Italians and 2 million Jews. Many of them settle in major U.S. cities and work in factories.

1882 Chinese exclusion act passes

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:44:17 UTC

The Chinese exclusion act passes, which bars Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. Beginning in the 1850s, a steady flow of Chinese workers had immigrated to America.

1891 The Immigration act was passed

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:47:31 UTC

The Immigration Act of 1891 further excludes who can enter the United States, barring the immigration of polygamists, people convicted of certain crimes, and the sick or diseased. The Act also created a federal office of immigration to coordinate immigration enforcement and a corps of immigration inspectors stationed at principle ports of entry.

January 1892 Ellis Island opens

2115292 — 2024-05-13 20:50:12 UTC

Ellis island,the United States’ first immigration station, opens in New York Harbor. The first immigrant processed is Annie Moore, a teenager from County Cork in Ireland. More than 12 million immigrants would enter the United States through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954.